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

Kari, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

Most business owners will tell you that the best investment you can make is in yourself. This has been so true for me in my business! I have invested in growing my understanding and skill of what it takes to be a wedding photographer in Colorado. This has mostly been through a lot of hands on practice, but also finding educators out there who specialize in what I do but are 10 steps ahead of me. Learning from people who think completely different from me helped me grow and expand my business in ways I would have never been able to do on my own!

More specifically, I paid for online courses made by other successful photographers. Read blog posts, listened to podcast, watched youtube videos and spent countless ours practicing the implementation of what I learned until it worked for me and my business!

Kari, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I never wanted to own a business, but photography had always been a passion. Friends started asking me to take their photo and I had this “aha moment” when I realized I could make a living doing something I loved. I wanted to find my niche in photography and really specialize in one thing. After I photographed my first wedding I was hooked – I knew this was going to be it!

All of my favorite childhood memories are attached to photos. Perhaps it’s because of my obsession of looking through our old family photo books as a child, or maybe it’s because there is truly is magic within what photos can capture. Photography has a way of letting you relive a moment in time and taking you back like it just happened yesterday. More than words ever could, photography can preserve a memory and an emotion.

My love and wonder of photography has always been within me. It’s that same love and wonder I take with me every time I pull my camera out to capture these special moments for others. I hope to capture more than just pretty photos but authentic moments that can be cherished for years to come. Moments that will feel like magic when you look at them because you can perfectly relive everything about that moment.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The main goal of my business is to serve my couples by offering an incredible experience and photos that leave them speechless. Weddings are the niche I chose because I’m not just capturing a wonderful celebration, but the story of two people in loving choosing to commit their lives to one another. To properly convey this for each couple requires that I get to know my couples and intentionally photograph each one in a way that unique expresses their relationship.

This is the mission that fuels my creativity every time I pull my camera out. Even after over 100 weddings, it never gets old or boring because every couple is so different!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There have been so many resources that have influenced my entrepreneurial thinking. “The Go-giver” by Bob Burg & John Mann and “Quitter” by Jon Acuff have tremendously helped to shape how I view my business and how I serve my couples. The contents in these books gave me the confidence to pursue being a Colorado Wedding Photographer with excellence.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karijoyphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/karijoykuschel
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/karijoyphotographyllc

Image Credits
Kari Joy Photography – Colorado Wedding Photographer www.karijoyphotography.com