Meet Bethann Greenberg Ulloa | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bethann Greenberg Ulloa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bethann, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I honestly didn’t have one…it sort of developed over time. Long story short, I wanted to go to art school and my parents said they weren’t paying for that (it is a regret my mom still apologizes to me for) so instead I went to school to become a teacher. After the credential program I decided it wasn’t for me. But I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Trying to stay along the same vein of working with kids, I ran an after school program through the YMCA and eventually got fired! I then went to work for my parents accounting firm during which time a friend offered me a job doing photography work at a magazine in San Diego called 944 Magazine. Then a close friend asked me to shoot her wedding, then her brother’s wedding, then her cousin’s…and then another and another. Then those clients all started having kids and my shoots began skewing towards maternity, newborns, and families.

My parents offered me a job working for them while I built up this business so I could have flexible hours and eventually my business snowballed into a full-time job. In the beginning, I was photographing anything and everything I could, but I really found my calling in photographing the beauty of motherhood and children. It’s such an honor to start documenting the earliest stages of life and follow them through all of their milestones. Who knows…if my body can keep up with it 20+ years from now, maybe I’ll even do a maternity shoot of one of my newborns. That would be wild!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a photographer that specializes in families and children. I try to capture classic and timeless photos. I love soft natural light and creating light and airy images that feel very organic. I focus on simplicity through my studio style images (I love shooting on all white) so that there are limited distractions in the photos and all the emphasis is on my subjects. My simplicity is one of the things I feel really separates me from a lot of other photographers. I am all about capturing your child and their unique personality and leaving all the props and crazy backdrops behind.

I am most proud that my entire business has been built off of word of mouth. People want to hire a photographer they can trust. They get that by asking their friends. It’s why I work so hard to make sure I deliver for every single shoot…the thought of failing to provide images that my clients immediately fall in love with upon seeing them literally keeps me up at night. It makes me stress about lighting (will they have enough windows?) weather (what’s cloud coverage like?), wardrobe, baby’s feeding schedules, etc. But when I get a message that starts with “Hi, I’m due in a couple months and my friend said I HAD to reach out to you,” it makes it all worth it.

My business has definitely had some risks along the way, like moving from San Diego to LA, which wasn’t a risk I necessarily wanted to take, but was due to my husband getting a new job. I had lived in San Diego my entire life up until that point. I had a successful photography business there with a beautiful natural light studio, but we felt a move was the best thing for our family. I traveled back and forth for a while (I still do a couple times a month) to service my clients, but 7 years later my business in LA is busier than I ever imagined! So the reward was absolutely worth the risk.

If there is any message I can get out about my business or rather, photography in general, it’s take those photos! Document everything. Hire and trust the professional. Also, get in those pictures yourselves, parents! I tend to hear a lot from parents who just want pictures of their kids that say they don’t want to be in the pictures because they don’t like the way their hair looks or are unhappy with their weight or a million other excuses. In more instances than you would think, my images were the last family photos taken before a loved one passed away and my clients have repeatedly said how grateful they were that I was able to capture them together one last time. It is a responsibility I don’t take lightly and it’s an honor to be trusted to capture these special moments.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Great question, is that a with kids or without kids question? Because my life now revolves around kid and family friendly activities my suggestions will be skewed towards that! LA has SO much to do and since my husband has extreme FOMO, we are always out exploring.

I would definitely suggest hitting up the Rose Bowl Flea Market. While you’re in the area, check out the Kidspace museum with the little ones. It’s a one of a kind experience that incorporates both learning and play in a pretty expansive indoor and outdoor space. Take a walk down Colorado street in Old Town Pasadena. Make your way over to Tacos 1986, because being a San Diegan, I’m always on the lookout for Tijuana-style tacos and these are as close as you’re gonna get around here.

Can you visit LA and NOT go to the beach? The weather in Socal is always beautiful and in my opinion, the South Bay beaches are some of the best in the county! If you want to see the beaches from high above, LA has so many amazing hikes with views on views on views! I recommend either Palos Verdes or the Santa Monica mountains. Hiking is something we do a lot as a family.

We are also big Dodger fans, so a game is a must! But before the Dodger game, you definitely want to hit up Button Mash for the pre-game. It’s an adult arcade (that allows kids before 8 or 9 pm) with a great selection of old school arcade games and unbelievable food. I’m not talking about your typical bar fare. People visit from all over just for the food.

One thing about LA that I haven’t seen in many other cities are the fruit stands everywhere. If you see one, you must get a bowl of fresh fruit and don’t forget the Tajin and lime!

Lastly, one of our favorite family activities is to catch a performance of Shakespeare in The Park which happens every week in the summer in Griffith Park. For operating solely on donations, the production value and talent is unbelievable. This is one of the quintessential LA experiences in my opinion.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to my kiddos for always being my light testers and stand in models, whether they want to or not!

Website: www.bethanngreenberg.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanngreenberg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethanngreenberg