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

Kayla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I have always loved photography. I’ve tried many different art mediums and photography is the one that always felt the most fulfilling to me. I started my photography journey by taking photos of gorgeous landscapes from The Rockies in Colorado to the waterfalls near me in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

Back in 2013 I started posting the photos I was most proud of to my Instagram account and started to gain a following that encouraged me so much I decided in 2016 to make it a business. After talking to a few local photographers I decided to become a wedding photographer. The only problem was, I hadn’t photographed a wedding before. Actually I hadn’t even photographed people before, just landscapes. I took the plunge and branded my Instagram and website as a wedding photography page with both full of pretty landscapes.

For months I didn’t attract a single customer. I asked some local photographers for advice and was directed to join a Cleveland portrait meetup group. The group was full of local models and photographers looking to better their craft. I went to every event. I was able to learn more about my camera from other photographers and learn how to direct subjects to pose from the models. By the end of 2016 I had an inquiry from an old college friend about me photographing her upcoming wedding. I managed her expectations by telling her exactly what my experience was – barely any. She understood and I charged her so little I won’t even say the number (it was enough for gas and to rent an 85mm lens).

Before the wedding I consumed as much educational content as I could on youtube and blogs. The day of the wedding I was so nervous but was quickly calmed by the fact that the bride was a friend. I did some of the best work I had done up until that point and that couple still refers couples who book me til this day (and I cost a lot more now).

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a chemist and a wedding photographer based in Cleveland, OH. I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Kent State University in 2015 and currently work for a hand hygiene company.

In addition to being a chemist I own Kayla Ivey Graphics, LLC and offer wedding and portrait photography services nationwide. I am the main photographer and photograph 25+ weddings per year and countless engagement sessions, proposals, senior photos, and headshots. I focus on capturing candid moments and would describe my editing style as earthy.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

In late 2019 I decided to be a vendor at a local wedding show. My books were not as full as I wanted them and I hoped being around a plethora of couples about to get married could help me fill my calendar with weddings.

After I signed up for the wedding show I received a lot of negativity from my local photography group. They were adamant that it was “impossible” to book weddings from a wedding show and that only couples looking for a bargain attend the shows. I decided to push on anyway.

On the day of the show doubt started to creep in and then the doors opened and in the span of a few hours, hundreds of couples looking for vendors entered the door. Now I didn’t book hundreds of weddings from the show but I did book 7 (I only needed to book 1 to cover the cost of my admission to the event).

Every couple that came to the show didn’t need a wedding photographer since it’s usually one of the first vendors people confirm for the wedding day. Of the people who did need a photographer, I booked seven and that made it a successful day for me. It’s also important to note that since a lot of local photographers didn’t believe in attending wedding shows of the hundreds of vendors only three were photographers, including me.

Participating as a vendor in a wedding show that I was constantly discouraged from doing was a risk and it paid off for me.

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

The best source of new clients for me has been Instagram. Instagram being a visual platform it’s been easy for me to take advantage of as a wedding photographer. Even with my following of 3000+, 60% of my clients come from Instagram.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaylagraphics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylaiveyphotography/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kigraphics/

Image Credits
Kayla Ivey