We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Johannes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and to standout. I remember as a kid telling others that I really wanted to be famous (still working on this part haha) and to help others. Throughout my life I’ve always felt this urge to impact others and I can’t really describe it other than a feeling to do more. And I’m happy to say that I’ve found my calling as a photographer.

I primarily specialize in senior photography and absolutely adore all of my high schoolers. I knew when I was creating my senior session experience, I wanted to go all out to help them feel super confident. Being a teen, especially in today’s world, is so incredibly challenging. And as a person who was bullied throughout their entire life, I know all too well the effects negative behavior like that can hold. So I work really hard to create an environment for my teens that is super comfortable and open.

I really love seeing seniors faces’ light up during their session and watching them unfold right in front of me. It’s like they’re giving me a chance to see their real self and I’m so honored that I get to be apart of that. But to also see them become more confident throughout their session is easily my favorite part. I’m constantly telling everyone that I’ll be their biggest hype girl, and I’m not joking haha. I’m constantly telling my clients how good they look and reminding them that they’re doing an amazing job. And I get to watch them believe in themselves a little more as each moment passes during their session. It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced.

I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of others. I really enjoy empowering others and helping them feel more confident. I’m not just offering a session to my seniors, but I’m offering an experience. Thinking back to who I was in high school and how people saw me then, I can’t help but think about how my life may have been different if someone was there to help me through some of those hard times. And if my sessions can be that opportunity for teens now, then I feel like I’m changing the world one teen at a time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve always been interested in photography. In fact, I remember asking for disposable cameras for Christmas as a kid haha. I bought my first camera in the 8th grade and really just grew to love taking photos. In high school I took a couple of film photography classes and knew that this was something special for me. I continued my photography journey while in college and started my own business. I took every film photography class until I ran out of courses and then took all the digital photography courses. By the end of my college career I earned a minor in photography and became an expert.

I’ve been in the photography industry for over 16 years and am located in Wisconsin. I have grown to love the high school senior niche over the years. I really love working with each person individually and finding ways to capture their personalties and true selves. I’m a super down to earth person and am really good at helping my clients become comfortable with me quickly. I’ve always been very bubbly and social and those skills prove to help me connect with all of my clients.

I’m different than other senior photographers because I take the time to get to know each of my clients and give them an incredible experience. I help each of my clients from planning their session to looking for outfits to booking hair and makeup to ordering products they love. I really want to make the experience as easy as possible and as fun as possible! And I’ll seriously do anything to get the perfect image haha. I’m known for being adventurous, getting in the water with my clients and doing anything to get the right angle. I’m up for anything and most of my clients are too.

I’m most proud of my Senior Model Team. I’ve created such a fun and unique experience for teens in the area and I love seeing how impactful it is in their lives. It’s really cool to be able to bring teens together whom would have never met if they hadn’t joined my program. And I love seeing everyone bond and become close throughout the experience together. But not only that, I love that we build confidence in each other too. Hyping each other up during sessions and just being there for one another has been so powerful. In a world full of negativity, it’s really awesome to give something so positive back to the community.

Since growing my senior photography business, I’ve also become a senior photography business coach and educator. I teach other senior photographers how to book more clients, without paying for ads. I have a program that dives into creating a strategic website, developing a marketing plan, building a senior model team, utilizing social media to attract more clients and everything in between. I’m super passionate about helping others and really love that I can help other senior photographers in their business.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I’ve built my audience on social media in a number of ways. But the 3 things that have helped me the most are posting consistently, being relatable and not obsessing over metrics.

Posting consistently is essential. Your audience needs to know that you’re there and that you’re relevant.

Being relatable is also important. If your audience can’t connect with what you’re sharing, then they aren’t going to engage or share. Social media is all about being social and there’s no better way to socialize then with others who are similar to you. So think about your target audience and really dial into what they and you are interested in.

Stop obsessing over metrics. Don’t get me wrong it’s important to consider metrics for a number of things, but you don’t need to be only thinking about metrics. I stopped worrying about how often people were liking my posts or how many likes I was getting. I stopped caring about how many followers I had. Rather I focused on the audience I did have and the ones I wanted to attract.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I started doing photography as just a for fun job in college. I photographed my friends and my friends kids a lot and just wanted some extra cash on the weekends.

After college, I started doing more weddings and people were sharing my business with others. I was growing as a small business and loved every minute of it.

In 2020 I quit working my full time job and started a different part time job while trying to give my photo business a massive push so I could make it my full time business career. After a few months, I had to quit my part time job. And actually a week after that COVID hit and so I really had nothing left except my photography business. I buckled down and put the work in.

I got to a point where I felt I wasn’t growing as fast as I wanted and so I hired a business coach who really helped give me the push I needed to excel.

As a small business owner, you are responsible for knowing and managing all the things. And at some point, you aren’t going to know how to do something. You have two choices: hire someone who can give you instant help or try to figure it out yourself (this takes a lot more time). Knowing this, I’ve actually become a senior photography business coach and educator alongside my photography business. I love being able to give other photographers clarity in their business and show them exactly what they need to do to create successful businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashleykalbus.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ashleykalbusphotography
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ashleykalbusphotography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ashley-kalbus-photography-oshkosh
• Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleykalbusphotography Email: [email protected] Senior Education Website: https://ashleykalbus.com/senior-photography-education

Image Credits
Ashley Kalbus Photography