Spot-light on: Photo By Bonnie

Meet the Mom Behind Photo By Bonnie!

Who is Photo By Bonnie? Where are you located?
Photo By Bonnie is me, Bonnie McCann, artist and photographer. I do digital painting, including commissioned portrait paintings, fine art photography, and collage pieces. I am located in Hawaii.


How did you come up with your business name?
At the time I started the business I was doing a lot of family portrait photography and just wanted something simple, so I went with Photography by Bonnie. Once word was out and I had a web site that was photobybonnie.com I was stuck with it because my business was strictly word of mouth. Now that I'm bringing in my other art and combining things together, it seems a bit limiting. Maybe that's why my husband hates it - he knows I'm much more than a photographer.


Why did you decide to start your own business?
I was steered away from art as a career for practical reasons, but it always seemed to keep popping up in my life. When I had children I got back into photography and soon found I really enjoyed taking photos of children. When people kept commenting on the photos around my house it gave me the confidence to just go for it.

How did you get started?
I started with people I knew, offering a free photo session in exchange for my practicing on other families and children. The more I did the more I liked it. After a few years I had begun to get serious about the artistic side of photography. Once I went digital, a whole new world opened up and I taught myself PhotoShop and Corel Painter. These two programs let me incorporate my art background into my photography. I didn't realize how much I missed creating art for beauty's sake until I was doing it again.


What are your inspirations, where do you get ideas for your work?
I'm a great thief, getting ideas from everything and everywhere. Fruit in the store, a magazine ad, and of course, nothing inspires like a trip to the art academy and museum to see the masters. I don't try to recreate images I see, but rather I go somewhere and then just 'feel'. It's hard to explain, but if you look at my work, you'll see that there is no unifying theme, such as florals, or landscapes. I think it's more in my interpretation and the conveyance of my emotions that brings my work together.


What motivates you to keep your business going?
Because it brings a lot of joy to people, even those that can't afford to purchase a piece. To see people's face light up, or get emotional over a personal memory, or just keep coming back to a piece to look at it over and over. I've decided that I'm going to focus on being more daring and adventurous in my art this year, and have fun while I'm doing it. I'm not going to focus on the bottom line, or if it's sale-able.

Do you have a particular product that's unique and a best-seller on your site?
A very popular product is the Artbag. I take your images and create a whole new piece of art with it. I guarantee you will get stopped over and over by people who want to look at it. The most popular style is the Bucket Bag.

The ultimate in unique is to commission a portrait. You are investing in the future with an heirloom that will bring you and your family joy and memories for a lifetime.


How do you advertise your business?
Word of mouth was my primary means for years. Now I do shows at galleries around Hawaii and am currently learning the many ways of web 2.0 to promote my new web site, www.bonniemccann.com. I also set a goal for myself last year to "put myself out there" at least once a month, in some way or fashion. One of these ways included an international art contest hosted by The Artful Home. I just submitted my entries and went on with other things. A few months later I found out I was in the top 10 out of over 500 entries. That was such a thrill, and a real motivator as voting was now up to the public and done online. I was kicking myself for not getting on the web 2.0 scene a few months earlier. I knew how powerful it was, but was so busy with other things that I just sent out emails to people I knew, and left it to be what it would be. In March I received a phone call that I was the grand prize winner for 2008. Winning has been the best thing for me at this time because The Artful Home is a very big company, with a print catalog of art, as well as an online presence. It pushed my thinking through to a more professional level in how I present my business, and it was also a great validation of being an artist.


Which advertising methods proved successful/effective?
Getting in front of people to discuss my work. When you have passion, and are creating art to make people feel (I personally like them to feel good, including sad memories of loved ones), you have to get personal and share. When people realize you love what you do and put that energy into everything you create, then they get excited and appreciate your work even more. Also, commissioning a portrait is very personal, so people want to get to know the person who will be painting their loved ones.

How do you juggle family and work at home?
I had good intentions at first, but then I didn't do so well. I started to focus on doing whatever I could to make sure my customers got what they wanted. I would get stressed and I short-changed my kids because my mind was elsewhere. We home school, and I was panicking about when I would cover everything I needed to with them, and school was no longer fun! I had to start saying that teaching my children was my primary job, and when everything was done for them, then I could do my own thing. It's one of the reasons I no longer do portrait photography. I re-evaluated my business and changed my focus to work that can be done whenever I am available, which is often late at night.


What advice would you give to moms seeking to become a WAHM?
Really be honest when you ask yourself why you want to do this, and does it need to be right now. If it's strictly for money, then I would see if you could achieve those goals with budgeting first. Doing a business correctly and successfully requires a lot of energy and patience. Don't expect to be successful for at least one year, three to be more realistic. Your children are more precious than anything, and before you know it, they'll be all grown up. Try to incorporate them into your business in some way, so you grow together and have fun. Let them know that you'd drop everything in a second should they need you. That "just a minute" at the computer, often turns into 20 or 30.


Current promotions/specials at Photo By Bonnie:
I'm offering a whopping 50% OFF a Soft Impressions portrait in conjunction with this article, and to kick off my new and improved online presence. This offer is good until October 31, 2008. Contact me directly or view more information at my web site, www.bonniemccann.com. In the Gallery under commissioning a portrait, there is all the information on the Soft Impression Portraits. These make spectacular gifts since they are more than a photo, but still very affordable.


Anything else you'd like to add about Photo By Bonnie or about being a WAHM in general?
Hmmm, maybe that if you're home with children, you're already working pretty hard. Take pride in the most significant job you'll ever have, even if all your money making ventures fail.


Visit Photo By Bonnie at: www.bonniemccann.com





(Note: Logo, product images and interview responses courtesy of Photo By Bonnie. Please respect their work and do not copy and/or alter their images and words. Thank you! )