Today we’d like to introduce you to Ingrid Bonne.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ingrid. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
So I started out as a pet photographer! Well, that is what I was going to try to be when I quit my cushy job at Leo Burnett without a business plan, without savings, without any clue how I was going to make it work. Additionally, this was in 2006, just as the market was about to crash! So let’s rewind a little further. In 2004, I got my first puppy, a pug named Mr. Pig, and at the same time, started some continuing education classes at Columbia College after reading a very inspiration book called “Shutterbabe”. Prior to this, I had no interest in photography, but I always had a yearn for adventure. So here I am taking these classes, and around the same time, get my first dog, and I need to practice the photography stuff I am learning in my classes, so I use my dog as my subject. I soon realize how fun this is and my friends and family start asking me to take pictures of their pets and soon after, I decide to dive in and try to make this my business. Well, as the economy began to tank, it was harder and harder to find clients willing to pay to have pictures of their pet taken. SO, I started looking into other ways I could pay my bills with photography. I answered an ad in Craigslist to be a second shooter for a wedding, and got the job and never looked back. I am a hopeless romantic and a lover of love, and documenting wedding days is a perfect fit for me! It took years of hard work, making lots of mistakes, fixing them, making more mistakes, more hard work, and perseverance, but here I am today, with a thriving business doing what I LOVE to do. I feel SO lucky to be able to say that!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been filled with bumps! The first few years that I started my business I did a lot of freelance design work at ad agencies so that my bills could get paid, and then I would do photography on the weekends. I had to build up a client base and build a name for myself. Equipment is so expensive, workshops, continuing education, insurance, business license, all these things cost money and the biggest hurdle was how to make enough money to pay for all of these things and still be able to eat and live. As my business grows, the biggest obstacle is work-life balance, because I LOVE working, but I also now have a family and a home and pets and trying to fit everything into a single day is very challenging. And when you love what you do it is hard to say “no”!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ingrid Bonne Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
So Ingrid bonne photography mainly focuses on wedding and special event photography. My relationships generally start at the wedding phase, and then I end up photographing the couple with their growing family for years to come. I typically only photograph families of my past couples, because I love having that prior relationship/friendship with them and the sense of comfort is already established. Apart from weddings, I also love shooting other events: corporate events, workshops, non-profit gala’s, conferences, etc. I love photographing places where there are lots of people moving! That energy feeds my soul and I love being in the thick of it!
One thing that I feel sets Ingrid bonne photography apart is the personality and passion of me and my team. We are right there in the center of the event smiling our butts off, laughing, having just as much fun, holding hands, taking care of our clients, and making absolute certain that their day is glorious. We bring that energy, that passion to every single event and hands down, at every event, we are praised for how much fun we were and how easy we were to work with. And how they just can’t wait to see the pictures. Not only by our client, but by their family and friends. I’ve received countless emails from clients telling me how so many people at their event/wedding loved us. THIS is what makes me most proud. The EXPERIENCE that me and my team give our clients. This experience, followed by lovely, romantic, tender, silly, heartwarming images that they will cherish for generations to come. And the way my images make them FEEL when they look at them. This is what sets me apart.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I guess I am lucky that I am adventurous! There is never a dull moment in this business, and each day is different. I thrive on spontaneity and change. Times I am afraid are also times I am most energized. And when I am energized, I am full of creativity!
When I think about it, it saddens me a bit that I did not start this career until my mid-30’s. I see lots of young photographers out there and wonder where my business would be if I started it after college. But truthfully, I’ve done some really amazing things in my life (traveled all over the world, spent years acting in theatre and performing around the world, marrying the love of my life and having a family) that I think this is exactly the path I was supposed to take and I am where I am supposed to be 🙂
Contact Info:
- Address: 639 W Diversey Parkway Chicago, IL 60614
- Website: www.ingridbonnephotography.com
- Phone: 773.991.2400
- Email: ingrid@ingridbonnephotography.com
- Instagram: ingrid_bonne_photography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ingridbonnephotography
Image Credit:
Ingrid Bonne Photography
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