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

Kimberly, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

In 2017, I gave birth to my daughter Georgia. At a month old, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18, or Edwards’ Syndrome. Back then, the statistics for survival were pretty low… only ten percent of newborns survived their first year, but in spite of her heart defects and the odds, Georgia is now eight years old.

She is absolutely my hero and my inspiration.

Georgia is non-verbal and almost 100% dependent on us to get her through life, yet she wakes up every single day with a smile on her face, ready to try again. She never quits, and although some doctors thought she’d never walk, she uses a walker every day now to navigate her life.

Nothing motivates me more than seeing her happy. I literally can’t quit trying to make my brand successful because she deserves the world. And I’ve built my entire business around her life and care.

I always tell people that if she, a tiny little kid with so much stacked against her, can get up every day and keep trying, we have no excuse.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into photography in 2019, after my husband purchased me a Canon Rebel camera to help me document our daughter’s life.

I truly did not know how much that Christmas present would change our lives.

I practiced a lot and eventually started doing photoshoots here and there for other people. I started charging in 2020, but I really didn’t understand much about how to run a business. After my first year, I did the math and realized I hadn’t even made mininum wage for the amount of work I had put in. At that point, I began to prioritize educating myself on the business aspects. I invested heavily in my education, purchasing guides and programs from leaders in the industry, and utilizing that knowledge.

I only shot families back then, and I had realized that people will invest more into their photos if there is an experience attached to them. I rebranded myself as a luxury family photographer, adding a personal stylist to my team (her name is Kristin Cruz and she is SO talented) and eventually adding professional hair & makeup as well (Jordan Petefish is the best!) which took my brand to another level.

In my personal life, my daughter was doing well, but in April of 2021, my dad passed after a long battle with cancer. My father was an entrepreneur as well, and ran a motorcycle shop before he became too sick to do it anymore. He inspired me so much… when we lost him I felt this internal push to really take the leap, so I fully committed to my brand even more.

For family photography, it’s very seasonal, so after a crazy holiday season in 2022, I started taking on some boudoir sessions. I fell in love. And after borrowing a friends studio to do some sessions indoors, I invested in turning a spare room in our house into my own studio. I had the biggest month of my career the following month.

In 2024, I moved my studio out of my home and into a 1000 sq foot commercial space, and fully committed to shooting only boudoir. Since then, we’ve served hundreds of women, giving them a safe and inclusive space to love their bodies.

We are 100% women owned and we are all moms, so we understand all of the societal pressures women face daily. We challenge every negative influence by showing them through their boudoir experience how beautiful they truly are. We have women of all backgrounds, shapes, sizes, and income levels come to us from all over the southeast to be pampered by us.

We are unique to most studios because we utilize a personal stylist to help our clients choose outfits prior to their sessions. This makes every shoot even more personalized to their style and comfort level, while also giving them more confidence before they even walk in our doors.

Our hair and makeup artist is trained in a variety of hair and makeup techniques and caters each look to our clients.

I always demonstrate every pose for my clients (which can be pretty entertaining because I’m super clumsy 😅) and I love to show my clients the back of the camera as well, so they can see for themselves how gorgeous they are!

We feature 5 different sets in our studio but we are always changing and adapting them. Our shower/wet set and our candlelit mirror set are our most popular right now, and our clients enjoy gorgeous products like luxury albums to commemorate their experience.

We absolutely love what we do and I am so proud of what we have built here.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One major lesson I had to learn was how much my own money mindset impacted my ability to be successful as an artist.

Using the processes I learned from a variety of educators, like Denise Duffield-Thomas & Alex Loveland, I realized how much inner work I needed to do to overcome things like imposters syndrome and charging my worth.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It’s hard to choose just one story because I genuinely believe that the greatest thing you need to survive as an entrepreneur is resilience.

I started my business shortly before covid happened, and I could have very easily quit then, but I adapted and found a way through.

My daughter has had three hospitalizations in the last year alone, so I’ve had to navigate running a very busy studio while I’m in a completely different state thousands of miles away with a sick child, but I adapted and created systems to try and alleviate some of that stress.

Just recently, we were suffering a lull in leads, so I went back and individually message each potential lead we’ve had in the last two years with an offer to get them on our books. It worked and we wound up scheduling multiple clients bringing thousands of dollars in sales.

Every time I encounter a problem, my first task is to find the solution, and if I don’t have the answer, I’ll find someone who does. Taking criticism, acknowledging my short comings, and receiving the knowledge from those who know better than I, has truly made residence a habit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.kimberlyminorphotography.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/kimberlyminorphotography
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/kimberlyminorphotography
• Other: Tiktok @kimberlyminorphotography