“I've always liked photography, always,” Jessica Vastola said while photographing a 10-month-old baby girl inside a studio she built in her home.
She's the photographer and owner of Buffalo Baby Photography.The West Seneca mom of two has photographed countless babies. “It's just me running this business. Me and me alone,” explained Vastola.
She admitted it was a lot to take on for a first-time business owner. After all, she didn't have any formal training when she decided to pursue the skill about five years ago.
“I wanted the flexibility to be home with my kids. I started seeing more posed newborns online, and I was like, why can't I do that?”
She was working full-time for an accountant at the time.
“It did not go very well in the beginning,” she said. “I just kept going and did as much research as possible.”
Slowly, Vastola said her images improved. “It felt good. It felt good to keep going.”
Vastola quit her job to pursue photography full-time about three years ago. “For me to make enough money for me not to have a stable job? Yea, that was pretty scary.”
Today, she runs her studio out of her home and she has more time to spend with her own children. She also teaches aspiring newborn photographers the tricks of the trade.
Those are a few of the reasons the business owner is glad she never lost her focus.
