We were lucky to catch up with Amari Kelley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amari, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

When it comes to photography I learned majority of my skills from Youtube University. Although I wish I would’ve taken a few classes in high school or even in college, potography was something I never had any interest in. Many hours of the day I would watch Youtube videos explaining basic, intermediate, and advanced photography skills. From there, I would go out and try to apply those principles in real life situations whether I was taking pictures of nature, my wife, my friends or my dog. Truth is I’m still learning and will always be learning as there are new techniques and advancements in photography daily.

The one thing that I believe I could have done to speed up my learning process is to make sure that I was shooting daily. There is nothing better than on the job experience and if I was shooting everyday it would’ve helped me grow faster from a skill standpoint. I believe the most essential skill is the technical skills of understanding the exposure triangle as you can make or brake an image soley off of that. The biggest obstacle that I believe stood in my way of learning is dealing with the Michigan winter. Most people dont care to be outside during winter and it is a slow season for photography regarding outdoor portraiture. Due to that I didn’t pick up my camera as much and when spring came aroundI had to relearn skills that I had forgot.

Amari, 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?

Hello everyone, my name is Amari Kelley and I am a photographer based in the Greater Lansing Area. Some of the services that I offer, but are not limited to include portrait, lifestyle, wedding, sports, real estate, event, product and landscape photography. Just to name a few, some of the problems that I solve for my photography clients include helping them find locations, providing insight on what to wear, helping them pose, helping them create timelines and offering them an artistic view of how I perceive things. One of the things that I feel helps set me apart from other photographers is that I am competent in my ability as a photographer. Due to the time that I have put in to learn photography, I believe that my clients know that despite all the variables that I cannot control, I can adjust with poise and capture the task at hand providing them with quality images. Another thing that I believe sets me apart from others is that I provide a personalized experience for everyone. Despite treating everyone with respect, no two shoots are the same, just as no two people are the same. Due to that it helps me get the most out of each client because I don’t just treat everyone the same. What I am most proud of is the fact that I have continued to be just as passionate about photography as I was in the beginning. On a deeper note, I am proud that I have found a hobby that helps me get away from the stresses that life sometimes brings on. What I want my potential clients to know is that I love what I do and I am going to do everything I can to ensure that they have an enjoyable and successful photography session.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. Since I am fairly new to photography, my name is not the first few that come up when you search photography in my area. Due to that, I rely heavily on word of mouth. Many times when I receive an inquiry for photography services one of the first things people mention to me is that they were referred to me from another individual. Additionally, I receive word of mouth referrals from individuals on social media, as I’m mentioned on other individuals statuses when they post about needing a photographer in the Lansing area. I cannot thank my clients, family and friends enough for continuing to support me!

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When I was first building my social media audience (2020) it was a very unique time on social media especially on Instagram. The first thing I did was invite all of my friends and family to follow my social media pages. To me, that was the jump start that I needed. When it came to Instagram, at that time (2020), the app was really increasing individual post engagement which I believe was because many people were home and spending more time on the Instagram app than they were pre pandemic. I was lucky to have that engagement which really helped my account grow. At that time, I was also adding hashtags to my post which was helping me find individuals who were posting similar content as myself. I would try and follow those accounts and interact with them as well to help facilitate natural engagement. When it comes to growing my/your social media audience I believe the biggest thing that you can do is post daily. Posting daily allows you to continue to engage with your audience on a regular basis which ultimately helps increase your exposure as more people will see your content.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amarikelleyphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amarikelleyphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amarikelleyphotography/