We were lucky to catch up with Allison Payne recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Allison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Since I can remember I’ve always loved creating. I’d look for a variety of outlets for my creativity at a very young age. My older brother was gifted a camera by his art teacher and I was so intrigued by it. So, I saved up my babysitting and chores money and bought my first camera at the age of 10. I instantly fell in love with photography. I carried that thing around with me everywhere I went. I was most interested in taking photos of anything but people, but, spoiler alert, I’d become a full-time portrait photographer. I was 16 years old and it was 2014. I was working at the local pizza restaurant, and I felt God telling me to use my love for photography to reach people. As I said earlier, I had no desire to even dabble in portrait photography. But I kept feeling Him nudging me, so the first thing I did after creating a logo, was create a Facebook Business Page. I made a simple post sharing that I was offering portraits for a very small cost (literally $30 for an entire hour). I had just gotten my driver’s license months prior, and here I was starting up a business. Word spread like wildfire in my small town and I became so busy I quit my job at the pizza restaurant and quit all sports to focus solely on my new photography business. I’m so glad I did, because now, almost 10 years later, I’m running my business full-time, and it continues to grow. Being an entrepreneur allows me to create my own hours so that I can be more present with our daughter and my husband. It brings me so much joy to capture such special and pivotal moments in people’s lives. I get to play a role in helping them remember even the small little details of this precious life on earth. I absolutely love my job and I am so thankful I get to do what I love every day.

Allison, 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?

My previous answer kind of intertwines with this question, haha! But I’ll add a couple of other notes. Initially, I offered Video and Graphic Design along with Photography. My business was initially called “Allison Chitwood Media”, but in 2016 I niched down to just photography and changed my business name to “Soul Focus”. I wanted my business name to tell a story about what I do and why I do it. I love our God and I love his people and His world He created. We are all unique, intricate beings that all have a story to tell. I don’t want to be a photographer that just shows up and takes your picture. I want to hear your story and walk alongside you as I help capture whatever season of life you’re in.
I do just about all kids of photography: weddings, engagements, seniors, maternity, newborn, and family photography. I specialize in wedding photography though.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I read the book, “Social Media Success for Every Brand” in 2017 and that helped my online presence tremendously. It taught me to be more open with my audience and clients. People don’t just want a brand, they want to connect with the person running that brand. We are all people who are striving for community, familiarity, and understanding. So, I began sharing more of my personal life on social media. I share all the things: my daughter’s birthday, family vacations, or just regular Tuesday afternoons online. I try to be as authentic as possible because that allows potential clients to determine whether or not we’ll work well together. Some people who have hired me after following me for awhile have said it felt like they’ve known me for years. And that is exactly what I try to do online.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The biggest adjustment in my business life has been becoming a mother. My husband and I found out we were pregnant in December of 2021. We got pregnant sooner than we expected, which meant we had to make a lot of adjustments. I had to reach out to brides and let them know I could no longer shoot their wedding unfortunately due to my due date and maternity leave. I had to refund A LOT of money. It was awful and I hope I never have to do that again. But, being a mother and a business owner is no easy task, and planning a pregnancy isn’t foolproof. Along with refunding weddings, I had to adjust to pumping multiple times on wedding days. Not an easy task whatsoever. But, being a mother and a business owner is important to me, so I had to learn, pivot, and adjust.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soulfocusphotos.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfocus.photos/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulfocus.media