We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Blackford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I got married in July of 2018 shortly after graduating college. I was entering a phase of my life where everything was changing and, to be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I graduated with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in journalism and I knew I wanted to do something creative. I had loved photography from a young age which grew to taking a photography class in college and pursuing a career that involved photography was always tucked in the back of my mind. It was a little dream that was all mine that I had not shared with anyone.

Then, in August of 2018, one month after I married my husband, my grandma passed away. My wedding photos were my last documented memories with her. Shortly before she passed away, my wedding photographer emailed my wedding photos to me and my grandma and I were able to look at these photos together. This memory was priceless to me. A few weeks later my husband and I were chatting about careers and he asked me what my dream career was. I told him my dream was to be a wedding photographer. I told him I wanted to give the same special moments to others that my wedding photographer had given to me and my grandma. He told me he fully believed in me and that I should pursue it. Through this, Emily Blackford Photography was born. I am so passionate about capturing moments that become memories you will want to remember for years and years to come. Photography to me is not just beautiful, instagram worthy pictures, it is capturing emotions, feelings and little moments that tell the story of my clients. This is why I do what I do because those moments and stories are worthy of being captured and remembered.

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 wedding and lifestyle photographer with a passion for telling stories through photography. I love connecting with each person who steps in front of my lens and learning who they are and what their story is. I love when my clients become friends and when photo sessions feel like we are catching up. My favorite part of my job is the people I get to meet along the way.

In addition to photography, I am a wife and soon-to-be mom to a baby boy. I love traveling, design, coffee, and my golden doodle Evelyn.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I started photography in 2018 after graduating college as a side-hustle with the goal to be full time in 5-7 years. However, this growth happened much quicker than I could have even dreamed and I launched full time in April of 2021. I attribute this to saying yes to any almost opportunity there was to learn or grow. For me, this looked like being a second photographer for local wedding photographers, doing free sessions to build my portfolio, investing in education, and putting my work out there for the world even when I knew I had so much to learn. A huge milestone was more than doubling the amount of weddings I booked in my second year of business as well as being able to go full time within 3 years of starting my business.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Many of my clients have truly become friends to me. I foster this relationship by asking questions about them and learning who they are. I do not view photography as only transactional but instead as someone inviting me into their life to tell their story. I truly care about each person that books me and my desire is to keep capturing their big life moments as time goes on. Keeping connection at the center of my business has given me a bigger purpose in photography and allowed me to have clients who continue to come back year after year for photos.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emilyblackfordphotography.com
• Instagram: @emily.r.blackford

Image Credits
Emily Blackford Photography