{10 Years of Photographing Amazing People!}

I can’t believe that I am actually typing these words out, but this week I am celebrating 10 YEARS since I first opened my studio doors!!!! What a wild ride this journey has been! I had this crazy idea in high school that I was going to open up a photography studio, and although some laughed at me, I ACTUALLY did it!! And for a whole TEN YEARS! After high school, I attended the two year photography program at Hawkeye Community College and I will never forget what my professor told our class within the first week of school. He said most photographers will not make it in business past 5 years. WHAT?!?!?! 😳 And within that very same breath he also said that, on average, photographers profit $800…..a year. DOUBLE WHAT?!?! 😳😳 What a way to start out my college career! He might as well have just crushed my entire soul! How was I going to make this whole photography-studio-thingy work?? Sadly, that wasn’t the last time I’d heard that 5 year statistic. It’s pretty well known in the industry that making a full time photography business last more than 5 years is TOUGH. The odds were against me from the very beginning! Did I even have a fighting chance? Well, those closest to me know how “determined” (aka stubborn) I am, so I was bound to NOT become a statistic! But I’ll be honest, I had very little confidence in myself when I first started. We paid for the entire first year of rent up front and I told Joe, “let’s just see how it goes…🤷‍♀️”  Basically, I was going into it with the mentality of “at least I tried” if it were to all crumble to my feet. I didn’t even set up a landline phone the whole first year because I just didn’t think I was going to make it past that first 12 months. But here I am, 120 months later. I would be lying if I said last 10 years were all rainbows and butterflies. I went in to this career with a ton of photography knowledge and absolutely ZERO business knowledge. YIKES! And now I can hear my dad’s voice replaying in my head, “You should major in business and take a few photography classes on the side,” as I headed off to college. 😆 I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with this business. Some years barely hanging by a string, getting by on only God’s grace. But after some major learning curves, I stand here today proud to have, not only a surviving business, but a THRIVING business! Something, aside from my family, that I am incredibly proud of!

I’ve gotten to experience some incredible accomplishments the last 10 years! First setting up in West Bend and then, exactly on the 5 year mark, I moved and opened my doors in Algona. My work has been featured in major publications like The Bump and SeniorMUSE. I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph destination weddings. And, I’ve created a super fun, yearly senior spokesmodel program. But what I’m most thankful for is YOU, my amazing clients! I really, TRULY have the BEST clients around and I look forward to seeing all your shining faces when you walk through my door. It brings me SO MUCH joy to provide you with keepsakes of your precious and unforgettable memories. I couldn’t imagine blessing people in any other way. So thank YOU for loving my work and loving me for 10 years! 💕 Here’s to another 10 more!