Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsea Carbonell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Chelsea , thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I would really love for my legacy to be an anonymous gift to future generations. I know that when I take photos now, they are loved but they compound in importance the more time goes on. I believe almost everyone has a few select old photographs that mean a lot to them- their great grandparents they didn’t meet, their parents young and carefree. I don’t think we usually go to the thought “who took this photograph?” but they are really all we have to tether us to knowing our loved ones before our time. Photos are an immense gift. I hope even one of my photos lives on like this.

Chelsea , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Chelsea! I started taking photos in college just for fun while pursuing a degree in secondary education. By the time I had gotten to the start of my senior year, I knew that photography was it. I decided to graduate a semester early and took the remainder of my loan money ($5,000) and put it into camera gear. I went all in. I started my business doing free photo shoots, learning everything I could on youtube, and shadowing anyone gracious enough to let me. I also took a free business class at my college that really helped and overwhelmed in terms of what it took to be an entrepreneur. To bridge the gap, I worked a lot of side jobs but always spent all my free time searching for clients and doing whatever I could to build. Now 11 years later, I focus primarily on working with families and couples and believe my business to be thriving. I’m always pushing to improve and innovate so I don’t ever feel fully satisfied but I’m extremely proud of what I created on my own.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My most effective strategy is absolutely that I just talk to people and put myself out there. I think that a lot of us get stuck waiting for clients to come to us because we are embarrassed to be bold and risk rejection. I just risk it. The worst thing people can say is no! But sometimes you will get a yes and that is worth it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I used to fall into the predictable trap of thinking its my business vs the other businesses in the area. However, I realized that there is no competition. There is no one that can do what I do because it is my unique offering and even though there may be services comparable, they are not the same. It’s just me vs me and how much heart and time I can put into my craft. Once I really embodied that concept, there were a lot of things I didn’t care about anymore. I stopped caring about being published, doing crazy destination weddings, or similar ventures. Not that there’s anything wrong with them! But once I felt good about my service and my talent, I became very content being a local mom and pop type shop that has very loyal community customers and I find that just as successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carbonellphotography.com
• Instagram: @carbonellphotog

Image Credits

All by me!