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

Ellie, appreciate you joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

Although I had a history of experimental photography and videography throughout my childhood, I truly began photographing people in 2011. Once my work was posted to Facebook more regularly, I started to get friends asking if I could photograph them and their major events. I grew to where I was being booked more regularly. After taking on sessions and weddings over the following years, I decided that balancing photography and my full-time job had just become too much. While most think I took the route of photography (when they first hear this story), I actually had my heart set on my fashion executive career. It was what I had gone to UNCG for and was thriving. There was also the plus of having regular hours and paychecks, along with overall insurance benefits. I was able to buy our first house while my husband was getting his doctorate. The corporate direction was truly the success that I thought I wanted to have in life.

My mindset would soon drastically change. I finally became pregnant and the ideals of what we wanted our future to look like developed into something much different. In August of 2017, we welcomed our little boy into this world. Instead of working up the corporate ladder, I had a complete mindset shift as to what “success” could look like. I wanted a future where I could make my own schedule. Prioritizing time off, to focus on raising a child in this world, would become my #1 goal.
From the time he was born until the New Year (4 months), I spent time during his naps making a website, becoming a legal business, creating a marketing strategy, and anything else that would help me reach this dream.

Fast forward to 2018, I started my first year of business with 27 weddings and hundreds of sessions. I put in every moment of my “downtime” to grow something that I knew would help to give us the best life “success” that I could imagine.

The following years I became busier and busier. There were many things to celebrate, like traveling internationally for clients and updating price increases due to demand. I even soon began teaching other photographers on how to see the same success and officially launched my education platform. From sessions, to weddings, to mentoring, to workshops.. I was so so busy.
So busy- I lost track of my main goal which was to make more time for my family. It took me 4 years (yes a whole 4 years) to realize that my successful business was actually interfering with the LIFE success I craved so badly. I saw signs of depression and realized that I had worked so hard on something that was actually taking me away from my family more than it was helping us.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job and my clients! What happened was that I had let go of the balance I needed to define and feel in my own life. This was my critical turning point. My next moves would be what lead to the truest success I’ve ever felt, being a well rounded human. I now am prioritizing being the best wife, mom, friend, and business owner I can be- not just the best photographer.

After taking on less projects and putting my ALL into the ones that I have, I’m able to give my clients and my family more simultaneously. I took a chance on hiring assistants and automating processes which were some of the best decisions I ever made.

Sometimes there is no better way to grow than to learn from your mistakes. I’m sure mistakes will continue to help me develop into the human I want to be and I can’t wait to keep learning on this journey of life.

For anyone feeling like you aren’t headed in the right direction, just remember that life has a way of rewarding those who keep trying.
YOU are your success.

Ellie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a destination wedding photographer and photography business educator. I help couples live their very best wedding day by helping them plan for and execute artwork that showcases their personalities. For photography education, I help photographers learn more about their mindset to help them stand out and drive the success they want to see. My involvement as a business always consists of learning more about the people I serve. It is the absolute best!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the things I had to unlearn in my business were actually traditional “photography rules”. Breaking these rules lead to some of my most artistic and highly responsive images. While photography rules are great to follow as general rules, I had to learn how to ignore them when a moment calls for it.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I married him. My husband has his doctorate in pharmacy from UNC. After working as a pharmacist for many years, he missed his creative side. With the growth of my business as a wedding photographer, we explored what it may look like for him to join me. He began to learn photography but quickly swayed to the videography side. He started his first year as a full time videographer last year (2022) and we’ve seen so much growth as a business because of it! We’ve enjoyed working together. While it’s hardly ever “easy”, we both enjoy the challenge what it has brought to our family and relationship.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elliemckinney.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliemckinneyphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllieMcKinneyPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliehodge/
• Other: Education Platform: https://www.psychedsociety.co/