We recently connected with Hannah Killebrew and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

From a young age, my fascination with photography was sparked by the beauty of the world and those around me. With each photo taken, I realized the power of freezing time and preserving memories for many years to come. In high school, I took a photography class and was asked by a classmate to take her graduation photos, which turned out better than expected. That is when I realized I could turn a hobby that I was very passionate about into so much more and the rest was history. I started taking pictures of friends and family for free to build my portfolio and created a website and social media pages to advertise my services to others. I also did market research for my area and surrounding areas to figure out the best way to market myself for the area I was serving at the time. After many free sessions, I began offering paid sessions for less than $100 to get my business up and running. Since I was still in high school, I mainly took graduation photos for the first few years. After graduating high school and moving to Huntsville, Texas for college my client base grew tremendously and so did my passion. I began offering all types of sessions including headshots, couples, maternity, family, and creative sessions. With growth came many changes for my business including a revamped website and a new booking platform to make my client’s experience with me as easy as possible!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a passionate photographer based in Houston, Texas and Sam Houston State University Alumni (Eat ‘Em Up Kats). With an unwavering love for capturing moments and telling your stories through my lens, I have established myself as a talented artist with a unique creative vision. I offer graduation, couples, maternity, creative, and headshot sessions, in addition to wedding photography.

My dedication to photography goes beyond capturing beautiful images. I always strive to create a comfortable and relaxed environment for my clients, understanding that genuine moments are best captured when people feel at ease. In most cases, the best images are captured during the candid and unplanned moments that show my client’s true emotions in real-time. I am always open to new ideas and collaborations that will allow me to create beautiful photographs.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect is seeing the joy that my photos bring to my clients. Pictures are so much more than something to print out and put in a frame or use on an invitation. They tell a story and capture all the exciting moments in life that you will be able to cherish forever and pass on from generation to generation. Capturing raw emotions in the moment allows for a lifetime of memories.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my social media audience by following other photographers and creatives with similar interests and interacting with them over time. Supporting other creatives is extremely important in order to build your social media audience. Community over competition is the most important in an industry like photography. We all have our own styles and workflows, but at the end of the day, we are here to help and encourage one another to be the best we can be. Collaborating with vendors and models is also a great way to grow your audience organically. Not to mention it will also allow your work to reach others in a broader audience.

My biggest piece of advice to those just starting to build their social media audience is to create an account designated specifically to your business. Of course, you can share things about yourself every now and then, but people are mostly interested in your work specific to your business. Also, keep in mind that it will take time to grow your audience. It is not something that happens overnight.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hleephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hleephotography18/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HLeePhotography18/
• Other: Google: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zyq3SxhZSjG5PCJ37

Image Credits
All images by HLee Photography