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

Hi Heidi, thanks for joining us today. Some of the most interesting parts of our journey emerge from areas where we believe something that most people in our industry do not – do you have something like that?

I have a strong opinion here: I believe that when hiring a professional photographer, if you don’t receive tangible heirloom artwork, you wasted your money. Digitals are a junk product, and providing digital photographs alone is a disservice to my client, even if that’s what most people *think* they want. Digital images have become the “norm”, but in the last 20 years, I can count on one hand the number of friends who actually printed their artwork themselves and created something truly beautiful. As a professional portrait artist, it is my job and responsibility to help my clients turn their desire for memories into something stunningly beautiful, and that lasts more than 5 seconds on their mostly unseen and quickly forgotten social media accounts. My unpopular opinion is that professionals should provide artwork, and that digital images are a vital storage and even social sharing media, but should never be the professional product after working with a photographer.

Heidi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started like most photographers, with a camera I received as a gift and a child I loved more than anything else in the world. When my daughters were born, I became obsessed with documenting everything about them. My home is wallpapered with their images on every wall and surface. My family is my joy and my reason for everything. As with many other photographers, I turned my love for portrait photography into a side business, and eventually, into a full-time career. I have evolved over the years to provide polished portrait artwork. I specialize in painted portraits, heirloom artwork for the home, and preserving a family’s legacy through tangible photographs that lift their spirits and make their hearts sing with joy. I love to create unique portraits that stand out from the average and tell a story. I collaborate with my clients before photographing them so that I can get inspired to create magic that fulfills them (and me as the artist). At this phase of my life, if I’m not inspired, I don’t want to photograph it. My career is coming full circle as my oldest daughter is expecting her first daughter, and I’m already envisioning the images I want to create for her.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

If I don’t feel inspired, I don’t want to create it. When I picked up my first camera over 20 years ago, I was practicing and learning techniques, and I was happy and willing to photograph everything. Now, all these years later, I am getting less excited to photograph ideas that feel average or mundane. I would far prefer to create just a few images that make my soul stir and my heart sing. I’m ok with taking fewer sessions as long as those sessions have meaning and satisfaction. I do draw satisfaction from my client’s happiness and joy, but for me, I am not very content creating images that everyone else is also creating. I love to see the perfect light and moment come together, and I love to create magic.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My ideal clients are active in my community. They are attending and contributing to charity events and fundraisers. Donating to auctions has been a fantastic way to meet my best clients while also fulfilling my desire to be beneficent. My clients often choose me from a huge pool of competition (everybody with a camera is a photographer these days, haha) because they know/like/trust me. Social media is essential to stay in front of a broad local audience, but I have found that personal connections and referrals are my best sources of fantastic clients, far more effective than Google!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heidiknightphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidiknightphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiKnightCustomPortraits

Image Credits

Heidi Knight Photography, copyright 2007-2025