We were lucky to catch up with Chloe Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chloe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

Being a fairly new photographer, I knew that it would take some time and experience in order to gain more attention to my work or become more “known” for what I do and in order to gain that experience, I needed to practice as much as I could. It isn’t always easy to find people willing to do numerous photoshoots that may or may not turn out as anticipated; however I was blessed that my two closest friends thought the idea would be fun. They have given me lots of new ideas to try for photoshoots and love when I bring my camera on any trip we take. There have been times when we have gotten up at 4am for a sunrise, and others when we drove to the beach to catch some beautiful sunsets and some self portraits along the way. Now, I knew the process of taking the pictures, editing, etc, would be time consuming (which I believe is why most often start to charge for their work early on), but it didn’t feel right for me to charge these two; no matter the hundreds of pictures we would take, lol. After all, my main goal was to use these opportunities to gain the skill, not just try to start squeezing some money into my pockets as soon as possible. I typically did this for any of my close friends that were willing to give me any new opportunities to practice. All in all, the support from these two has been incredible and really given me the opportunity to learn what works best along with coming up with creative ideas to try with anyone. My mother has also been a big supporter in what I do, and is always right there for me when I need a second opinion or perspective on a photo or scene that I would like to capture/edit. Whether it be site seeing or a planned photoshoot, or just a hike on a nice day, my mother and friends each are happy to join in on the adventure. As I have gotten some more experience with my work, I have been able to post on social media some results from these adventures and my friends do well to share my name and work with others even without me asking them to. I have learned that the learning process becomes much more fun and enjoyable when you can do it with those you are close with in your life, and I will continue to be grateful for any of those that have jumped in to offer me help when I asked.

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 am a self taught photographer. I started photography when I realized that I had an obsession with sunsets and being out in nature in general. The earth is such a beautiful place and that beauty is often overlooked. While learning to take pictures of scenery, I also started learning to do self portraits for individuals, and now I do lifestyle and nature photography. I am always up for new creative ideas for photoshoots and love the input I am given from others. My main goal is to become a more known reliable photographer for those who need it but also simply share the joy of capturing God’s beautiful creations. Whether it’s a mountain top view, wildlife, or a friends lovely smile, each one is wonderfully made and deserves to be able to be kept to look back on in the future.

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

Photography for me started as a fun hobby and has only grew more into the bigger thought of “what more can I do with this in my life. ” I originally have gone to school for veterinary work, but recently decided to make a switch to photography with the dream of traveling to share stories and sites. While working up experience, I have chosen to keep prices for my work on the low end with the intension of that concept to rise as my experience does.

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

I am still currently building my social media audience, but have gradually gained more support as I am able to post more results. I created an Instagram page in which my friends could follow me and share my posts and then have continued to upload my favorites with general hashtags to get the photos out to more viewers. I am still learning ways to gain more audience, but for now I appreciate when my friends tag me in posts from their photoshoots to get my name out more.

Contact Info:

• Website: chloeclarkphotography.shootproof.com
• Instagram: classic_.clicks