60 second q&a with julia fay rohrbach: “keep planting the seeds.”

For a decade, I've had the privilege of working alongside Julia Rohrbach (Julia Fay Photography) across a wide range of clients, projects and seasons – including owning a business (toth + fay) together. (Fun fact: I was also there when she met her husband, Stephen Rohrbach, for the very first time; she photographed him while I interviewed him for the famous hygge blog.)

Julia and her team remain my go-to photographers for everything from team photos to client work to the moments that matter most in my own life – Winnie (my fluffy corgi) and beyond.

What I still think about most, though, is the very first time we collaborated. I wrote a human-interest story focused on one specific detail, and Julia – without knowing me yet but assigned to the same human-interest story – captured that exact same detail through her lens.

We had seen the same story before we had even met.

That instinct, that emotional intelligence, and that ability to notice what others miss is what has made her work so special ever since.

It’s been fun to watch her grow as a photographer – and it’s been even more fun to watch her family grow.

– Meg

toth shop (ts): We’re celebrating moms all month long in honor of Mother’s Day. You're a boy mom. What’s been the most surprising thing about having two boys?

Julia Fay Rohrbach (JFR): Everyone told me how much boys love their mamas. I didn’t get it right away, but now, with a 4-year-old boy and a 9-month-old boy, I say the same line to other expecting boy moms.

When I found out my first was a boy, I saw flashes of sports, dirt, dinosaurs, and probably broken bones at some point. (So far…no broken bones but we have had five stitches before turning four.) But what has been the most surprising is the amount of pure love in the form of snuggles/hand holding throughout any given day and spontaneous compliments straight from their little hearts.

My four year old boy is the first to say “mama, I love your costume!” when I come down for the day…and he’s just referring to my outfit. He reaches for my hand when I least expect it and tells me weekly that I’m his sweetheart. And my little boy who can’t even talk yet, is happiest being held and snuggled up with.

I’m sure this will ebb and flow as they get older, but I am holding on to being their person for as long as possible.

ts: In 10 words or less, what’s your best advice for a new mom?

JFR: ​​Let people in and let them help you. (Even if you’re an independent capricorn, like me.)

ts: Julia Fay Photography has been around for more than 12 (!!!) years – how has the business evolved in that time & how have you evolved as a business owner?

JFR: My work inside the business comes to a screeching halt when I’m in mom mode. My brain cannot and will not let me try to do both! Even though I’m an excellent multitasker, when I’m with my kids, they want my undivided attention. It becomes way too stressful to try and get anything done when I’m home with them, so I have become way more serious about “checking out” during early morning hours and after 4pm, to be exact. That’s not to say the laptop doesn’t come back out sometimes though after they're asleep.

I’d also say that I’ve become way more flexible and compassionate as a business owner. Before knowing anything about having kids, I was black and white about people needing to cancel last minute or reschedule due to kid conflicts. I was naive and blind to how a day can change on a dime when you get that call from childcare.

ts: If you could go back in time and talk to the Julia who started JFP in 2013, what would you tell her?

JFR: Everything you’re trying, doing, and working for will pay off. The best is yet to come. Keep planting the seeds!

ts: Every person we interview answers this same question last – mile 18 is generally considered to be one of the hardest miles in a marathon. You’re hitting a wall; you’re forced to dig deep. What’s mile 18 in your line of work or at a point in your career, and what do you tell yourself when you find yourself in the middle of a mile 18?

JFR: Phew. I’ve definitely hit a couple mile 18s in the last 12 years. Starting over in a new city, a global pandemic, a business audit, building a new studio at 8 months pregnant. Behind every successful business owner is the ability to find that next gear. Even if it means you need to sulk for one day, take a beat, phone a friend – you get the idea.

But at the end of the day, you get out of bed and handle the obstacle the only way you can: getting through it, not around it.