Meet Emily Brown | Photographer & Special Education Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Photography has always been a hobby of mine, passed on to me by my dad when he gave me my first camera. I am a Special Education teacher by day, and photographer by weekend, evening, and midnight editing. I teach elementary school kiddos with all sorts of different abilities. I landed my dream job! But you know how sometimes the dream grows?

A lot of teachers these days have a side gig. Photography is mine. I’ve spent years taking pictures for family and friends and was pretty content in my comfortable routine. My husband, however, is always encouraging me to be who I am actually created to be. He was the fire behind the start of E.Henri Photography.

Ideally, photography is and will continue to be a mixture of a creative outlet and a supplemental source of income to my teacher’s salary. However, the dream of all dreams is to combine my two passions and spend my time photographing the population of people I am passionate about serving- people with disabilities and their families.

The thought process behind starting E.Henri Photography was really just jumping right into the deep end and seeing where the waves take me. So far I have met some amazing new people with beautiful stories, honored the families of my beloved former students, and captured moments of joy, growth, and communion.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Nowadays photographers aren’t hard to come by. However, not everyone has the patience, passion, or even interest in photographing people with disabilities. What sets E.Henri Photography apart from others is the combination of my two passions and skillsets. My work as an elementary school teacher gives me the patience necessary to take pictures of kids and large groups of people. As a Special Education teacher, specifically, I have an understanding of people with disabilities and can employ strategies to enhance their photoshoot experience and get the best pictures of of them.

I am most proud of the sessions I’ve had with former students. These are kids that I had worked with for 4+ years. We overcame many challenges together and I’ve gotten to know and love their families through the years. This first group of former students I photographed made me the teacher I am today, and their photoshoots felt like a celebration of everything they accomplished in my classroom and my own growth as a teacher.

I am excited to continue this tradition of closing out a child’s chapter in my classroom by gifting their families with a free photoshoot. I am also excited about the prospect of getting to know more families who are doing the hard work of raising children with disabilities and sharing their stories.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Most people want to show their friends around the city of Atlanta when they come to visit, but I want to get as far away from the city as possible. North Georgia is the way to go! The week would be spent hiking, small town exploring, and winery hopping.

We could hike Amicalola Falls, Blood Mountain, Sawnee Mountain, and Yonah Mountain to name a few. Each hike would provide the gorgeous views that North Georgia has to offer. We may even camp on top of Yonah Mountain depending on the weather. Fall is beautiful in North Georgia with the autumn leaves and cooler temperatures.

Some of the North Georgia small towns we’d explore are Blue Ridge, Elijah, Ball Ground, and Dahlonega. There we could shop at boutiques and antique stores, read books in cute coffee shops, eat at unique restaurants, and walk around the beautiful downtown areas.

Winery hopping is a great way to end a week-long trip and celebrate friendship. Dahloenga has the best vineyards in Georgia. We could visit Wolf Mountain Vineyards, Montaluce Winery, or Cavendar Creek Vineyards. There, we would enjoy delicious and unique wines, gorgeous scenery, and friendship. A great way to close out a trip in North Georgia!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my husband, Brian Brown!

I recently got married to this guy I like a whole heck of a lot. He’s the instigator of this side-gig of mine, always challenging me to be who I’m actually created to be. He’s also the reason why I have a new name, live in a new house, and eat breakfast for dinner at least twice a week.

If it wasn’t for the Brian Browns of the world, the Emilys might just be hiding their talents behind their classroom Shutterfly page and occasional family graduations or anniversaries.

Website: ehenriphotography.com

Instagram: ehenriphotography

Facebook: E.Henri Photography

Image Credits
E.Henri Photography