Aside from working full time at her 9-5 job, raising kids, and recently moving from North Dakota to Minnesota, you can find Beth Mortenson snapping photos for her photography business. What started as a project for her music degree has now become Beth’s dream come true. She shared, “… From that project I realized how fun this is and how much I enjoy doing it.” Beth Ann Photography set its roots in Jamestown, ND. However, she and her family recently moved and she is now taking ground in Minnesota.
Beth Ann Photography
A few years ago Beth decided to take a shot at booking business as a photographer. She made a simple post on the Jamestown
Facebook garage sale site, and lo and behold, shortly after, had lined up 10 shoots. She was looking to expand her portfolio, so she worked with a fellow photographer to get some mentoring and learn the business aspect and all the logistics that go with it. The majority of her skills are self-taught!
Beth remembered, “At one point I was pregnant with my first child Hudson, going to grad school, working full time, and doing photography on the side. It was not working. I had to start picking and choosing the sessions I wanted with what worked with our schedule. This forever put a change on how I would spend my time. Now that my two children are more aware, they see me with my camera bag and say, ‘You going to take pictures, Mama?’ so I try really hard to maintain that work-life balance.”
Beth’s Favorite Photography Shoots
Although Beth can do all types of shoots, her favorites are senior shoots and couples in love. She beamed, “I love the comfortability that comes with seniors. I do two separate occasions with them, and by the second time 
they are so natural and confident. And my favorite… happens to be couples in love. I’ll ask the groom, ‘What’s your three favorite things about her?’ and as he’s responding I’m able to capture that intimate moment of affection. I love watching them be themselves!”
Canon 5D Mark 4 Captures the Moments
Every photographer has a favorite camera. Beth commented, “I started off with a typical starter camera: the Canon Rebel, because I wanted better pictures of my kids. I direct a lot of moms to this camera and help them find some instructional videos on YouTube to learn how to use its different features. And now, my go to is my Canon 5D Mark 4. My favorite part about it? There’s wifi enabled so I can send photos directly to my phone. This has been super helpful!”
Balancing Time with Photography and Family
Beth had a few final words about being a business owner and a Mama. “I struggle with things other moms get to do with their kids who have unlimited free time. I have so many goals and things I want to do, and there is this delicate balance between giving my kids 100% or doing things for myself. What’s the best choice? It all comes back to time commitments. Oh, and also that my kids don’t like to smile for me in front of the camera unless they get a sucker!” Her final thoughts were resounding– Everything I do I do for them so we can have a better life together!
Let’s give this Mama a warm MN welcome! Book your shoot with her during the week of Small Business Saturday: head to this link Band of Mamas 30-minute session on her website from now until next Wednesday, Dec. 4. Then when you’re done, head on over to this article about The Locket Sisters and read about how you can put your new photos in a timeless locket!
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