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

Alright, Casey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success is a very subjective mindset with an even more personal journey involved . For some, success is being able to provide for loved ones. For others it simply means they have achieved a sought after goal. To me, it always implies the victory over your own battle, whatever that looks like.

I have a doctorate in Chiropractic, Dr. Casey Davis, DC. Five years ago I owned my own practice and loved my job and my patients. I sustained a shoulder injury in an auto accident that made it impossible to practice without severe pain. We explored multiple treatment options but it became evident that I could not continue to practice and made the decision to sell my business. To say I was terrified of the future would be a massive understatement.

That is when I rediscovered my love for Photography. I took photos in high school and college which began when my mom, a photographer, taught me how to use a camera and a dark room. I had studied abroad in Italy my senior year at Texas A&M and spent the entire semester shooting the most gorgeous architecture in the world. When I sold my practice I began with the question, “What else could I be great at that might make money but also give me the fulfillment I have experienced helping others in some way?” I adopted a positive mindset and a refusal to get discouraged. I re-learned everything Photography… after all, the last time I had taken pictures we used a dark room and now everything was digital. I learned Photoshop and Lightroom, I joined Facebook forums and photography groups and asked questions. I wouldn’t let my pride get in the way of learning… something so many adults struggle with when changing careers. One of my mentors was over a decade my junior but so brilliant and I learned so much from her. I narrowed my focus and learned one thing at a time so I didn’t get overwhelmed or burnt out. Success is commitment, determination, but it is also learning your limitations and when to say, not yet. Over time I built a business that is exactly ME. And what could have been devastating turned into a blessing that I had never even dreamed of.

What is success to me? Ultimately I have a job that allows me to express my creativity, continue to learn and challenge myself, that doesn’t take away from the time with my family, and enables me to make money while bringing joy to others. But, even though I am no way done growing and learning, I feel so empowered and overall successful when considering where I started and how I adapted. I look back at the journey and then I look at my sold out sessions and re-read the emails and texts I have gotten from my clients expressing how much they loved their session and photos, that they cried when they saw them… I see the difference in my art every year… and I feel so blessed… and successful.

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

Im going to focus on my portrait sessions over my architectural photography since I only shoot commercially on the architectural side.

I love people and my family is the most important thing to me. I think, because my family is my first priority, I want to know about my clients and what makes their family unique… and then I want to capture it on film. I know the things I cherish about my babies and husband aren’t always the things I intentionally focus on every day… like the way my 10 year-old has the lightest most beautiful dusting of freckles across her nose that makes her blue eyes sparkle. I love the way my 9 year-old puts her arm around my waist when we walk anywhere together and the way my 8 year-old automatically holds my hand when we cross the street. One day my 10 year-old will put makeup over her freckles, my 9 year-old will go full teen and want zero physical contact, and my baby will cross the street without even thinking about reaching for me. And I wonder if I will even remember these moments that are so special now or if I will get caught in the whirlwind that is life. So when I see it on film it pulls at my heart. That’s what I try to create for the families I photograph.

One of the things I provide for my client is styling assistance. I am in the process of creating a client closet to choose clothing from and I have a few pieces but its an ongoing process. The goal is to eventually have a large selection for clients to choose from. In the meantime I have a few options for them to choose from but I help them plan their session styling. Sometimes I build around a color palette, or moms outfit, or we start from scratch when my client has no idea what they want to wear. I have found that styling makes a huge difference in the finished photos and is a way for my clients to feel confident and beautiful during their session. Clothing is stressful when planning pictures, and expensive. I find that if I can take that particular stress off of my clients and either provide them clothing to wear or point them in the direction of reasonably priced styles that photograph beautifully it makes their experience so much more enjoyable.

Another thing I do is focus on the kiddos and whether they are enjoying the session. When I was little picture day was never fun. We would always be in clothes we didn’t want to wear and my mom would yell at us to smile during the session and threaten us with grounding haha. For my sessions we play games and laugh and I read the kiddos… if a 2 year old doesn’t want to sit for that picture we will move on to another one and just go with it. If mom is upset and trying to make s child sit still it WILL blow up before the session is over. I bring little gifts for the kiddos for the end of their session too, and always tell them about it at the beginning. I want them to know I care if they are having fun and there will be a reward at the end. I want picture day to be stress free for my families and fun. I want dad’s who don’t want to be there to say,” hey that was actually fun and I won’t give you grief about participating next year!”

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of photographing families is showing them how special and unique they are. Sometimes we are so in the middle of the chaos that is life and parenting that we don’t stop and reflect and appreciate what’s special about this moment in our lives. Its hard to focus on the sweet way my 10 year-old kisses my hand every night during the dinner blessing when the other two are arguing across the table… or how adorable my 8 year-old is making faces at me from the back seat of the SUV when we are running late to her soccer practice and she has also forgotten her water bottle, and probably her ball. We forget that even though life moves so fast and we are in the middle of the storm that there are moments every single day that won’t be there a year from now or five years from now.

If I do my job then when you look at your photos you see clearly what is so hard to see in the moment… a special bond between your family. So when you have the frustrations that life brings and you can look at the photos on the wall and remember that you are doing amazing and no problem is too big to tackle as a family.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I started I had a nice ‘mom’ camera from Best Buy. It was by no means a professional camera and couldn’t do what professional cameras can do but I did the best I could. My first photography job I took photos for my husbands co-worker for $50. They weren’t terrible, but to say I’ve grown in my skills since then is an understatement. That camera was a gift from my mom when my daughter was born and it served me well for the year and a half it took me to raise funds for the camera I use now. Photography can be expensive so having a clear picture in your mind what your business looks like, your priorities, and what you want to accomplish is essential. I like close ups and detailed images so I really wanted an 85mm when I started but that wasn’t the most practical lens for portrait photography if I had to choose just one. I bought the 35mm and as it turns out it is still the one I use most today out of all my others.
Right now my focus is building my client closet and I can only do that one piece at a time. It all begins with continuing to have a clear vision of what I want my sessions to look like and being true to that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cdavisphotographytx.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/cdavisphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDavisPhotographyTX
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cdavisphotography
• Other: https://linktr.ee/cdavisphotography

Image Credits
All me except my headshot taken by Morgan Kelly Photography!