We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cecelia Steidinger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cecelia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success is always a tough topic to discuss with my business owner friends. That definition of “success” is so different for everyone! Some people want a full time, thriving entrepreneurship that allows them to quit their 9-5’s. Others just want to make a little money on the side for the fun stuff. Some want to be able to stay home with their kids and not sacrifice all of their autonomy and sense of self. Some want to be able to help others or donate proceeds to causes they care about. I’ve been asked to mentor, meet for lunch, take on interns, and sit in on calls, and shoot large commercial campaigns, which gives me the feeling that others view my business as “successful”, which is crazy because I still feel new at this even 9 years later! I think imposter syndrome in this industry is super prevalent because, as artists, photographers are always wanting to improve and trying something innovative, while still having to please our clients and run a full time, money-making business. Again, I think definition success is super individualized, but for me and my business, it means being able to stay home with my three young kids, make some money and contribute to my family, express my creativity, and serve my clients with beautiful portraits of their families, especially serving those in their motherhood journey. I think, in the photography industry specifically, it takes high level customer service and consistency in your final product to achieve success with your business. Like any other business in 2022, I have social media and a website, but by far my biggest source of business is word-of-mouth referrals from current clients.

Cecelia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have such a passion for photography and I absolutely adore the special moments I can capture with portrait photography. I specialize in photographing maternity, birth, newborn, lifestyle, family, and children. I freakin’ love what I do. I started this photography business in July of 2013 when I lived in Billings, Montana. We had just moved there for my husband’s job and I decided to try this to make this little hobby a career. I am so glad I took that step. I started putting my name out there and within months had enough business to rent a cool little studio in downtown Billings.

After moving to Memphis, TN, Indianapolis, IN, and now central Florida, I have gotten to continue to grow my business and meet new people all over the country. In Indianapolis, I added product photography to my resume and I am so glad I did. I love helping small business owners create content for their selling channels and social media. Because of this career, I have met the most wonderful families, witnessed the most incredible miracles, and photographed the most beautiful children doing what I do. I am so blessed that I get to call this my job!

Have you ever had to pivot?

The biggest struggle, but also one of the biggest blessings, is that we move every few years for my husband’s job. Restarting my business is a brand new state is always a challenge, but I also get to meet so many people this way. I also try to head back to Memphis (where we were the longest!) at least once a year to photograph my clients there. It’s so fun to be able to travel back and photograph the families I’ve watched expand and have grown to love!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For my portrait work, I specialize in photographing maternity, birth, newborn, lifestyle, family, and children and I absolutely LOVE what I do! I am known for capturing genuine emotion and my love of the golden hour. I love the way light wraps around my family and maternity clients. I love sleepy, sweet newborns and those first few weeks of bliss in new or growing families. I love how birth photography captures the excitement and emotion of bringing a new life into the world. I love laughing with the parents as their one-year-old smashes into their cake! I love the way photography can freeze these sweet little moments and details. As a mama myself, I know how quickly time passes and how fast these babies change. Preserving these memories is so important to me and I love being able to do that for my sweet families.

I also have such a passion for branding and product photography. Helping small business owners create content for their websites and social media genuinely brings me joy. I love seeing other small business owners, especially women, flourish. My kids serve as three adorable built-in models so I shoot a lot for children’s shops and makers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cecelialucyphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cecelialucyphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeceliaLucyPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceceliasteidinger/

Image Credits
Photo of Cecelia: Jen Howell Photography All others: Cecelia Lucy Photography