Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ciara Farmer . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ciara , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

One of my greatest joys in life has been being my own boss. We live in a society where people make business owning look super glamorous but it indeed is the hardest job I’ve ever had. Owning a business has a lot of moving pieces. You are customer service, payroll, the employee, the admin, and so much more! Even with saying all of that, I would not trade this for anything! Additionally, I believe that my corporate america days best prepared me for the work outside of my gift to best prepare, care, and treat my clients well while staying afloat with business logistics! All in all, it really doesn’t matter what you do for a living. It all has it’s challenges! I’d just personally rather be challenged in passion than outside of it miserable and doing something I don’t like!

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 was born and raised in North Carolina. Yup! I’m a small town country girl who has grown older to have a real love for the city life! Despite that desire, I currently still reside here in North Carolina and honestly, I don’t ever desire to leave. BEFORE THE ERA OF SOCIAL MEDIA, I WAS THAT GIRL THAT JUST LOVED DOCUMENTING MOMENTS or creating unique digital media that would attract the eye! Everyone would come to me in middle school to curate their MySpace pages, haha. I had the best times! Creating for me has always been a deep passion but I never really intentionally pursued it.

Through my years as a teen, my love for the photography art never dwindled. Every Saturday in my home, my brother and I had chores. We’d choose a room in the house and clean it from top to bottom.

Well, we were supposed to. I always chose the living room. Want to know why? It’s where my mom stored all of her photo albums. I hated dusting (or cleaning period for that matter) but when no one was looking, I flipped through photo albums.

My favorite album stored in the house was my mom and dad’s wedding album! I mean, I flipped through that album I know a gazillion times growing up and asked the same questions over and over until my mom was probably just about annoyed with me, haha. Well mom, I just want to say, it all paid off!

My passion in photography is undeniably couples and documenting the most candid, authentic, beautiful, moments that they share!

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

I started my business at rock bottom. My business was birthed at a time where I could no longer make any excuses about not doing what I knew in my heart I wanted to do. In 2017, I lost everything and I was left with no job, no car, no .. anything. At that time, I was also super compelled to not only apply for another regular job but to also pursue my photography passion. I had less than $1,000 to my name saved and I spent majority of that money purchasing my very first camera! I practiced everyday and studied youtube videos until I felt comfortable photographing others! The rest is history!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am actually currently in a place where I am pivoting. When I began this career, I photographed everything. I am currently shifting to only documenting what I am passionate about. I am in the super early stages but it is already an adjustment and an act of faith because I constantly deny people I no longer service. I also redirect them to others I know can execute their vision well. I think it is always important to stay open and honest with the people you serve and who aspires to be served by you. Just because someone isn’t your client today, doesn’t mean that they won’t be tomorrow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ciarasheraephotography.com
• Instagram: @ciarasheraephotography
• Facebook: Ciara Sherae Photography LLC

Image Credits
My personal photo, @courtneypaigephotos