Ever since the boys were babies I was obsessed with capturing all of their moments. The faces they made, the first time they smiled, their first bath, you get the gist.
You see, I have a terrible memory. Like that of a goldfish. I can barely remember what I did yesterday, so I knew that one day when my boys asked me what age they were when they walked for the first time I would need some sort of all knowing guide. Thank you, Google Photos.
Taking pictures also helped me as a working mom. I had a whole reel of photos that I could look through on my long commutes when I was missing my boys. Or when I would have to go on overnight work trips. Seeing their smiles, even if in a photograph, helped me cope until they were back in my arms again.
Being the photographer for my immediate family quickly made me the de facto photographer for my extended family. Any time there was a family trip then I was expected to document our adventures. “Kelsey have you made our Google Photos Album yet,” was a constant phrase coming my way.
And it wasn’t just family. As soon as I moved to North Carolina I used picture taking as a way to make stronger connections with new friends. It was easy to snap some photos of our kids playing together and create a shared album that would lead to follow up conversations and future hang outs.
So when I was looking for something to do to fill the extra time I had once both boys were in daycare it should have been a no brainer. Instead it was my husband who suggested it. He mentioned my love of photos and questioned if I should start a photography business. And that, my friends, is how my photography side-hustle began.
I just went for it and bought the expensive Nikon Z6III. Well thanks to some crazy research done by Adam to help me understand the best camera for portrait photography. That was a tough credit card bill to stomach.
Once I had the fancy camera I got to shooting. I took that thing with me everywhere trying to build up my portfolio. Kids playdate at the park? Sure! Hiking on a LKN trail? Why not! The backyard when the crepe myrtles started to bloom? Absolutely!
I knew that I needed to look legit to feel more legit. And that meant building a website. I decided that I would build a pretty site with my new portfolio of shots so that when someone finally booked a session I wouldn’t feel like an imposter.
And it happened! Yay! I started getting family session bookings from my friends. Then I received a request to take photos for a new business. And finally hit it big time when I got the job of taking school photos for a 125 kid preschool.
I promise to share details another time on how I built my website and maybe even some tips on taking portraits. But for now, I just wanted to share the story of how I went for it and opened my own side-business.
My photography business is helping provide some income to my family, and my love of capturing the moments that matter has allowed me the opportunity to make special memories for not only my family but others. It doesn’t get better than that!
I went for it and you should too! Add in the comments the hobby you have that could turn into a side-hustle.
