We were lucky to catch up with Isaiah White recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaiah , thanks for 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?

In the sixth grade, I began my photography journey at the local visual arts school. I never really considered using my skills to start a business and become a photographer in the beginning. When I was in middle school, I only took photography because I had a passing interest in photography and because my friends were also enrolled in that class. This was my mindset throughout 7th and 8th grade. As I approached my ninth-grade year (during covid), I was about to sit down and think about the following steps in my life and figure out what I wanted to accomplish as I grew older. After weighing the pros and cons of film versus photography, I chose the latter. During this time, I was a member of the track and cross-country teams, which is where I began capturing photographs. I had practice almost every day, so I had an excellent opportunity to learn and comprehend the camera I was using at the time, a Canon Rebel T6. Before I started collecting money from my photos, I used to give them away for free to athletes by sending them a link via Instagram story. After completing my ninth-grade year and learning a lot about photography, I decided to step it up a level and start making my thoughts a reality. So, I made an Instagram account solely for commercial purposes. Moving into my tenth-grade year, I had officially launched my Instagram business, @thephotographerisaiah, predominantly photographing sports and selling my photos for $15 for 5 to ten images. As my name became more well-known at my school, I was given more opportunity to photograph all of the school’s sports. After participating in all of the numerous sports available at my school, I pretty much stayed consistent with my work for 10th grade and continued to utilize Instagram as my portfolio, giving my business the official name @karielpicturestudios on Instagram. During the same school year, my mother passed down her camera to me, and I now shoot with a Canon 6D Mark II. When I had the opportunity to shoot with such a high-quality camera, I decided to boost my pricing and produce a price sheet based on the service required by the client. I continued to apply my ideas to the next level, building on my knowledge from 9th and 10th grade. My 11th grade year was the year I received the most requests for picture shoots outside of school, such as graduation, prom, and events. Looking forward, I am currently the photographer and videographer for the RAHK, a photographer covering all sport action in the Atlanta area, I had the opportunity to do an internship for the AEBL (Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League), and I am grateful for the people in my community who have chosen me as their number one photographer for prom, graduation, events, and professional headshots. This entire process is tedious for me. There were definitely times when I had artist blocks and didn’t know what step to take next to help ensure my success in this industry, but one piece of advice I would leave here is to always stay consistent, network with other creators, and get a sense of what you may want to do within the photography and videography field.

Isaiah , 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?

My name is Isaiah White, and I am the owner of @karielpicturestudios. I am currently in the 12th grade and live in the Atlanta area with my two sisters and mother. After graduating from high school in May 2024, I intend to attend Morehouse College and major in Film/Cinema with a minor in Business Marketing. My mother, who is also a photographer, inspired me to pursue a career in photography. I was initially just interested in photography because of her, and I didn’t have my own particular vision and love for photography until I was in ninth grade. In game sport images, mixtapes for sports or any type of event, location shoots for things like prom or graduation, professional head shots, small weddings, and any form of photoshoot that a client may want to produce are some of the services that I now provide. As a photographer, I believe that my delivery time for images, fair costs for outstanding quality, ideas, and ability to stimulate dialogue during a photo shoot set me apart from others. My academics and ability to network with people are two things I’m most proud of. Another thing I want people to know about me is that I have a great personality and enjoy meeting new people. I am an extremely hardworking individual that has invested much and gained extensive knowledge in the photography and videography industries. That being stated, please follow me on Instagram at @karielpicturestudios. As a young black entrepreneur, I would love to collaborate with other creators in the neighborhood as I develop my business around the world.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

There are numerous ways for me to stay in touch with clients. Staying engaged on social media is one of them. We live in an age where virtually everything is centered on technology, thus I believe it is critical to stay current with how things are operating with your audience. Giving back to the town where I grew up is another way for me to stay in touch with the people. I accomplish this by attending school functions, taking pictures, and then sharing them on Instagram. Brand loyalty is a little different in my neighborhood because there are so many different photographers with varying skill levels to pick from. Overall, I believe that people have a photographer to whom they would go first.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Increasing my social media audience was a slow but rather simple process. You simply need to put in some effort and, if you haven’t already, begin networking. When I decided to post my images on Instagram, I requested everyone on my personal page to follow my photography account, giving my page a little boost. Another way I expanded my Instagram following was by consistently posting my work and exposing it to people who hadn’t seen it before. My advise to anyone who wish to increase their social media presence is to always publish and keep sharing. Don’t submit your work only to earn likes and shares, but to get the proper people to notice your talent and perhaps help you grow.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @karielpicturestudios
• Other: Personal Instagram: @theisaiahwhite