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

Cheyenne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

So, to kick it off, I dropped out of college just a few weeks ago. I was in my third year of nursing school getting my BSN. I had worked as a nurse assistant for several years beginning in high school, and from then on I just knew I had a passion in healthcare. At the same time, I had picked up a camera and was photographing seniors and, occasionally, weddings. Two major passions – I thought I had everything. I continued to pursue both, and knew I wanted to become a nurse to have a “stable” job. Truthfully, I wanted to know I always had a job. So, my first year of college, I decided I was going to stop booking anything photography related and live a “normal” life. This lasted a solid 5 months before I purchased a new camera and came back with a refreshed mind. I started second photographing weddings with my now best friend, Kaycee. I spent so many weekends with her and admired the empire she built within her business. At this point, I balanced school just fine, and got to upload some of the favorite shots I got while with Kaycee. This led me to fully book fall 2022 by the beginning of the year. The summer before the fall semester, I invested so much into my business and started to think, “what if I just graduate, have the degree, but only pursue photo. When photo fails, I can just become a nurse.” And this plan sounded great in my head and was exactly what I planned to do. As for school by this point, I had all As – I was doing so good in school. So that is exactly what I wanted to finish – I felt like I had a natural calling in school. So, now, I’ve photographed a majority of my first full season of weddings. My bookings skyrocketed in the month of October – booking over 10 weddings in one month.

So, now that the picture has been painted…

It was just a regular Monday and I had a load of assignments due that week. But, all I could do was cry. I was stretching myself so thin trying to cram for every assignment and exam. And you can’t forget, I didn’t have weekends. The weekends were filled with weddings and sessions. Time off was not a thing for me. Then, the thought entered my mind that I didn’t have to feel that exhausted every single day. It was so bizarre, and I thought that I was just crazy. I texted several friends for their input, and they all told me that I need to do what makes me happy, and most of all… that I CAN do it.

So, I did it. I challenged societal norms and I cannot even begin to explain the weight that has lifted off of my shoulders. The future still feels a bit scary, but I’m so excited for my journey ahead.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a 20 year old wedding photographer based in Louisville, KY. I picked up a camera when I was 15 years old and photographed my first wedding at 16. Photographing a wedding consists of so much more than just taking beautiful photos on the big day – it includes engagement photos, formation of a timeline, and building a relationship with the couple. Being able to become great friends with the couple makes the process a million times more meaningful on both ends. With photographing, I love capturing candid moments and movement so my couple enjoys their time in front of the camera. I am extremely proud of the unique framing that I capture in “ordinary” moments. My main goal upon delivering a gallery is to blow the expectations that my client has. Getting your photos done can be very daunting, and making my client feel over the moon with their gallery means the most.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of clients is by word of mouth and clients posting their photos. I moved to Louisville about 3 years ago, but 75% of my clientele is located in northern KY/Cincinnati because of how impactful word of mouth is. And that is exactly why I do not stress myself out when it comes to social media. I upload about 4 times a week, but I truly do not think I would book any less if I only uploaded once a week. But, I do love sharing my newest work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I do not think many people understand that I work all hours of the day. It Is difficult to respect your own work hours when you are stressed. Constantly, I find myself texting clients late at night just to get some thing off of my plate before the next day. When I am not out photographing, I am working from home. Although I absolutely love working from home, it’s easy to feel like a slob or get a lot of brain fog after a day of work. Plus, work never leaves you. It’s been adjustment not having straight boundaries between work and personal time. It’s far more intertwined, and almost like a juggle. It is difficult to have that intention every single day and life a super aesthetic life. My experience working from home does not look like those on social media. It’s not as pretty as it’s made out to be! I still struggle with keeping my space clean, getting out of my pajamas, and going to the gym.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cheykphoto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cheykphoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ckbaynephoto

Image Credits
all mine!