If becoming a new mother was not challenging enough, try becoming a small business owner while learning the ropes of motherhood. After giving birth to her son last spring, Florence Kasule did just that when she started a photography business “devoted to capturing the love and loveliness of pregnancy and newborns called Baby Bump Love.” Born in Kampala, Uganda, Kasule came to the U.S. with her family and completed her undergraduate degree in California. After moving to Washington, D.C., she added African dance, international education and federal contract administration to her resume.
Upon visiting her website Babybumplove.com, the essence of pregnancy and intimacy of motherhood immediately captures your attention. Her main focus is to drum up more business and seek out more mothers and families who are interested in photographing this special moment in their lives. In an online interview, the entrepreneur reveals her love of photography, explains how therapeutic a session can be and discusses the challenges to being a new mother and business owner.
When did you first pick up a camera?
My first camera had to have been in elementary school; more than likely one from my parents who were very into capturing family memories through photography.
What about photography inspires you to keep snapping?
It is highly creative and allows me to look at all sorts of objects and people in different ways. An expression can be frozen and a time of day can make the difference in how the viewer perceives an image. Since being a mom, I love how I can chronicle the changes in my son from day to day as he develops.
Describe Baby Bump Love and how it first developed.
I have been blessed with being surrounded by creative people for most of my life. Some of these people are friends who have also been into photography. A girlfriend of mine who is also a photographer offered to photograph my husband and I during our pregnancy as a gift. After the photo shoot that was held in our home, I thought that surely other women and growing families would want to capture this process. Having gone to business school, however, I wanted to do a little more digging to find out if there was actually a market for this type of business. Not much to my surprise, there are a number of successful photographers in the DC metro area that focus almost exclusively on maternity and newborn photography.
Describe a day shooting mothers-to-be. Have you noticed a common theme or is each mother different?
Each woman is different. Typically, the shoots are held in my home, although I offer to shoot in different locations, including the mother’s home. A mother will usually come to my house with or without a friend as moral support. Because these are intended to be personal photographs I want the mood of the photo shoot to be relaxed and very comfortable. I play music and we talk about pregnancy and how they’re doing and what they’re looking forward to with the upcoming latest and greatest creation!
I then get a feel for whether or not the mom-to-be wants some direction in terms of poses. Some women come to me with preselected poses and an idea of what they want. Others want some encouragement and direction. I don’t mind either style since this really is about them and I want them to be happy with the end product and with the experience overall. What I have noticed is that the process and experience of being photographed can be very revealing and somewhat therapeutic for women. On more than one occasion I’ve had mothers-to-be share very touching and personal moments in their pregnancies. In the end, every person wants to be seen, heard and acknowledged. I believe this experience provides some women with that opportunity.
Describe a day shooting your son.
Photographing my son is pure pleasure. He is a naturally happy and bubbly little person who is in no way camera shy! I think most babies are intrigued with all sorts of objects, and a camera is just another piece of equipment that they want to get their hands on if it’s in between them and their parent! I love capturing his moods and growth and just overall development. Last summer I took a number of shots of him in his father’s vegetable garden. It was quite symbolic for me.
How has motherhood changed your outlook on life?
My son is such a symbol of life and happiness. He is curious and reaches out for challenges and opportunities to learn with such passion that I can’t help but learn from him and push myself to do the same. Through this experience I know that I eat better and push myself harder to be better. I want the best for him and his future and so as an extension know that he deserves the best mom and person I am capable of being. My husband and I are very focused on making sure our little guy knows that he is loved and supported, and that starts by loving and supporting one another thoroughly.
How do you balance work and being a new mother?
I juggle! That’s how I balance things! Honestly, the important things get done, and anything else just has to wait! Being a working parent, sister, friend, daughter, etc is difficult and I long for a truly family friendly nation that acknowledges what history and current research validates ~ a healthy and happy child starts in a nurturing home with parents and family that have time to focus on the child’s development. However, until that day happens, I strive to focus on my budding career in the federal government and focus on my family. I am very blessed that both my husband and I work in fairly family friendly environments that understand when “life” happens and that our family comes first.