We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Reynolds recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

My interest in photography started in high school. I went to a vocational school, had access to a dark room, made videos, took lots of photos but I didnt really see it making me any money out of high school so it took a backseat in my career. I tried many other varies jobs throughtout the years. I got my Esthetics license, medical billing certifications but I was never really happy in the positions I held. I had my first child in 2014 and became a stay at home mom. It was then that I picked up my camera again and remembered the joy it brought me to take photos. With my son being born I had a beautful new subject to capture daily. After I had my second son I decided to try to start making money as a photograper. Thankfully my husband being a teacher he was able to get my name out at school and with so many families around I started to get clients right away. I remember pulling up to my first outdoor session, I was so incredibly nervous, but once I was behind the camera and seeing all the joy radiating from their faces I was able to relax and enjoy what I was doing!

Andrea, 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?

I am a stay at home mom with two amazing little boys. I fell in love with photography years ago. Seeing a family have fun together, helping someone feel beautiful, being creative are all parts of the job that bring me joy. Im not locked down to one certain type of photography, I do families, portraits, fitness, bodouir, senior photos, pretty much anything that gets my creative juices flowing! One main reason I started my business was because I found it was too expensive for my family to get photos every year. I decided to always keep my prices low and give discounts to school teachers since my husband is a PE Teacher. I am a laid back go with the flow photographer. I know its not always easy to get your kids to sit still so I like to have my familes play if they feel the mood hit, sometimes those are the best photos you can have. I am all about catching candid moments, those are often my clients favorite photos. Being a women in this day and age I also love making someone feel beautiful and apprecitaing the body god gave them. Boudoir photography is not just for some one with “the perfect body”!! I think what sets me off from the rest is I dont have a particular style, I work with the light I have that day. I dont like to use too many presets in my editing. I like a natural photo, I want the subject to look like themselves and know that they are beautiful just as they are without a ton of editing.

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

The majority of my clients have come from my husbands job. Being a school teacher he is in touch with so many families. When word got around about me starting up the business and how low my prices were compared to others I had more new clients reaching out to me. I also had a friend who put my name out to some coworkers, which led me to one of my first and favorite clents. After doing photos for her family for a couple years I was asked to be the fashion show photographer for Gigi’s Playhouse which is a down syndrome achievment center in Tampa. I was honored to be a part of the show and see all these beautiful kids strut their stuff. I had so much fun with them, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much that day. Meeting familes at this event has also brought in more clientel for me. I also have done small weddings at Magnolia Barn in Brooksville where I meet many new clients, I think that any event I am at is a place to network & hopefully get my name out there. I am a busy mom so staying relevent on social media isnt always the easiest for me so I am very thankful for the freinds and family that have gotten my name out for me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal for my business is to someday own a small studio. I currently do all outdoor photography unless I am in a gym doing fitness photography or someones home doing more intimate photos. Again I am still a stay at home mom so my family will always come first to me but being able to do what I love and provide extra income for my family is a blessing. I always tell my children that finding a job and doing something that you love and something that brings you joy will always be better then doing something that stresses you out but brings you millions of dollars.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/acreynolds_photography/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/andreareynoldsphotography/
• Other: acreynoldsphotography@gmail.com

Image Credits
acreynolds photography