Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karoline Scardino . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Karoline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I believe that the educational system fails young people by forcing them down a few preset paths. From a young age, kids are told over and over that they need to go to college and graduate with a bachelor’s or master’s in order to be successful. But there are so many fulfilling and important careers out there that don’t require a college education. Sure, if you want to be an engineer or doctor or lawyer, then you should go to college, but often, kids are told that if they don’t go to college then they are failures. The system needs to teach kids from an early age the value of adaptability. They need to be taught how they learn as individuals so that they can take that and continue to grow their skills. Curiosity should be encouraged. The system has failed to see and teach the value of change. Our society has changed over time and with that our education should too. A degree is not always the best choice.

I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice because I wanted to go into Law Enforcement. I worked in Law Enforcement for a few years before a work injury ended my career. I enjoyed my classes in college, but I wish I had studied something else that would have taught me more practical skills. Now that I am no longer in Law Enforcement, my degree is worthless. I spent longer in college than I did in Law Enforcement, and I didn’t even need that specific degree to get a job in Law Enforcement. Now, as a photographer and small business owner, I do not use anything that I learned in my Law Enforcement degree. In fact, I didn’t even need a college degree to build my business or work as a photographer. If I knew how much I would enjoy owning my own photography business, I would have skipped college and invested that money into my business. Looking back I wish my school advisors and teachers would have showed me the plethora of non-college opportunities that exist from trade schools to entrepreneurship.

Karoline , 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?

Hi there! My name is Karoline, and I am a Lifestyle and Wedding photographer. I got a degree in criminal justice, and went off to start my career in law enforcement. Unfortunately, after only a few years, I had a work related injury that ended my career. For a while, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. As I searched jobs endlessly, I stumbled upon a fashion styling job. On a whim, I applied as I had always loved fashion. With essentially zero experience under my belt, I landed the job because I showed them how eager I was to learn new skills! I also started freelancing, and I ended up styling several photoshoots and even a fun music video! It was through styling these photoshoots that I remembered how much I loved photography. I was so intrigued about following that passion that I bought a new camera and started practicing and learning everything I could about photography and running and marketing a small business. After a while, I felt confident enough to actually pursue photography as a business. I started with photographing portraits and then ventured out into lifestyle, events, and now weddings. I believe my skills and passions set me apart from other photographers. Many photographers know how to use good angles to take a good photo, but then they don’t edit the photos well. Snapping the photo is just the first step, but it is far from the last step. As a person of color, I have had my skin edited so poorly that I looked orange. I spent hours researching how to edit pictures of people of all skin tones in all kinds of lighting and then countless more hours practicing. Although all those technical steps are important, I believe photography is about more than just pictures. It is about capturing and telling people’s stories. It is about making someone feel beautiful and seen. I aim to bring happiness to every one of my clients through the images they receive. I want them to see themselves as other see them, as beautiful individuals.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Honestly, for me this answer is very simple. Kindness. Photography is a cutthroat business, but one thing that always stands out to people is how kind someone is. I think it is important to support and encourage others in the same industry. There are more than enough clients for everyone. As photographers we all have different styles, and every client wants a specific style. I know from hearing it from my clients, that the best experiences with photographers come from how kind that person was to them and their loved ones.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

For me, Facebook and my site were the starters for growing and getting my foot in the door. I have found that word of mouth is absolutely the best source for growing my clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: Karolinescardinophotography.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/karolinewithakamera
• Facebook: Facebook.com/karolinewithakamera
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karoline-scardino-7bb728100

Image Credits
Karoline Scardino Photography