As a photographer, there are lots of things you may find when opening up your email. Inquiries from potential new clients, shipping notifications of items ordered, receipts from packages you've purchased, etc. But today, I was pleasantly surprised to be notified that, after lots of analyzing, rating and narrowing down, that I was selected as one of the top 19 best newborn photographers in Portland. What an honor! This is so unexpected and exciting. Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Expertise who painstakingly searched through hundreds of Portland photographers, and eventually came across my little business, and found it to be one of their top picks. What a fantastic surprise.

Shelley Marie Photo has come a long way since it's beginning in 2011. When I started out I had no clue what it took to be a "legit business;" one that made any sort of profit, or had a steady stream of clients inquiring of it's services. It's taken a lot of hard work, trial and error, finding out what works best, and growing with my business. To anyone wishing to start a business of their own, in photography or otherwise, I encourage you not to give up. You will not know everything from the beginning, and you will probably never truly feel like you know how to run every aspect of your business. But don't let that stop you from starting your business. There's always something new to learn, and something you can improve upon... and that will always be true no matter how long you've been in business, but that's part of the fun! I'm so proud of how much my business has grown and all that I have learned in the past several years. And I am even more proud to see that my business has passed all the criteria and tests that Expertise put in its way. If my clients are happy then I am happy; and that's all any business owner can ask for.