Hey there, let me introduce myself!
Hi, my name is Hanna! I am the owner and photographer at Bourne Photographic Studios. Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you for taking the time out to look at my website and my FIRST blog!
This blog is all about how I started and how I came round to opening the studio.
Let me take you back to summer of 2016 when I was bored of my job at another photography place and having a conservation with my mum, I explained to her that I felt like I was going nowhere with the job I was in and I couldn’t get any higher positions. She then explained to me, “well Hanna, why not go out on your own?”. This thought crossed my mind a few times and with my sister-in-law also being a photographer it seemed like a no brainer to open a studio together!
Fast forward a couple of months, after having several meetings and planning, we started studio hunting in Bourne. The first place we looked at was Hereward House on Cherry Holt Road and well let’s just say we fell in love with it! We loved the space, the multiple rooms which we could use and the traditional floor when you walk in. Not only did we love the building, but we loved the feel of it too. If you ever walk into the studio I’m sure you will agree with me that it has such a homely feel to the place. We did look at a couple more places but our hearts were set on Hereward House.
A few weeks later we put an offer in on the building and hey presto we got the place! Then it was time to get everything finalised and plan to open. We were in September and we knew we wanted to open before the Christmas rush so we planned to open on Halloween weekend and do an open day event!
At this point I was still working full time so when I finished work, I would head over to Bourne to do painting, marketing, cleaning and all the fiddly bits you need to do before opening a business. I would normally finish at midnight, get a McDonalds on the way home and repeat the next day.
It was a stressful couple of weeks, but I finished my current job a week before opening and we managed to get everything sorted a day before we were meant to open, with a lot of help from friends and family!
We opened the doors to Bourne Photographic Studios on 28th October 2016! The Halloween event was a huge success and we even had people asking if we would be running another event for Christmas. This is how our Open Day Event started.
A year or so later, everything was going amazing and for two young photographers who had no idea of how to run a business we were doing surprisingly well! Then, Sarah felt like she was losing her special time with her young son and with a hard decision she left the business. I do have to point out that we remain so close and work together with two separate businesses. At the end of day we are still family and that is all that matters!
Although Sarah left on very good terms, this hit me massively and, for a 22 year old, I was worried if I would be able to run the business by myself. With the help of my mum who has had a couple of very successful businesses under her belt, she managed to get me through and guided me to the path I am on now.
A couple of years later, I have learned a lot about myself as well as how to run a photography business. I have done some amazing shoots and my next goal is to be paid to do a shoot aboard! I have worked with amazing companies and met wonderful people in and out of the studio. I am incredibly lucky. The pandemic of course hit us, like every small business, it was tough but I have come through it stronger than ever! Running a business is a lot of fun but there have been some tough times too but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I absolutely love my job and I hope my work shows it and my clients feel it!
I hope you have enjoyed reading my first blog and that I didn’t waffle on too much!
Thank you and I will see you next time!
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