Behind the Business: Angelica Fraser Photography

Behind the Business: Angelica Fraser Photography

Im Angelica, some call me Angie or Ang.  I am a happy and easygoing Bearsden based wedding and family photographer with Swedish roots. Ive been here for over 16 years though so Im practically half Scottish with a funny Swedish/Glaswegian accent. And yes, I love flatpacks!

I offer wedding and family photography, as well as branding photography for businesses, for adventurous, fun and laid back people across Scotland, Sweden and beyond.

Ive always had a passion for photography since I was young but decided to turn it from a hobby to a business in 2018.

My style is light and fresh with focus on emotions and details. I love the laughters, the funny faces and the photos in-between the photos. To be able to show someones story through images is so lovely.

To show them how beautiful their life really is and make sure those memories are never forgotten. Thats what its all about. This wonderful world of photography.  

 What made you decide to start your business?

 

With a young family and no childcare support around us as family live far away and a husband who has a busy job, I need a job that allows me to be quite flexible. What I would do was a no brainier for me as Ive always had a passion for photography. I started my business alongside my day job at first many years ago now which was hard as you only have evenings and weekends available whilst also juggling family commitments, but in return had the safety of a regular income still. Setting up your own business can be really hard, sometimes very lonely and quite unpredictable. So make sure you have a good plan for what to do if it fails or takes a lot longer than you expected. Also to work hard and be kind! Its more work than I ever imagined but also so much more rewarding.

With a young family and no childcare support around us as family live far away and a husband who has a busy job, I need a job that allows me to be quite flexible. What I would do was a no brainier for me as Ive always had a passion for photography. I started my business alongside my day job at first many years ago now which was hard as you only have evenings and weekends available whilst also juggling family commitments, but in return had the safety of a regular income still. Setting up your own business can be really hard, sometimes very lonely and quite unpredictable. So make sure you have a good plan for what to do if it fails or takes a lot longer than you expected. Also to work hard and be kind! Its more work than I ever imagined but also so much more rewarding.
What was life in lockdown like for you?
I was lucky enough to fall pregnant at the start of the first lockdown, and back then I was still working a day job alongside my photography, and as this pregnancy was really quite hard I decided not to take on too much. Also knowing I would want to take around a year offto be home with my youngest we had planned for no income from me during that time so any work I decided to do was just a bonus for us which was a huge privilege at the time with all that happened around Covid. I know of a lot of self employed friends and businesses that had an awful time loosing so much work the past couple of years and my heart breaks for them, its a truly awful position to be in and I feel so sad for them having to go through all that.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
Right now Im working from home with our youngest in tow so I'm basically fitting in as much work as possible during nap times and in the evenings and doing weddings or sessions at weekends. We all know that the juggle of life with school runs, a 1 year old at home, endless birthday parties and sports activities is a full time job in itself. So yes its sweaty work to fit in the business and everything that needs done but I have a good schedule in place which keeps me focused and it also incorporates family time and time for myself so its working pretty well.

A typical day for me would be to get kids up and ready, take oldest to school, head home with youngest and get some housework done or we head to the creche/gym depending on the day. Then after lunch she goes down for a nap which is when I fire through as much work as possible, this can be working on some units in a course Im completing at the moment, editing sessions, planning content, prepping for shoots, finalising galleries and some more editing. After that its time for the school run again and we go and pick up big bro and then head home for play, snack and chill time while prepping dinner etc. Then its pretty much the usual dinner, bath and bedtime routine and from 9pm I sit down again and get some more work done before bed. Wednesdays are always my night off work where I make sure the hubby &  I have a chill night together to catch up, put on a movie and maybe have a glass of wine.

 How do you structure work / life / play? 

I have a pretty tight schedule to try and fit it all in, but I also prioritise my health and family pretty well so I feel I have a good balance right now. Exercise is one of my top priorities after suffering from quite a lot of anxiety last year. I took on too much work, didnt prioritise myself at all and hardly slept as my daughter was up around 6-8 times a night at that time for her first year. It was exhausting. In January this year I decided to start prioritising my mental health and myself again after a pretty tough year. You cant be a happy mum and wife and make progress in your career when running on empty so some things had to change.

So I now make time to exercise, which has made such a huge difference. I have set days and times which I dedicate for work which I love, and also time aside for the kids and family and to catch up with friends. It sounds very rigid but theres flexibility within that and Im in a pretty good place.

Sometimes we dont need big chunks of time or exciting plans to fill our own cup either. I try to fit small but nice things in throughout the day which makes a huge difference.

For me, I might get a nice coffee from one of the cafes at the cross on the school run and enjoy it while my youngest plays in the park. Or I might have a glass of wine and put some nice music on during the afternoon chaos whilst trying to make dinner and find snacks for hungry kids, some music and dancing in the kitchen gets everyone in a good mood.

I take a longer walk home from the school run sometimes and enjoy our beautiful neighbourhood with music in my ears. Or if its a really tough day and the kids are having none of it, I put them in the car, provide them with snacks, grab myself a coffee and go a nice drive with my best tunes on, to nowhere. Its a great little trick for some metime on those days you dont have anyone around to give you a hand. And all these little things add up to a pretty good day in the end. And yes, I love coffee!!!

Please share some of your favourite books, blogs, Instagram accounts.

Im a big fan of instagram, I love the visual inspiration you can get from it and often follow accounts who inspire me in various ways. I follow lots of photography accounts and people's accounts whos life and positivity inspires me in one way or another. But one that really stands out for me is @charliemacksey, such beautiful quotes and illustrations, if you dont follow already, do so!

What is your favourite cake and why?

Oh.. I love cake, I cant choose just one. I love a Swedish strawberry cake, a Victoria sponge, any kind of chocolate cake, carrot cake, macarons, brownies.. you name it. Anything thats got plenty of juicy filling or buttercream on top Im a big fan of, no one likes dry cake right.

Where can our readers find you? 

Right now I offer limited weddings each year so slots are filling fast but with an increased focus on family and lifestyle photography instead and I would love to show you how beautiful your life actually is. Come over and say Hi:

Website: www.angelicafraser.com (currently being updated so a little bare atm)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/angelicafraser.co

Facebook: www.facebook.com/angelicafraserphotography

Email: info@angelicafraser.com

 

Thanks for having me Cafe Creme, such a great initiative, Im really enjoying reading about and getting to know all the other local businesses and cant wait for the next feature!