There’s something about viewing a photographers work and seeing that blissful joy that flows through each and every session. For us, Christina Carroll is that photographer who always seems to portray this. As if that weren’t enough, we’re loving that she’s a client of ours, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have her as a part of the Formula One family! Christina hails from Austin, Texas where she is a dedicated wedding photographer who has worked her way up the corporate ladder to get where she is today. After four years, of feeling the “pull” she opted out of the corporate world with a mission to pursue photography full time. Her style is gracious and her work is artistic with a romantic edge. Here now, Christina is working hard to perfect her craft and is loving life as she does so. Christina, thank you for letting us feature you and your work! Make sure to stop by her Blog and say hello!

Three things on my wish list….
Traveling (rolling) camera bag, 35mm f1.4L, and a new rug for my studio

Funniest mishap when you first became a photographer…
When I first started my business took off much quicker than I ever expected. I lived in a state of constantly being overwhelmed. On a couple different occasions I completely forgot about consultations I had setup. I felt so bad that I offered the clients a percentage off. Luckily, they were very understanding and still booked me. I’m embarrassed to admit that but I definitely learned from it! Write everything down in multiple locations!

Name one thing you want to do before the New Year…
Rebrand myself! I’m in the process of redoing my blog and website with all new colors and a new logo. I’m also redecorating my studio with all new (gorgeous) furniture. I’m so excited about it. I hope to get it all up and running before the New Year.

Always remember to…
Back up your files immediately and in at least three locations! I recently photographed a wedding in Kentucky. The morning we were supposed to leave my hard drive crashed. I was panicked. It was the worst feeling. Luckily, all my weddings and sessions were backed up so I knew they were okay. Now that I’ve experienced a hard drive crash I understand the importance of this even more. The computer people I talked to afterward assured me that it would happen again.

How do you typically go about scouting locations for each of your clients?
I’m a native Austinite so I know this city well. I’m always, always, always on the lookout for new locations. Everywhere I drive I’m looking and thinking, how would this be in a photo? I live in the suburbs so sometimes I drive out on country roads scouting locations. It’s funny because I know all the farms in my area and what time of year each crop is ready (or ready to be photographed that is!). That’s something I never thought I’d know.

Where do you look for inspiration when brainstorming for your sessions?
I look for inspiration everywhere and anywhere. Things just pop into my mind randomly sometimes. Other times I see a commercial and think, wow that’d make for a great session! I have a (long) list of ideas and thoughts. My clients will give me a little idea of what they’re looking for and I’ll send them my ideas from there. I also LOVE fashion magazines. I love pouring through them and getting ideas.

How would you describe your style?
I think my style is very fashion-forward. It’s artistic, fun and romantic.

In what ways have you seen your style grow over the years?
I’ve seen my style get more classic and timeless. I used to do some crazy angles and overdo Photoshop. Now I just try to enhance with Photoshop. I want my photos to still look great in several years. I try to stay away from the really trendy stuff.

What type of camera do you use?
Canon 5D mark II

What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera?
I have some Lowell lights that I use for boudoir, night shoots, and indoors. They’re awesome and I love the ease of use!

If you had to choose one lens which would it be and why?
Canon 50mm f/1.2. It’s amazing. You could use this lens alone at a wedding and the pictures would all be great. It’s wonderful for portraits too.

What’s the best decision you made when you first started out as a photographer?
The best decision I made was to start my business out completely debt-free. When I first graduated from college I worked in “corporate America”. It didn’t take too long for me to realize that I needed to pursue my passion instead of my corporate America job. I worked for a year and half as a second shooter for one of my good friends. During that time I kept my 9-5 job. I worked Monday-Friday and then shot weddings on Saturdays and sessions on Sundays. Sometimes I would go for months without a day off. I was able to save a 6-month “nest-egg” of my salary just in case my business was slow to take off. To this day I’ve never had to touch that money.

I’ve learned most from…
In general, my husband. He’s full of great advice. He never tells me what I want to hear, he tells me what I need to hear. He doesn’t really know much about photography but he’s great at helping me with the business of my photography. Regarding photography I learned the most from my high school photography teacher, Ms. Nabi. She taught me all the basics of a manual 35mm camera. She taught me all the darkroom skills that I feel are so beneficial. She was very hard on me. I think that drove me to try harder and to be even better.

What advice would you give the photographers that may be starting out and new to the business?
Learn to shoot on manual mode. Cameras these days make it easy but you won’t get great results with your camera on automatic. Take a business class in college! That’s something I wish I would have done. Shoot, shoot, shoot. That’s how you learn what works for you and what doesn’t. Lastly, volunteer to work with a professional. You’ll learn so much. Tell them how they will benefit from having you work with them, not how you will benefit from working with them. That will make them take you much more seriously.