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

Kelsie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

As a photographer, I get to make my own schedule, giving me an advantage as a business owner taking a “vacation”. I put quotes around vacation because most of my travels are incorporated with my work as well. I work in my local area during busy times for photographers and work as much as I can. Right after Christmas is typically a slower period for photographers, however, I use this slowdown to my advantage. I save most all of my earnings from my busy period and use it for something that is extremely important to me, Travel. I am able to do this because alongside photography I also work a full time job during the week. I manage my earnings so that I have two sources of income, but limit myself to only spending one of them. Travel can be expensive, but I know it is worth every penny. And maybe it isn’t going away to a long trip somewhere far away like mine usually are, but to any business owners who feel the need to take a break, DO IT! Taking a break and a step away from your work allows you to be more creative when you do return. Give yourself time to reflect on your previous work and let the ideas come to you instead of forcing yourself to be creative while at work!

Kelsie, 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?

For readers who have not read about me before, nice to meet you! My name is Kelsie Tomlinson and I am a portrait photographer based out of Dayton, Ohio. I am 20 years old and currently a student at Wright State University. My work is a variety of senior portraits, couple portraits and any work incorporating people. I have also started to strongly include editorial fashion and travel photography into my portfolio as well! I think something that sets me apart from others is my love for exploring our world. In the last 5 months I have traveled to 3 different countries and gotten to incorporate my work into each one of them. Taking photos around the world gives my portfolio so much more variety and it shows more about me as an individual! I am most proud of my creative shoots that go beyond the basics of portrait photography. My latest styled shoot was titled “Retro Disco”. I got to work alongside my makeup and hair stylist to make this vision come to life! Something I want potential clients and followers to know is that no matter where you are located or what kind of photoshoot you may be looking for, I would love to work with you and get to know you! I absolutely love hearing other people’s stories, especially my clients. I want to be your best friend + photographer :)

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

As a portrait photographer, there are so many things that are rewarding and make me eager for more work. Something that truly makes what I do so enjoyable is seeing my clients having so much fun during their shoot. Knowing that my clients felt comfortable and enjoyed themself during the shoot is so important to me, because that is how it should feel! When delivering the final photos to my clients I get extremely excited, and knowing that my client is eager to see them as well makes me so happy. When I see a post from a picture I took or a profile picture means that my client truly loved what we created together. Another huge reward is when someone refers someone to me. Knowing that my work impressed you so much for you to recommend me to a friend makes me feel so valued as a photographer and person. And most importantly, the connections I have made through photography! I have met some of my best friends in this industry, whether it be a past client or another photographer, I have made so many new friends:)

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

As a creative I am always on social media. I know lots of people may say that I’m on my phone too much or that social media is tearing our world apart. However, social media is how myself and many other creatives run and grow their business. Without Instagram, Facebook and other platforms it would be extremely hard to share all of my creative abilities. Social media allows me to connect with my client in so many different ways to ensure that they are getting exactly what they want. Being able to create posts to promote my work and get new clients is what keeps my business running.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.krtphotography.com
• Instagram: @krt.photography
• Facebook: @Krt.photography

Image Credits
Krt.Photography