We were lucky to catch up with Kayla Calderon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kayla, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I love my job. I truly love being a wedding photographer, but I notice sometimes people think I have a cushy, luxurious job and that is far from the truth. While there are a bunch of perks, like time flexibility, working with people I admire, and making a living doing what I love, it took A LOT to get to this point, to be specific, it took me betting on myself. I’ll set the scene for you: I loved photography ever since I was a child. I would ask for cameras for Christmas and I would give my cousins photo shoots. Looking back, the photos were pretty bad (like embarrassingly bad), but there was still love behind them. I see the beauty in people and I think photography is magical in the sense that I can pause a moment *insert happy tear* Going into high school, I would do photo shoots for my friends, and in college, I finally started getting paid for photo shoots. I would only make about $100 for photo shoots at the time, so it was just side money while I was a full-time student with at least one other part-time job. At that point I was receiving a lot of positive feedback on my photography, but I never thought I could make a living from it. I always thought that only a select few people were actually able to make money in a creative field. I thought it was a one in a million chance for me, so I continued going to school and putting most of my efforts in my studies. I received two bachelor degrees then started grad school. By this time, I had completed several internships in my field and had a good idea of what my pay was going to be once I finished grad school. The money was a big motivator for me, but I was miserable… I would cry on my way home from school because I felt that I wasn’t passionate about my career path. I was planning on being a school counselor because I love kids and I love helping others, but as a super creative person, I felt that I was cutting myself short. My heart wasn’t happy. I was trying to finish school because I thought it was the safest thing to do. It ultimately got to the point that I had to make a decision, spend more time (and money) in grad school, mentally unhealthy for the ultimate goal of something that wasn’t even my goal anymore, or take a risk to become a photographer and risk an insane amount of rejection, humiliation, and disappointment. After talking to a career counselor who believed in my dream, I left grad school. It was a shock to everyone because I was a great student, but photography had my heart. I didn’t go straight into being a full-time photographer because I needed money immediately. I got a nice job teaching teachers how to help children with maladaptive behaviors and coaching parents on parenting styles. I would do photography on the side, and I would even work on photography at my full-time job (I would hide in the restroom to take calls from clients, luckily I never got caught lol). Eventually, it got to the point where I took the big leap of faith to quit my full-time job to focus on photography… and it did not pay off.. at least not right away. I was broke for a few months. Really really broke. But even though I was questioning my decision, I continued to focus on photography, and I kept refining my strategy. Even though I needed money desperately, I would only target engaged couples so that I could be their wedding photographer. I didn’t put my focus into smaller jobs like birthday parties or headshots. I knew what I wanted to do and marketed only towards that. I am now at the point where some people get on the phone with me and tell me that they know they’re going to hire me (before I even have a conversation with them). I get the sweetest messages from couples thanking me for their pictures and the experience they had with me. The most heartwarming thing is that people trust me. They trust me to choose their photo shoot location. they trust me with outfit recommendations, they trust me with poses, they trust me with their wedding, and they trust that I will do whatever is in my control to make their special day as beautiful as it feels. I am now happy with my income and am still shocked that I am making it doing what I love. It’s the part of my life that feels like a dream. It’s definitely challenging, but I am so so glad that I was brave enough to bet on myself.

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.

Hii! I’m Kayla, a wedding and couples photographer based in Southern California. I specialize in capturing pure moments of love, connection, warmth, and happiness. My mission is to ensure that special moments are not only beautifully documented but also thoroughly enjoyed. I believe in creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for my clients, allowing them to be their authentic selves, resulting in genuine and breathtaking photos. With an unwavering commitment to perfection, I go above and beyond to capture every picturesque moment. Photography is not just my profession; it is my passion, and I pour my heart into the images I produce.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I really wish I knew about photography coaches earlier in my journey. I eventually started listening to them and it helped sooo much. But I did a lot without professional/seasoned advice and I know I could have hit a fast forward button with their help. Right now I’m loving listening to Nathan Chanski, Jai Long and John Branch.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I don’t have that many followers, but the followers I have on Instagram are super engaged with me and my work. The best advice I I can give is to show some of your life. I think a lot of us want to feel connected to others. So if I was a photographer who only ever posted about work, even on my stories, that would get pretty boring to people. I use my feed posts for my work, but on my stories I post about my life, what I’m up to, show behind the scenes and just some funny/cute relatable things and things that mean a lot to me. For example, the other day, I was at Target and I saw a big Jiggly Puff plush doll and bought it. I took a picture of it at the checkout and posted it on my story, then the next day posted a picture of it in my backseat and wrote “passenger princess”. That’s just me being me, and a lot of my followers engaged with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaylunapix.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylunapix/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaylunapix

Image Credits
@KayLunaPix