Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Kinser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I often joke that I am “unemployable”. I’ve never had the urge to have a “regular job”. Growing up, I worked at restaurants. It gave me a lot of the same freedom and drive that owning a business gives. Good tip or bad tip, it was (usually) up to me.
Being a business owner is a good part of who I am. I love that I can determine the outcome of situations, no matter what the challenge is. Building relationships is what drives me and it’s a core part of my work. I like to work; despite the long hours and stress that it may cause, running my business is rewarding.
Laura, 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?
There is a photo of me around eight or nine years old; I have a camera around my neck. Most photographers say they’d always had a camera in hand, and it was part of them. I completely understand where they’re coming from. My camera is an extension of my hand. I’ve had people ask me in the past if taking photos gets old or if I’d rather enjoy the moment without a camera. What they don’t realize is that I’m diving deeper into the moment, capturing and remembering different moments that are important. I feel the same way about head shots. I am catching people at that moment, and that moment will never come again.
When I was in high school, I had an undated note from the photography teacher stating “Laura can be excused from this class because she has a project to finish in the photo lab”. I used it regularly. The dark room was my calm place. It was always quiet and smelled of fixer. Even though I am developing images on a computer these days, I still love the calm that goes along with it.
Following graduation, I spent my days working long hours at a restaurant, doing photography on the side. After years of the same routine, I decided I didn’t want to waste every night and weekend in a restaurant anymore. I uprooted my whole life, moved back home, began saving money and sold my dream truck for another dream – photography school.
I went to school in western Massachusetts with 300 others who aspired to be photographers. The school had a variety of specialties. Many leaned toward wedding photography and almost everyone hoped to be the next big name in New York. Sadly, very few of my classmates are still photographers and only a handful are doing it full-time. My original goal was to work for Mini Truckin Magazine. However, after discovering that the average salary wasn’t what I’d hoped it’d be, I rerouted. I’ve always believed that rising tide raises all ships. If you’re willing to work for your dreams, there’s plenty of business awaiting you.
I began taking on conventions and events and learned about Peter Hurley. Peter Hurley is a headshot photographer in New York. His work inspired me. I began delving deeper into headshots when I joined Hurley’s Headshot Crew community. This community has made me a much better photographer and has given me the opportunity to develop relationships with some of the best friends I’ve ever had. With the support of fellow photographers, my skills elevated. I am now in a position where I can give back to my community by mentoring and educating newer photographers. The knowledge I had gained from my peers, paired with my event experience, has rounded out my business. I’ve made a community of my clients and peers. This has created an awesome business where I’ve found success. I am genuinely happy to go to work. Running my own business has given me the flexibility to be with my family, create a fulfilling career, and help other people feel great about themselves.
I think one of the big things that sets me apart is my willingness to work hard. My work ethic is something ingrained from my family. My grandpa is a rockstar human. He’s not what you would think of a normal grandpa – he’s not warm and cuddly. He works at his own business six days a week, 10 hours a day, even though he doesn’t have to anymore. He loves a good, hard day’s work and he loves the people that he is serving. I was taught to work hard and play hard. He is also the first one to jump in a funny costume or take the whole family on a trip just to spend time together. I feel like I am cut from the same cloth; I have worked my fair share of late nights and early mornings but still prioritize time to spend some quality time with my family. I feel so lucky that I have been able to create a career that works for my life and what I want.
People will regularly ask me if I prefer headshots or events. I love each for different reasons. I love the one on one time I get with headshots, where my challenge is to get the best photo of them but meeting new people during the hustle and bustle of events is also enjoyable. I think I’d get bored with one or the other but because I can go back-and-forth between the two, I’m always inspired.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I graduated from photography school about 15 years ago. Coming out of school, I knew I didn’t want to do weddings or family photos, so I had to find another avenue. In Vegas, I got a job assisting another photographer. At first it was great; I was in the hustle and bustle of photo and video shoots. Although there are many things I would have done differently in running my own business, I learned a lot of things working for this photographer, and I gained experience with photographing conferences through him. After booking a few jobs on my own, I decided it was time to go all in. My business started to build from there. I was working with some companies that I still work with today, which taught me that building good relationships and going the extra mile to make my clients happy was really what was going to set me apart. After working in Vegas for a few years, I met my now-husband who was moving back to Colorado, so I picked up everything and we moved together. This was the second time I had to start a business, and luckily, I didn’t have to start from scratch. I still have some clients that I would travel for. We lived in Colorado for about six years and built a great business with clients that I really love. I met some of the best people and photographer colleagues. After a few years, we decided that it was time to move back to my hometown, Salt Lake City, where I started my business over again. I learned from the first two times that I needed to reach out to the people I wanted to work with. My focus became more client oriented. Rather than selling my services like other companies do, I honed in on solving my client’s problems. As soon as I started doing that, everything changed. I’ve built a business I really love, with clients that I love working with, and it has grown into something that I didn’t realize could be a reality. We plan to stay in Salt Lake City for the long haul to establish roots for my business. Starting a business is hard. Starting over a couple more times, you’d think would be harder. But if you take all the lessons learned in previous cities, you can create something that fits your lifestyle. Because I have awesome clients and my great support system around me, I get to do what I love.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I don’t specifically think of myself as a “creative”. I feel like portrait photography, for me, is almost a science with very specific formulas. I know what the lights are supposed to be set at; I know if I change this aspect, then I’ll get this outcome; so that part is more of a science. What I really find rewarding about photography is expression and timing. The majority of people can probably agree that most people don’t like their photo being taken. I really go out of my way to change that for them. When people get in front of my camera, whether it’s a conference or a headshot, it really comes down to preparation. When people walk into my studio, they’re a little nervous. It’s not something they do everyday and it can make people feel vulnerable. One of my goals is to have people happier and more confident when they walk out of my studio. I want them to believe they’ve never seen such a good picture of themselves. A lot of that comes down to disarming the human in front of my camera and helping them get out of their head so I can get a real genuine expression that reflects who they are internally. One of my favorite things to hear is “that looks just like me!” or when they are so proud of the image, they put it out for the world to see via marketing or social media. One of the biggest compliments is to have happy clients refer me to their friends. It shows me that people believe that I can deliver on my promised services. In the end, what’s rewarding for me is helping people see themselves in the pictures I take.
Contact Info:
- Website: kinserstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinserstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KinserStudios
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraglineskinser/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kinserstudios
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kinser-studios-salt-lake-city-2
Image Credits
Laura Kinser, Kinser Studios