Inspired, A Very Special Project | Chubby Cheek Photography

Shalonda Chaddock of Chubby Cheek Photographer has quickly grown to be one of my absolute favorite people online. Her photography is flawless and her images speak for themselves, but what I love the most about this woman is her heart. I have the privilege of being in a couple of groups with Shalonda on a personal project level. I have gotten to know her fairly well through her gorgeous images of her children and the kind words we have shared and exchanged whether through Facebook or in blog comments. She never fails to blow me away. I have no doubt you will feel the same after getting to know her better after this interview!

Her Bio Reads:

I don’t use spell check (EVER), i typically write and type in all lower case and i write just like i speak (minus the typos).  My two most used words are hun and booyah…apparently I’m country ghetto, hahaha.  while i love love love to sleep, i spend most of my time functioning on very little of it.  My muses and daily inspiration come from my girls, a freckle nosed, talkative cheeks #1 and her sidekick, the one blue eye and one green eye’d spunky little sister cheeks #2.  I heart daddy cheeks, chap-stick,  chocolate and all things a&m, and when you meet me it will be very clear that i am a khaki shorts and flip flop kinda gal.  I am inspired by light and laughter and the moments that happen in between.

You can find Shalonda Chaddock’s website here, her facebook page here and her blog here.

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

That when I sing in the car I swear I sound just like Miranda Lambert, accent and all…seriously…no really, it’s that being a mom is my REAL job, I still to this day rarely tell people I just meet that I am a “photographer”.  I’m just a mom who get’s to chase my dreams with my family right by my side.

What sparked your passion for Photography? 

The birth of cheeks #1.  Daddy cheeks gave me my first dslr for mothers day that year, I never took that puppy out of manual.  I just immersed myself in the moments of my baby, any info I could get my hands on and shooting shooting shooting.  The rest if history.

Whats in your camera bag?

Canon 5d mkiii, 50L, 85L and 35L

What Camera/Equipment did you start out with? 

Canon xTi and 50 1.8

Shalonda was so sweet to share one of her first starting out images!

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

This lens is my bread and butter and it’s the lens that built my business.  The glittery buttery bokeh makes my heart flutter and the distance I need to be from my clients while using it allow me to observe and let them “show me” their world.

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

Price yourself in to the business not out.  This will prevent you from getting burned out or taken advantage of.

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

Tara Whitney.  I adore the carefree way she captures the love and life around her.

What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?
Real moments of OUR lives as a family, I credit the everyday project with saving my business years ago because it allowed me to just shoot, capture my own moments and appreciate just how perfectly imperfect my life is by actually “see’ing” it.

If you could photograph absolutely anyone who would it be dead or alive? 

Oh gosh this question haunts me, hahaha…I have no idea, all I know is if I could fill my days photographing kids being kids I’d be one happy and lucky lady.

Describe your style in 3 words.
Clean, real moments infused with a bit’o’childhood magic

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

Embarrassing?! Me?! Puleeze?! Okay, I have tons, people. I might not be the most graceful girl walking down the street because my head is always on a swivel looking for some hidden and amazing nook and cranny to shoot in. I may or MAY NOT have sprained an ankle or TWO stepping off the curb chimping and eyeing a new spot all at the same time. But the best was one of my very first in-home newborn sessions.  I was opening all of the blinds and one particular set wasn’t budging. In passing, the dad said, “Oh just pull those ones really hard.” Well, yeah, you can probably guess I pulled those puppies right off the hinges in one swift pull. I somehow busted out some catlike reflexes and caught them so nothing was broken, (thankfully) but it was pretty embarrassing waiting for them to come back in the room while I was holding their entire set of blinds in my hands. Uh huh. It’s cool.  Go ahead and laugh and think to yourself, “Thank goodness that wasn’t me.” I can take it

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

Learning to balance my life and this business.  My expectations for myself are often so unrealistic, so I have to constantly remind myself that while I cant do everything for everybody, as long as I do the best I can with the responsibilities I take on then that is just fine.

Favorite time of day to shoot is?

Sunset, gosh how I love warm tones and sparkly bokeh…yeah I know im lame that’s such a boring answer

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

Probably run for room mom president of all of the kindergarten classes of texas…hahaha, ya know id probably find some other business to start

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

I have an engineering degree from texas a&m university, which clearly taught me a lot about photography, hahaha no seriously I have spent the last 6 years learning everything I possibly can about photography and this business and constantly trying to challenge myself.

What do you do to get your clients to relax with you? 

While there is no magic wand to wave and ensure that this happens, ill admit I might not be the coolest kid on the block, that typically puts people at ease, well that or the fact that I am one clumsy person and typically trip, drop something or embarrass myself within the first 10 min of a session.

What are your photography related goals for 2013?

To encourage my digital clients to get those images on their walls.  I love the feeling…ya know the one where your heart feels like it’s going to explode right out of your chest because its so happy…yeah that feeling!  Seeing YOUR OWN images on YOUR OWN walls, gives everybody THAT feeling, and I want that for my clients.

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments? 

Whoa this is heavy…hmmm…ya know I have a handful of really awesome really brilliant photographer friends.  I have “met” so many incredible women since I have been on this journey and they continue to push me, encourage me and love me no matter what.

Biggest Photography related insecurity? 

I will always struggle with the “am I good enough” virus, its just a part of who I am and I have learned to accept it, plus I married daddy cheeks and he is seriously the most uplifting, positive, “you are incredible” person…I know im pretty lucky

Digital or Prints?  both

How do you set yourself apart from other local photographers?

I love my clients, like seriously l-o-v-e them, I truly give them my heart once we have a session together and I mean it.  SO many of my clients have become just as much a part of my life as I have their family’s.

What do you think your next photography related investment will be? 

Another lens but since I rarely take the 85L off my camera another lens is sorta silly isn’t it?!

If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be? 

Some smarties for bribing uncooperative DADS, hahahaha oh geez I crack myself up

What would you say your biggest muse is?
Yep boring answer again…but my girls…these two inspire every step I take in my life, every choice I make is based on them, I love them with every ounce of me, to put it simply they.are.my.life.

Fun stuff:
 Favorite Color:  any shade of blue, has been since I was little because my birthstone is sapphire and every other little girl liked pink, haha seriously
Favorite Season:  summer, I love the beach, the smell of sunscreen, late sunsets, and flipflops
Biggest Guilty Pleasure:  splits of champagne
Pet Peeve:  people who don’t turn right on red at stoplights
Favorite Pandora Station:  ummm I don’t listen to Pandora, remember I said I was lame
Studio or On location:  on location

What did you want to be when you grew up.  
espn college gameday sideline reporter
One thing no one knows about you is:  I am a college football spazz, you do NOT want to be in the same room if you are not cheering for the same team as me especially if its an Aggie game.
Pc or Mac:  mac
Lightroom Or Photoshop:  both
Film or Digital: digital
Props or No Props: depends on the client and type of session
If you could travel anywhere it would be:  grand cayman is seriously my most favorite place in the entire universe…enough said.
Glass Half Empty or Half Full:  depends on what side of the bed everybody in my house wakes up on 😉
Favorite photo ever taken: 

my girls in their princess costumes at the grocery store.  It was the beginning of my “everyday” project a few years ago, one kid had a broken tiara, one was getting over pink eye, and we were in the toilet paper aisle for goodness sakes…it was real life, it was really MY LIFE and I adore it.
Raw or Jpeg:  RAW
Favorite Music to Edit to:  old school 80’s music
Favorite Quote:  “dream big, sparkle more, shin one” – author unknown
Most valued material possession:  my wedding rings and aggie ring
Processing Style:  clean with a bit of oomph
Coffee or Tea:  sweet tea, silly I’m from texas
If you could photograph a Celebrity who would it be? Any nfl football player’s family
What kind of Camera bag do you rock?  Epiphanie Belle