We recently connected with KAITLYN STONE and have shared our conversation below.

KAITLYN, appreciate you joining us today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

One of my wildest business stories is where my husband took me out to celebrate a win in our lives at a popular chain steakhouse restaurant the night before scheduled mini sessions. About 5 hours or so after I had eaten the food, I woke up in a panic because I felt very sick, and I knew I had minis in a few hours. I started downing bottles of Pepto and doing everything I could to try to feel better. But unfortunately, I had food poisoning. Nothing was working. Hours later, I finally decided there was no way I could do these sessions. I would have to pull the plug and contact my clients to let them know. It was early in the morning, so I texted them to let them know. Most people texted me back very quickly with their understanding. I finally fell back to sleep, thinking that all of my clients had responded since letting them know I wouldn’t be able to make it.

My phone ringing woke me up and it was the one client that I had missed getting confirmation that she knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it to our session. I answered and she told me she was there and couldn’t find me. I expressed what happened and that I had texted her to let her know but missed her confirmation of understanding. She immediately started berating me and telling me I was a scammer. I knew that I had made a huge mistake but there was no way I was going to be able to make it there that day. I took complete ownership of the situation and advised her of the options of rescheduling or refunding completely for the session.

She advised that she needed to think about it and would talk to me later. Next thing I knew within 10 minutes of talking to her, she was in a local moms group asking if anyone had a mini session booked with me that day and that I had not shown up to the session and was most definitely a scammer. Ensue panic. Mom groups are how I get 95% of my clients. This was not good. I chose to respond on the thread and advise her and everyone of what had happened. I knew I had made a mistake and it was completely my fault. I should have made sure to not only text but call and confirm that everyone had responded. I offered her again the opportunity to reschedule, refund her session and even refund a future session that she had booked with me.I did not want her to feel stuck in the session if she was this unhappy with what happened.

The high of this situation was the thread was full of past clients sharing their experiences, other photographers & strangers sharing their support and understanding about what happened and appreciated that I was honest, transparent, and willing to give my client resolutions. I was so grateful for the grace, support and love that I received that day. The client ended up taking a refund for that missed session, taking down the post and decided to keep the future session with me.

Taking ownership is so important to me. This particular situation luckily was one of the worst to happen but I learned a lot from it.

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 have been interested in photography since I was a small child but never dared to try. I was around five months pregnant when I impulsively purchased my first camera. I started to try to take some photos and was incredibly discouraged by how bad they were. I put the camera away until after my daughter was born. After my daughter was born, like many other mothers, I was diagnosed with Postpartum depression and anxiety. I struggled daily to feel connected to myself and did not know how to push myself through this. I decided to pick up the camera and just started practicing again. I wanted to be able to take photos of my daughter as she grew up. I decided that I should look into classes and start investing in myself. The first class I took was with Click. Love. Grow. And that’s where my passion began. Like many new camera users, I started using auto and was frustrated by the variance in my photos. After that initial class, I continued my learning by going to YouTube to learn how to fix issues and take control of what my camera was producing. It was becoming a little easier to figure out how to get the lighting and focus I wanted. But most importantly, photography became an outlet to help me through my postpartum depression and anxiety. It allowed me to be creative and to have fun doing it!

I started with my photography business by asking my friends to allow me to take their photos, taking on model clients, and getting a local mentor to help me with things I needed help with business-wise. I’m forever grateful for that friendship that blossomed out of that mentorship. I’ve worked hard to continue practicing and building trust with my current and past clients. One of the best parts about what I do is watching families grow. It’s extraordinary to be a part of these moments, and it’s even more special to me that they trust me to be a part of it. Thank you all for that opportunity and the trust to be a part of these special moments. I cherish each of them dearly.

I specialize in family portraits and love taking extended family photos!

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I hired a photographer to take our photos when my daughter was born. Unfortunately, like many others, this could not happen due to Covid and hospital restrictions. I felt devastated that we could not have those photos taken, and I knew that when I started photography, this was something I wanted to be able to do for others. Birth photography is a beautiful and wonderful blessing to be a part of a growing family’s life.

What sets me apart from other photographers is I believe in pricing my photos as a package deal. I don’t upsell the clients on photos I take that they like. It’s included in what the client has already paid for. Absolutely zero hate for anyone who implements their business this way. It’s not suitable for me, my clients, and my business.

I’m open to most sessions and even do volunteer work with NILMDTS to give photos to families in the most devastating times of their lives. I’m grateful to be able to show up and provide these families with their precious moments with their child(ren). These are challenging sessions to go through, but I know that showing up and doing this gives these grieving families something to look forward to and memories that they can cherish forever.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

As a mom, mom groups have been a vital tool for success in becoming and being a mom. I’ve connected with other moms in these groups and shared my business there. 95% of my clients come from these mom groups.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In my early life, I had created a mindset about myself and my value in this world. To be honest with you all, that mindset and the value I believed I had was not very high. I was insecure and had low self-esteem. I was coerced to drop out of high school but did a homeschooling program to graduate. I was determined to have a high school diploma. But I didn’t feel competent enough to go to college and honestly didn’t have the finances/credit to go even if I wanted to. I’ve allowed not having a college degree to hold me back for many years.

After taking risks and putting myself out there, I’ve learned that I can do anything I want in life. From working in corporate jobs that I was told I could never accomplish to owning my own business, and just overall, loving myself for who I am and what I have to offer. I’m more than what my brain tells me I’m capable of and what value I hold in this world. Unlearning to believe those negative thoughts has been a challenge and is still a daily task to overcome.

If you’re struggling with believing in yourself, know I believe in you. Who cares if you fail? At least you tried!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.writteninstonephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writteninstone_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writteninstonephotography21
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlynstone-/