Where it all began...
Hi there, my name is Camilla, but some call me Cami. I am a wife to my navy veteran husband and a mother to our beautiful rainbow baby girl (I will share more of her story at a later date). I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. So, I’m a true Florida girl at heart. The beach is my second home and the ocean and waves are my heart song.
As a child, like many, my mom always had a camera in her hand taking photos of every moment that she could. Now, growing up, I have always had a love for art in many forms, but this was not when my true passion for photography grew.
In 2012 while pregnant with our first child, I wanted to be “the one” to take photos of my baby. So, I had my point and shoot camera ready, taking photos of myself each week to watch and document the progression of my growing baby. Unfortunately, the day that we long waited for did not come and our baby boy made his debut earlier than we expected. Although, my son was born sleeping, I still wanted to have photos taken of him to remember him by. As hard as it was in that moment, those photos will forever be priceless to me. As time went on, through my grieving, I wanted to give others the same thing that I had, priceless photos. Photos of a specific moment in time that would later be a treasure to them and their family forever. It amazes me how grief molded me and changed my outlook on life. And in that time of pain and growth, my love for photography came about. I purchased my first camera, a Nikon N65, a few lenses and started using free education online to teach myself how to take photos. I photographed families, babies and weddings, basically anything I could get my hands on.
As quickly as my photography journey began, it also became a waiting period for me. After some major personal events, my family needed me most and I hung up my camera, but not forever.
6 years later, my family is in good health and I now have a beautiful baby girl. Being a new parent (earthside), I wanted the world for my daughter. I wanted to teach her to follow her dreams and be the best version of herself, but how could I do that when I wasn’t doing it for myself. I desired to step back into the world of photography and told my husband that I wanted to restart my business. Little did I know, he planned the ultimate surprise for my 30th birthday and gifted me my business. He presented me with all the documents showing that my business was registered, my website, a new laptop, and a brand new camera. This was the start of Camilla Spencer Photography that you know today.
Over the past few years I have learned so much, connected with so many amazing people and grown in my business. My daughter has been able to watch me pursue my dreams and even became my little assistant on some occasions. My photography journey has evolved into what I want it to be for myself and my family and I look forward to growing more in the future.
If there is one thing that I could leave with you is that, no matter the obstacle, if you have a passion or drive to do what you love, go for it. You never know where it will take you.
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