“I decided to become a photographer when I realized how it made me feel. I leave every shoot/wedding feeling exhilarated! The joy that families feel when they are gathered, or the excitement from a Senior on the verge of a new adventure are almost contagious! I kinda feel like an adrenaline junkie,” says Sheila Johnson of Studio J Photography. 

Sheila is a wedding and portrait photographer known for wedding and high school senior work. She got started in photography by taking pictures of her children, and fell in love with the art form. She started her business in 2014 after being a stay-at-home mom for 20 years. 

Sheila built her website on PhotoBiz, and used our SEO GO service to improve her Google ranking. “My experience has been great,” she says. “The monthly report with suggestions is priceless. Tell me exactly what to do and how to do it all day long! I wish I could do this with the other aspects of my business.” She says creating her website through PhotoBiz was easy. “The simplicity of [the] builder makes updating or changing things super simple, too!”

“Working with the support team is always prompt, and easy to understand! I really appreciate how PhotoBiz makes the extra effort to solve any questions that may come up. And with the SEO monthly service, I really like the updated page ideas and even new pages to help attract clients,” Sheila says.

Sheila is based in Northern California. Besides photography, she loves traveling, spending time with family and friends, live music, and Disneyland. She also enjoys wine tasting and exploring nearby towns with her husband. 

“Future plans include improving my photography and editing skills,” Sheila says. “I believe I will always be working on that! I am going to be experimenting with some fine art Photoshop painting. I have taken a few courses and am looking forward to fine-tuning my images.” 

Sheila keeps her skills sharp in a few ways. She is on the board of her local Professional Photographers of America (PPA) chapter, that holds bimonthly image competitions judged by master photographers. The group also hosts speakers who teach their speciality. “Most are Master Photographers or working towards their Masters,” she says. Additionally, Sheila attends a week-long conference annually (Wedding and Portrait Photographers Conference - WPPI), full of speakers and classes and works with her peers to learn something new.

“Keep practicing and learning,” is the advice Sheila has for aspiring photographers. “Dive into the photo community, it’s a great one, specifically the PPA. It was life changing for me.” Sheila also says no two photographers do the same thing. “Once I learned this, I learned that there is no ‘right’ way. I believe in the saying, ‘learn the rules, so you can break them!’”