We recently connected with Elysse Price Price and have shared our conversation below.
Elysse Price , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Following my passions has always been important to me. I feel like the question what do you want to be when you grow up is a ridiculous thing to ask a child. Often times I would give the answer that I thought would make adults happy but in reality I just wanted to be happy. I knew at an early age that I wanted my adult life to be filled with happiness in everything that I pursued. I have always been self aware and knew that math and science were not necessarily my strongest attributes, but creating and walking within in my purpose was. When I was younger I would always be fascinated with media, whether it was magazines, movies, singing competitions, or ridiculous skits that I laughed at for hours. I knew that I wanted to create and bring that sense of joy that I felt through art to life. As I grew into a young adult I have had many different interests through my many talents. I found photography, and founded Priceless Photography because I love capturing the beauty of people and moments that matter. I created Priceless Palace because I love candles and smell goods, I started prioritizing my mental and physical health and wanted others to create an ambiance of self care through my candles. I have recently started traveling the world and sharing different cultures and my experiences as a Black woman traveling atypical destinations this has been life changing for me. Every time travel to a new place I get inspired, from the people to different cultures I always leave with something internally life changing.
Elysse Price , 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 vessel of many beautiful things. Those who know me may call me a hustler, an inspiration, an entrepreneur, an artist. I am a woman simply walking in her purpose. My name is Elysse Price I am 25 years old born and raised in St. Louis. I am a proud alumna of the illustrious Howard University with a B.A. in Media, Film & Journalism with a minor in Photography. I have always been a lover of the arts and grew my passion for creating first through spoken word I used poetry as a way to express thoughts and feelings that I had stored in my head. The more I wrote the more I wanted to bring my words to life. At 16 I bought my first camera and began photography. I quickly learned that I had a great eye and began shooting for summer camps, & school events. When I became a student at Howard I needed to find a Howard Hustle there was a huge demand for headshots and grad photos and that’s when I started my business Priceless Photography. Around my Sophomore year I started taking classes for my minor in Photography and I had learned so much, my professors challenged me as a photographer to shoot in ways I had never imagined. I was nervous when I first started because I didn’t have fancy lighting, a super expensive camera or any of the experience that a lot of of the other photographers had on the yard, but that’s what also made me an asset. I was able to see the gaps in services that were being provided. I set myself a part by offering more value for each dollar spent. Doing this early on didn’t necessarily hurt me because I was gaining more experience and confidence. The more I shot the more seamless my process and shoots became. I have maintained my business for over seven years and have over a decade worth of photo experience. I am well versed in many areas such as portraits, graduations, weddings, proms, product photography, business photography, editorial etc. I believe my creative process sets me a part from other photographers, I create a visual deck and work very hard to make sure my clients feel comfortable from the moment they contact me. In addition to hospitality I work very hard to make sure there is clear communication and expectations are understood prior to my shoots, and finally I make sure my shoots are fun. I play music and make sure the entire experience is a positive one. When you look and feel good my work looks even better. I am most proud of my growth and the skills that I have developed and continue to perfect as a photographer. I want any potential clients, and admirers of my work to know that I truly have a passion for producing priceless art. My energy and effort is shown from our first consultation.
Priceless Palace is a luxury soy candle business that I founded January 17th, 2022. I have always loved smell goods, and knew that I wanted to start a small business selling some type of home good. I meshed my talents of photography and background in multimedia to create diverse campaigns for each collection. Priceless Palace is not only a candle business it is a brand that encourages our customers to put mental health, and self care at the forefront of your life. I pride myself in using ethical ingredients to create toxin free soy luxe candles. Once I learned about different waxes and the effects that some chemicals can cause when mixed and burned together I made it my mission to always use safe and high quality ingredients.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me executing a goal is always rewarding, I am always looking for ways to grow as a creative, whether that’s through new techniques unconventional equipment or just problem solving. I love seeing how my work has progressed over the years and it is always a rewarding feeling when I have a happy client!
With Priceless Palace the most rewarding aspect of my business is when I execute a campaign even better than I envisioned. My campaigns usually take a few months to plan out and I try to come up with a unique product shoot and theme revolving around mental health. Over the last two years I have created over 17 candles and I am very pleased with the progress of my business.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I think the biggest lesson I had to learn was to always be firm in my boundaries this can be applied in both business and in my personal life. When you’re entering a new space it can be intimidating and when I first started photography I wanted to be affordable for everyone but that lead to bad clients, overworking and being undervalued. I had to redo my entire booking process and policies several times because quite frankly common sense is not common. Not everyone understands the work and investment it takes to become a skilled photography. For example even simple things like when you book a photographer you are booking their aesthetic not to mimic anyone else’s. I had to learn that I needed to make these things clear in the beginning with a website and consultation call and visual deck. That way the client and I have a clear understanding of expectations from the shoot. This also helps me use my time efficiently and plan out how I want to execute the shoot.
Contact Info:
- Website: pricelesspalace.com www.honeybook.com/profile/elysse-price/priceless-photography-hyattsville-md
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/priceless.photography_/ https://www.instagram.com/pricelesspalace/ https://www.instagram.com/shes_price_less/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrhkK3iDbYJd7Lbe5kOWOQg/videos
Image Credits
Priceless Photography- Elysse Price