Inspired, A Very Special Project | Amber Scruggs of Little Moon Photography

Those of you that have been following this project thus far as used to our Tuesday and Thursday feature dates! This one is a very special edition due to scheduling so Surprise!! You get three this week!!

Today I am featuring one of my very favorite photographers! I have been following Amber for quite sometime! I found her on a forum known as Ilovephotography.com back in 2009 and have been completely in love with her work ever since. Here photos are classic and so beautifully clean. Aside from all the gorgeous children and families she photographs I dub her the baby whisper. She makes it look SO easy!!  Before the Newborns in hats trend really took off I remember her work so vividly because she had such a timeless yet contemporary approach to photographing babies. I know if I were ever remotely near her area with a newborn she would be my go to girl. I am completely in love with her photography. Even more so she has the most amazing studio! If you are anywhere near her in Virginia PLEASE go see her for photos. You will not be disappointed!

You can find her website HERE.

I know she would love for you to say “Hi!” to her on Facebook right HERE as well!

Let’s get to know Amber!

Hi Amber!!

Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in words?

Sarcastic, organized and tall.;-)

What sparked your passion for Photography?

Life! I was always the girl with the camera taking too many photos so I think it’s always been in me. Seeing how fast life goes by, I feel the need to capture everything, especially once my first was born. I have a Business Degree so I guess I’ve always wanted to own my own business so my love of photography, combined with business sense helped Little Moon Photography form organically.

 

Whats in your camera bag?

5D MKII, 5D Classic, 24-70 2.8L, 50 1.2L, 85 1.2L, 135 2.0L and 100 2.8 Macro. I am a loyal Canon shooter and am psyched for the new MKIII!

 

What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?

When I was just taking photos of my son I had a Rebel XTI and 50 1.8, once I started my business one of the first things I did was upgrade to a full frame camera and better lenses.

 

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?

My 85 1.2L outdoor and 24-70 2.8 inside, I cheated.

What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?

Don’t start a business unless you know something about owning a business. You can be a super talented photographer but if you lack the business sense needed to sustain it, you will fail.

 

What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

Anne Geddes! Most of my college friends had posters of hot dudes in their dorms, I had framed Anne Geddes prints of babies in flower pots.

 

What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?

I need to get better about this, I shoot 4-5 sessions a week so during my down time, I don’t feel like shooting. I take a lot of IPhone photos.;-)

 

Describe your style in 3 words.

Clean, Classic & Creamy

 

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

This was right before a session but my FedEx guy walked in the studio to deliver a package while I was sitting on the toilet with the bathroom door open. I was mortified.

Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?

I worked a full-time day job for 2 years while running my business also full-time. I was constantly running on empty but I wanted to be smart and build my business base before I took the leap to doing this full-time.

 

Favorite time of day to shoot is?

Newborns in the mornings because they were probably up all night so they are sleepy, any other sessions, I love the golden hour before sunset.

 

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?

I’d go back to doing Corporate Recruiting.

 

Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?

No but I have a BS in Marketing Management with a Minor in Spanish.

 

What do you do to get your clients to relax with you, especially those first time moms that are super over protective?

I don’t have to do much, they see me as the expert since I have photographed, literally, hundreds of newborns a year.

How long was your longest newborn session?

5 Hours. Painful.

 

What are your photography related goals for 2012?

I want to continue to grow my business and provide my clients with beautiful artwork that they will treasure a lifetime.

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning?

I like to switch things up and try new things, last year I switched from natural light to solely studio lights for newborns and love it.

 

Digital or Prints? Both.

Fun stuff:

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Season: Fall

Biggest Guilty Pleasure: Trashy reality tv and working out. That is my ME time.

Pet Peeve: Liars & thieves.

Favorite Pandora Station: 90′s rap, another guilty pleasure.

Studio or On location: Studio!

What did you want to be when you grew up? A veterinarian.

One thing no one knows about you is: I’ve been skydiving, hot air ballooning (twice), ridden in the Good Year Blimp and flown in a tiny plane through the jungles of Venezuela.

Pc or Mac: Mac Lover.

Lightroom Or Photoshop: Photoshop & ACR

Film or Digital: Digital

Props or No Props: Simple props.

If you could travel anywhere it would be: Fiji

Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Always FULL!

Favorite photo ever taken: Any of my kids.

Raw or Jpeg: Raw!

Favorite Music to Edit to: Trashy Reality TV or 90′s Rap.

Processing Style: Clean and natural.

Coffee or Tea: Coffee!

If you could photograph a Celebrity who would it be?  I want to photograph Jessica Simpson’s newborn baby girl, give me a call Jess!

What kind of Camera bag do you rock? Oh it’s ugly as sin but it’s the only thing that holds all of my gear, I have a LowePro Slingshot, the bigger one.

Thank you SO much Amber for being involved in this project! I can not begin to tell you how honored I am! And be sure to come back tomorrow everyone because I have another talented amazing lady to show off right here and you don’t wanna miss it!