Despite the daily reminder of a cringing economy Ashley, 23, and Jeremy Hausfelder, 27, are a newly married couple who decided to put their fears aside and launch Bella Art Photography at 17 Vine Street, Batavia.
It was when the couple started planning their own wedding and looking for a photographer they were instantly attracted to photography.
"I became infatuated with finding the perfect photographer for our wedding." Ashley continued saying a a photographer was their biggest investment for the wedding.
"After all, your wedding day flies by fast and all you have left to remember it by are through your photographs," said Ashley.
Bella Art specializes in weddings, high school senior, and newborn photography. The couple opened their small in home studio officially this past January. They hope to expand the studio in the next couple years and currently travel to their clients choice of location with all their equipment and props.
With the natural fear of starting a business it was the fear of the unknown that weighed heavily over the couple.
Would the community be supportive and receptive to a new photography business? Will the finanical investment pay off in the end? These were just some of the questions lingering in their minds while going forth with Bella Art.
"However, no one can succeed if they never try and I know that we would have regretted not trying to create this business," said Ashley.
They invested thousands of dollars and countless hours of research to ensure they were doing things the right way.
"The majority of our time was put into researching everything from what equipment purchase, branding our "image", financing, etc," said Ashley. " It definitely isn't easy, but we really feel it's worth it."
Word of mouth from previous clients is keeping these two busy on the weekends and has already lead to weddings booked this summer.
"You would think that it would be stressful juggling our full time jobs and then working on our business part-time on the weekends, but it is extremely rewarding, " said Ashley. "It doesn't feel like work when it's something you love and enjoy doing."
Only a few months later from the official launch date and Bella Art has expanded its marketing.
"We are registered on several wedding websites, we just recently put an ad in the Penny Saver to recruit for senior reps, had a display in Key Bank here in Batavia, and we also use Facebook," said Ashley.
They chose the name Bella Art because they said it's exactly what they strive to produce every day, "beautiful art."
The couple said what makes this all worth it is capturing special candid moments and being able to freeze those emotions in time while being able to see a client's reactions when you show them their pictures.
Their advice for starting your own business, "Patience is a virtue. It's so importnant to do your research and have a plan in place before you jump right in. Most importantly though, love what you do."
