To say the least, this past year has been one of the most exciting and scariest years of my life. On June 21, 2013, exactly one year ago from tomorrow, I graduated from Hallmark Institute of Photography. I look back on graduation from Hallmark with only the fondest of memories – I was honored to address my class at graduation and to receive one of the “Portfolio Award of Excellence” honors awarded at the graduation ceremony. To have my family there to support me on my graduation day meant everything. It was an amazing day but eventually June 21 came to an end. Hallmark was over and there was no more hiding behind the “student” mask – I was no longer a student, but a professional photographer. There are safety nets when you’re a student. If you really screw up, you can blame it on the innocence of your “student” status. But after June 21, there was no net. Just a leap of faith into a career doing something that I love.

One year later and I couldn’t have dreamed that I would be where I am today. It has been an amazing year. I have learned so much about myself and running a business. I’m going to try to sum it up, but just to prepare you… this may be a short novel.

This year has been filled with lots of highs and lots of not-as-highs that I like to refer to as “learning experiences.” Let’s start with some of these lessons learned… 

• Go with your gut. Do what feels right to you. This is my philosophy: Yes I run a business. Yes I need to make money to support my family & keep my business moving forward. But when it comes down to it, I am a person. I’m just a person trying to make the right decisions. Sometimes I don’t always get it right, but I always try to do what I think is fair and treat my clients the way I would want to be treated, because I feel that that’s more important than anything. Because at the end of the day it’s not as cut & dry as simply a business owner dealing with her clients and making business transactions – it’s me dealing with real people. I can’t ever take human emotion out of my business, nor would I want to. That’s it. Simple, but it’s taken me a year to craft and for anyone out there who has their own business knows, easier said than done!!
• A lot of people will turn you down. A LOT. And that’s okay. When I’m booking weddings, I only want people who want me. Which is why I always Skype or meet with couples before I book them and I try my best to just be myself. Not be who I think they want me to be. Because if they don’t feel like I’m a good fit for them, I certainly don’t want to put in time & energy into a relationship that wasn’t meant to be. I always tell brides & grooms that choosing your photography is unlike any other vendor (in fact I hate being referred to as a vendor… it feels too business-like to me!)… your photographer will spend most of the biggest day of your life with you. So you should search until you find the best fit for you – someone you enjoy being around, someone who feels like a friend. If that’s me, then I will love you to pieces & be honored to document your big day. If that’s not me, that’s okay! Seriously. I want every bride to find whoever works best for them, stylistically & personally. It’s hard to think about this when you’re just so desperate to book ANYONE and ANYTHING, but it’s so worth it in the end. What will help draw your ideal clients to you? How you market yourself. Be wise and ever so conscious about what you put on social media & your website. Wedding photographers Justin & Mary, who are beyond wonderful educators, are the experts on this… go explore their blog if you haven’t been over before!
• Periods of uncertainty are natural. I don’t know how many times Corey had to listen to me go on & on about how I hadn’t booked a wedding in a while… what if I didn’t book as many weddings this year as last… what do I do about this or that situation… I mean, that comes with the job. The first year of business is SCARY… as I expect the second, and third, and every year forever will be. You kind of feel like you never know what’s around the corner or if you’re doing the right thing or if you’re doing enough. You know what my cure for that is? Faith. For me, it’s my faith that God will lead the exact people to me who I am supposed to serve. That if I get turned down by 5 couples it’s because the most wonderful couple is coming along. That’s the energy that keeps me going and keeps me from going insane in a dry spell!
• Networking! This has been SO huge for my business. Although I have a great education from Hallmark, the learning didn’t stop there! I attended Abby Grace’s workshop in August & Justin & Mary’s Next Day Getaway in December… at both places I met some great photographer friends! I’m also a part of the Shoot & Share community online & have connected with fellow photographers on Facebook communities like J*Second Shooters & KISSing Booth. Having photographer friends is amazing for referrals… So that if a bride contacts you & you’re booked you can reach out to other photographers and send them a list of people who are available (people love this!) and so that other photographers who get inquiries when they are booked for, they can send people your way when you’re free! Win-win. Plus you gain great friends who are passionate about their careers like you!
• Blogging has been probably the biggest asset for my business. I’m not going to lie, it can be a MAJOR time-suck and a little anxiety inducing but SO worth it! My SEO (how people find me on Google) has shot through the roof and has allowed people to find me just by searching online. It also gives me a great avenue to share work & personal stories through! There is certainly the fear… what if no one reads it? Or responds? Do I sound stupid or self-absorbed that I expect people to read what I put out there? I for sure had that anxiety (and still at times do) but I constantly have people tell me in person that they love reading my blog or reference something that I only wrote about in my blog and for me, that is enough. If I have real interactions with people who like reading my blog, then it’s all worth it. You have to give up the notion of likes & numbers and do it for yourself!

Here are some highlights from the year! 

• Getting published on Style Me Pretty! This was such a “pinch me” moment!

• Meeting my 2014 booking goal! At first I just wanted to book as many weddings as 2013, but then once I reached that, I decided that 10-15 is my ideal number of weddings… it allows me to be busy enough while not being away from my husband every single weekend of the spring, summer & fall.
• Speaking at the Hallmark Alumni Roundtable… It was such an honor to be asked to come back to speak to students about a career in professional photography after I had just been sitting in those blue comfy seats less than a year ago. Also another great opportunity to meet fellow Hallmark grads from different years!

 

• Chicago! This one came in right under the 1 year anniversary of KDP. One of my goals in the next year & beyond is to photograph more destination weddings & engagements. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to start than in Chicago for Kate & Trever’s engagement session! They’re getting married in Maine next summer but had their engagement session in Chicago, where they live now. I had never been to the windy city before and it did not disappoint! I absolutely LOVE that city and am excited to see where is next on the KDP destination list!

Cheers to my first full year in business & a HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported & believed in me… I couldn’t have done it without you! Can’t wait to see what year #2 brings…. :)

xo Kelsey