Name: Summer Lyn
Age: 31
Location: Port Washington, NY
Education: B.S. in Biology from Long Island University
Job title: Photographer and founder, Summer Lyn Photography
What she does: When she’s not taking care of her two young daughters, ages 3 and 4, you’ll find Summer Lyn constantly interacting with other parents’ newborns, babies, toddlers and young kids.No, she doesn’t run a daycare center – she works with these children from behind the lens of her Nikon camera. Summer is a photographer who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, children and family photography in the NY area.“I capture the laughter in families, the new steps of toddlers, and the crawling of chubby babies,” says Summer. “I strive to photograph everyday life, like the faces of your child that maybe you can’t capture on your own.”
Career detours: Until recently, Summer never dreamed of becoming a photographer.In college she majored in biology with the hopes of becoming a cardiac surgeon.However, over the course of the next eight years, she found herself veering from her original career path in very unexpected ways.When she realized she was too emotional to deliver bad news to patients and their families, as cardiac surgeons must do on a regular basis, she decided that she’d becomea medical examiner in a coroner’s office.When her plans for med school were once again detoured, she applied for a job in the NYPD, thinking she’d maybe get involved in crime scene investigation.Within five years, she became a cop in Harlem, got married and had two children.“Life makes you choose at many crossroads.”
How She Got Her Gig: Although she enjoyed her career in law enforcement, she never felt the same level of fulfillment that she does now.“Thankfully, I found my passion because I had children,” says Summer.After buying a DSLR camera to take photos of her kids, she became fascinated with photography.Not wanting to miss a single moment of her children’s growth, she constantly snapped photos of them, and it wasn’t long before friends and family began to notice her work.“They were asking me to take photos of their kids—in particular, their newborn babies at less than two weeks old,” says Summer.Her hobby quickly grew into a full-fledged passion: “I had found something.I had found my niche, my purpose in life.I quit my job as a cop, launched my website and began Summer Lyn Photography.”
Big Break: While Summer loves almost every aspect of being a photographer, from booking clients to sending off their final orders, her perfectionist streak can sometimes wear her down.In her quest to take the perfect shot, her shoots can be somewhat arduous, often taking hours at a time.And because she juggles a full-time career and a family, she certainly isn’t immune to stress.However, her dedication has paid off: in January, she was approached by Nikon, who will feature her work and expert advice on photographing children on their site for the next three years.
A Day in the Life:T
he nature of Summer’s job requires her to be flexible and go-with-the-flow.“There’s no rhyme or reason to my days,” says Summer.“I have two young girls, and the day always starts and ends with them.I may or may not have a shoot.I may or may not get a text from one of my expectant moms saying, ‘I am in labor!Get ready for our shoot soon!Can’t wait!’ ”
Just Be Yourself: If Summer has one piece of advice, it’s to resist imitating or copying others and to follow your instincts.“I cannot stress enough that when it comes to an artistic career, being yourself is what will shine through,” says Summer.“When I stepped away from worrying about what other people were doing, especially worrying about what my competition was doing, I became an instant success, because I became me.”
This Job’s For You if: You have the unfailing patience to work with babies, children and families.“Kids aren’t going to do what you ask them all the time.You have to think quickly on your feet if you feel a tantrum coming.Babies might cry and have colic,” says Summer.But ultimately, you have to have patience with yourself: “The shot will come.It always does.”
