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

Katy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I think about this often, honestly, and it constantly comes up in conversations with my fellow freelancers. It’s a tough question, because there are plusses and minuses to both kinds of jobs.

I personally love being a business owner! I honestly don’t think I could go back to a regular job. I hated it and never felt I could be myself or do my best work. Switching to freelance was tough, but worth it. I really appreciate the flexibility and freedom it gives me. If I have something I’d like to do with family, or I have an appointment, I feel sick, or I just don’t feel like sitting at a desk that day, I can move things around to fit my needs. That’s the biggest benefit! I also love that I can choose where I work, how I run my business, who I work with, how often I have photoshoots, how I interact with people, etc. I am not beholden to anyone else and the way they want their business run. I can be myself, because my brand IS me. I get to be the boss. I get to choose how to run my life. I get to choose how much money I want to make, and the sky is the limit! There’s no cap created by some other person. I get to choose if I want a vacation and how long I can go for. I get to choose if I have an appointment or event in the middle of the day, and I don’t have to get it approved by others. No one can come and tell me I’m fired, and then I suddenly don’t have a job and income. A normal job has some semblance of stability, but does it really if you aren’t in control? Yes, freelancing pay can be very up and down, which comes with a lot of anxiety and the constant question of “should I look for a job?”, but there are ways around that too, which I am coming to learn. Freelancing is a lot harder than just showing up to work, which I don’t think people realize. You often end up working way more than 40hrs a week, often into the night. You have to learn a lot as you go, it isn’t all laid out for you. You don’t get benefits, you have to pay for those yourself. You often have to balance multiple kinds of jobs that would normally be put onto different people (photographer, retoucher, producer, talent scout, HR, bookkeeper, tax person, social media manager, etc.). However, to me, the positives outweigh the negatives 1000%, and that’s why I’m working extremely hard to keep this dream alive. I’m in control of my life, no one else is, and that’s how I like it.

Katy, 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 Katy DeZellar and I’m a fashion, beauty, and commercial photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I mostly work with brands and businesses to create images that show off their products or services for their marketing needs, but I also love working with models to build their modeling portfolios and help them increase their chances of getting booked for jobs.

I love capturing creative, colorful, and bright imagery that fit’s each client’s needs. My favorite types of shoots are the ones where my subjects get to laugh and be themselves. It’s a bit more candid and lifestyle, and not stiff posing.

When it comes to products, the goal is to show off the product and to help customers imagine themselves using or wearing it. I’m there to help immerse them into that world, which should help lead to brand awareness and sales, depending on the brand’s marketing strategy. I also love shooting fashion and beauty editorials as personal projects, as I get to work with great teams and watch our visions come to life. Ideally, these also get published in magazines, which is always a pinch-me moment! I’m most proud of getting my work into L’Officiel Philippines magazine and Vogue Mexico Belleza magazine this past year. Editorials are different than my commercial work, but I love them both equally!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Most of my clients have come from finding me on Instagram, Google, or getting a referral from a past client. I try to post on Instagram regularly and follow the strategies that are suggested on there. I use hashtags that are catered to my ideal client and the local audience, which helps when people search. I also try to make reels, when able, because they have good reach. I also make sure to work with other local creatives so we can refer each other for jobs and share each other’s work on our socials. For Google, I make sure to update my website frequently and use keywords to boost SEO so I’m more likely to come up in searches. Blogging is helpful for Google, but I haven’t personally gotten into this yet. It’s one of my goals! For referrals, I always appreciate when my clients are willing to share their positive experiences with others! I try to have a smooth, professional onboarding and offboarding process, as well as make the shoot a fun, positive experience for everyone. It goes a long way to be kind, understanding, quick to respond, and efficient. My goal this coming year is to focus more on direct outreach and having a stronger social media presence. I have started to see positive outcomes from this and I’m excited to see how it continues!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

In my years photographing fashion and beauty here in Minnesota, I’ve come to realize how strong the art and fashion community is here. There are so many models, makeup artists, hairstylists, fashion stylists, photographers, videographers, etc. that want to create and want to be able to work with the big brands that they see on ads. There are also small clothing brands based here that want to grow. Minnesota is a lot smaller than the two major fashion hubs: New York City and LA and it’s often discouraging to see content only shot in these major cities or Europe. It feels like an unattainable dream. Many end up moving to NYC or LA, but in an ideal world, they wouldn’t have to. I want people here to have the same opportunities that those in NYC and LA have. This is why I am trying hard to get into major fashion magazines and work with larger brands. I want to show IT IS possible, even if it’s harder. I want my state to get the representation it deserves because there are so many amazing people here and it’s a lovely place to live. I want to show what we can do! That keeps me going.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katydezellar.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/katydezellarphoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/katydezellarphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katydezellarphoto

Image Credits
Models: Jessica Flores Millan Angela Garza Sophia Yanez Mae Anderson Yutshua Lee Tolo Kerk Fola Adedeji Jade Yang Abbey Engel