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

Erin, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on so far was working with a non-profit called Help 4 HD. Help 4 HD’s mission is to educate the world about Huntington’s disease and Juvenile Huntington’s disease. They serve the HD community and provide information, education, and resources. I was an honored to join them for an evening in Nashville. Families from across the country came to fellowship together. I loved getting to capture moments of these families and friends embracing, laughing, crying, and then, dancing the night away. Being able to give these families pictures with their loved ones has brought so much joy. I had a smile the whole time I edited the photos and then shed a few tears knowing the grief that comes with having a family member with Huntington’s Disease. The board of Help 4 HD and the families involved were some of the kindest people, and I felt so blessed to a small part of their celebration.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always loved art from a young age, but didn’t start photography until I was older. I remember my first photography project in my high school art class; we created greeting cards. I created a “romantic” card of a rose being held- I still remember setting up the lighting in a dark classroom with a lamp. Then in college my roommate gifted me her old camera and I enrolled in a photography class. I learned the basics and after I graduated documented my time as an ESL teacher in Laos. I was inspired by everything around me in the Lao culture. My next big inspirations were my 2 kids. I have a 4 year old and 2 year old. They’re some of the cutest models. After being a “hobby photographer” for a while, my husband encouraged me to start my business. I lacked a lot of confidence at first, but now I feel so proud of the business I’ve created. I pride myself on truly connecting with people. I love helping my clients find the right outfit, location, time of day… but most importantly being kind and delivering them photos that they’ll treasure.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Honestly, I have recently received more new clients from Yelp. I don’t know why I waited so long to create a Yelp page, but I’m so glad I did!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

It might sound risky, but I took out the retirement that I had from my 4 years of teaching. By purchasing flash photography equipment with this money, I was able to transform my “natural light” photography business into a business that could also do corporate headshots, special events, and beautiful portraits. It opened up an entire part of the photography world that I wasn’t able to participate in prior. I’ve already been able to make more than half my money back, so I’m pretty happy with this investment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erinpalmerphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erin.palmer.photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinPalmerPhotography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/erin-palmer-photography-mt-juliet?osq=erin+palmer+photography
• Other: erinpalmerphotography@gmail.com