From Teacher to Raleigh Family Photographer: My Photography Journey | VoyageRaleigh Feature

Well, this is pretty darn cool. 🤍

I was recently featured in VoyageRaleigh Magazine in their Daily Inspiration series, where I had the chance to talk about how I went from a high school science teacher with a camera obsession to a full-time Raleigh family photographer.

And honestly, answering all of those questions made me stop and think about just how much this little business has changed over the years.

So, here's the story behind Amy Carter Photography.

It started with a camera… and my kids

Like a lot of moms, I bought my first DSLR because I wanted better pictures of my own kids.

That was back in 2010, and before long, I was completely obsessed with documenting every little milestone and everyday moment. I was teaching high school science at the time, so photography started as a creative outlet. I photographed friends' families after school and on weekends, and slowly but surely, that hobby turned into a side business.

My first paying client was in 2012.

And somehow, here we are.

Over the years, my work naturally evolved into newborn, maternity, and family photography in Raleigh, along with Fresh 48 hospital sessions, heirloom portraits, and most recently, boudoir photography.

But the part of my business that has always had my heart is growing families.

The years of doing ALL the things

For a long time, I was doing both.

I'd teach high school science all day, come home, photograph a newborn session before my own kids got off the bus, make dinner, help with bath and bedtime… and then stay up way too late editing galleries.

Was it exhausting? Absolutely.

Would I do it again? Also absolutely.

There was something incredibly rewarding about building something that was completely my own.

Then COVID happened, and like so many small businesses, everything came to a screeching halt. Sessions stopped almost overnight, and nobody knew what was going to happen next.

But when families were finally able to get back to some sense of normalcy, I think we all realized just how important photographs really are. After missing birthdays, newborn stages, family gatherings, and so many other milestones, documenting the people we love suddenly felt even more important.

In 2022, after 16 years in the classroom, I finally made the leap and became a full-time photographer.

It was scary.

It was also one of the best decisions I've ever made.

The part I love most: watching families grow

One of my favorite things about being a Raleigh family photographer isn't actually the photographs themselves.

It's getting to see what happens after them.

I might photograph a couple's maternity session, meet their brand-new baby a few months later, and then see that baby again at six months, one year, and beyond. I've watched babies become big siblings. I've photographed families year after year. I've made friendships with clients who started out as complete strangers.

And honestly, that's pretty special.

Being trusted to preserve some of the most meaningful seasons of someone's life is something I will never take for granted.

Some of the babies I photographed years ago are now big siblings. There are families who have trusted me with nearly every milestone along the way.

There really isn't a bigger compliment than someone coming back year after year and saying, essentially, we trust you with this.

It's about more than pretty pictures

After photographing families for more than a decade, I've learned that my job isn't just to take pretty pictures.

It's knowing how to calm a fussy newborn.

It's knowing how to get a toddler to laugh when they'd rather be literally anywhere else.

It's helping a dad who swears he "doesn't like pictures" actually enjoy himself.

It's helping a mom feel comfortable in front of the camera when she's spent the last year taking care of everyone else.

And it's creating an experience that feels easier and more fun than they expected.

The photographs are important, obviously. But so is how you feel while you're making them.

That's a huge part of what I want every family who steps in front of my camera to experience.

Why I don't care about perfect pictures

I think photography is changing, and I'm honestly pretty excited about it.

We're moving away from the idea that every photograph has to be perfectly posed with everyone looking directly at the camera and smiling.

And thank goodness.

Some of my favorite photographs are the ones where nobody is looking at the camera.

Someone is mid-laugh.

A toddler is doing their own thing.

A baby is grabbing Mom's face.

Someone's hair is a little messy.

They're not necessarily "perfect" photographs.

But they feel real.

And that's what I want to remember about my own kids, too.

Years from now, I probably won't remember exactly what they were wearing on a random Tuesday. But I will want to remember the way they wrapped their arms around my neck. The way they looked at me when they were little. The sound of their laugh. The tiny details that somehow become harder to remember as the years go by.

That's what I want to give my clients, too.

Not just a picture of what their family looked like.

A picture that reminds them how it felt to be there.

A little Raleigh photographer news

Being featured in VoyageRaleigh was such a fun opportunity to look back at the road that got me here — from buying that first camera in 2010, to photographing my first paying client in 2012, to balancing photography with teaching, and finally taking the leap into photography full time.

And then, in 2025, I was voted Raleigh's Best Photographer, which was an absolutely incredible honor.

But if I'm being completely honest, the awards and recognition aren't what I'm most proud of.

It's the families.

The babies who have grown up in front of my camera.

The families who come back every year.

The friendships.

The trust.

Those are the things that make me feel incredibly lucky to call this my job.

If you're looking for a Raleigh newborn photographer, maternity photographer, or family photographer, I'd love to tell your family's story, too.

And if you'd like to read the full interview, you can find me over at VoyageRaleigh Magazine:

Read the full VoyageRaleigh feature → https://voyageraleigh.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-amy-carter