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

Hi Riddhi, what are you inspired by?
My inspiration comes from my family, especially my father. Growing up in India, my father would always take our family portraits. The happiness that I would see on his face after capturing the beautiful moments, inspired me to become like him. He has always been my biggest inspiration and my super hero. By taking portraits, I get this exceptional amount of joy. I want to create everlasting moments for my clients that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

What should our readers know about your business?
Lavender Atelier Photography is a small business that has recently entered into the Portrait photography space. What sets me apart from the rest is the fact that I strive to make my clients feel happy with the photography experience I provide. My father always used to say, “if you make someone smile even for a moment, that person will always remember how you made them feel”. Based on this philosophy, I started my small business and want to continue his legacy.

To start a small business is not easy. It has been an interesting journey for me and I am still working towards my goal. To be able to work as a full-time healthcare professional and be a small business owner is challenging.

Nevertheless, the encouragement I received from family and clients keeps me going. One of the things that gets me excited about my work is that I am able to bring a beautiful smile to my youngest clients with the props that I use during the session. In turn, this makes parents very happy and I am able to capture their candid moments.

A few things I have learned along the way, is that you have to stay focused. There will be many obstacles and you have to be consistent with your work to get the results. Additionally, I have learned bootstraping skills to show my commitment and determination to my work.

I want the world to know that my brand stands for diversity and inclusiveness of people. Furthermore, I believe that anything is achievable if you are persistent towards your goals. Lastly, I want people to know that how important it is to capture moments while they last in the form of photographs.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Houston is a great city that offers a lot of beautiful parks, spots to hangout and restaurants. I am more of a nature person and absolutely love parks. One of my favorite park is Eastern Glades which is an extension of Memorial Park. It has a scenic view of a lake. I have done a photo session in that park and I must say that the view is just outstanding. I, often go there for a walk.

People who know me, know that I am a huge coffee lover. I have visited a lot of coffee shops in Houston, but one shop that is my all time favorite is Summer Moon Coffee. If you are a coffee lover, one must try their coffee.

What I love about this city is that , Houston is very diverse and offers a lot of great cuisines. For Indian street food lovers, Honest is a great restaurant off of Hillcroft. Kin Dee is another one of my favorites that is located in the Greater Heights area. There are a few local breweries. Another great place to visit is Museum District which offers plethora of venues consisting of Art & Natural Science museums. That area also has great local restaurants that offer authentic cuisines.

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 would like to dedicate my shoutout to my parents who have always been a great support system. It wasn’t easy for my parents to immigrate from India and start a new life here in Houston. They have always encouraged and supported my dreams. Since the time I started this business, my sister has always been by my side, critiqued my work to make me a better photographer. A special shoutout goes to my husband, Dhaval Sanghavi, who has encouraged me to start my own business. My husband, being an entrepreneur and a Houston realtor, has shown me the ropes to run a small business. Additionally, my friends have been great supporters. Another special shoutout goes to Sidra M, owner of Glamteamusa who collaborated with me with on my very first mini session. Finally, I would like to dedicate a huge shoutout to my clients who has supported my small business. Without my clients, I wouldn’t be here where I am today.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lavender_atelierphoto

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lavenderatelierphoto

Image Credits
Lavender Atelier Photography

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