We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Belinda Keller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Belinda below.

Alright, Belinda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope to have lived and worked in such a way that can be emulated by my son and others looking for a purpose for their inner artist. Living and working as a creative in a fast tech and corporate world is entirely possible – there will always be the need for art.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My interest in photography began when the digital camera became more available to hobbyists and enthusiasts. I was transformed by the idea of creating beautiful images and being able to see and work with them immediately by computer software. I was a radio announcer and part-time actor, so I began photographing my actor friends’ headshots for them. One thing led to another and I was doing portraits for high school seniors, families, weddings, and even some product photography. I’m working my way into travel photography as well. Though I have decided to leave the wedding photography part of the work, the physical demands of which are becoming beyond my abilities as I am getting older and I am just not as fast as I used to be, I am leaning more toward the corporate and actor headshots and occasional portrait work. I like to think I fill a need for good photographic representation of people for their acting resumes, and business profiles. Today, everyone needs a great headshot and I am happy to provide it. I think what sets me apart might be the care I take for my clients in the session and in the editing afterward. I do just the right amount of correcting in photos so the image remains flattering and yet polished – nothing overdone. I like for people to be happy with their images. It’s hard for us to like our own photos. I want to make that easier.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I use social media a lot for my business – both the business page and my personal page. I think the more about me that people see, the less mysterious it is to pick up the phone and call me for a portrait. Social media is great for that. Sharing funny stories, photos, and memes I find funny and/or photography related all help to market my work to those who follow my pages, and it’s great for word-of-mouth referrals. The advice I would give is to jump in and show what you do. Social media really is just a giant cocktail party – use it to network and have some fun at the same time.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My photography business started as a side hustle. I was a radio announcer – it was a full-time salary with benefits. As the radio industry changed to fewer live announcers and more prerecorded shows, my position was eliminated and I lost my job. That’s when the side hustle became the main hustle. My husband and I downsized our residence, which was a big “project” house that needed work – we were going to fix it up and sell it when we both hit retirement age. With the immediate loss of my income, we just decided to downsize earlier. We found a smaller house that didn’t need much of anything in repairs and it has a small one-car garage in the back which we turned into my studio. It was a big change, but soon I was making roughly the same at my photography as I was at my full-time radio job. I attribute that to being available more than just after work hours and on weekends. Once I went full-time with my photography, I was more available for my clients’ schedules.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.belindakellerphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belindakellerphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelindaKellerPhotography/

Image Credits
Belinda Keller