We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Balch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kelly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
I have been working as a photographer for nearly 13 years, covering more than 400 weddings worldwide. I am immensely grateful for the success of my self-employed career. Two years ago, I decided to expand my business by creating an agency of photographers and videographers, naming it “Kelly Balch Images.” Right from the start, I was fortunate to have contracted six part-time associate photographers and videographers. Like any entrepreneur growing a business in its first year, I faced challenges due to my lack of understanding on how to adjust my new business model and manage the diverse personalities of my associates.
Fast forward three years, I have developed strong bonds with my associates, many of whom were close friends even before they joined me during the transition of my business. In fact, I am pleased to say that over half of my clients are friends who have hired me and my team of associates.
However, in July 2023, an unexpected situation arose when I was hired as a backup photographer at a friend’s wedding, which I was also attending as a guest. The couple was disappointed with their original photographer, and my friend turned to me for help. I offered her a special deal, and since I was a guest, I arranged for one of my top associate photographers, someone she was already familiar with, to cover her wedding day.
The day unfolded beautifully, with a stunning wedding and my photographer capturing incredible shots. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. My photographer, who typically shoots in raw monochrome, accidentally switched from RAW to JPG monochrome, resulting in flat, unchangeable images with lower megapixels. Essentially, the entire wedding was shot in black and white. It was an unprecedented mistake, something I had never encountered in all my years in the industry. I reached out to several colleagues, but none had experienced or heard of such an incident, except for one who mentioned delivering the entire gallery in black and white. However, I couldn’t imagine handing over over 800 wedding photos to my friend, whose wedding was intended to be featured in Martha Stewart magazine.
Determined to salvage the situation, I instructed my associate to do whatever was possible to rectify some of the key photos, such as the romantic portraits, family shots, and details like the intricately designed green tablecloth they had chosen for their table decor. After working tirelessly on each photo for nearly 8 hours, using AI coloring software and referencing iPhone photos for color correction, my associate presented the results. Unfortunately, they fell short of the quality I would deliver to a client.
Reluctantly, I had to break the news to the client and we shared an emotional moment, both understanding the gravity of the situation. I ultimately had to refund her money, creating a rift not only with my friend who was the client but also with my friend who was my associate responsible for the accident.
The moral of this unforgettable lesson for me, as both a photographer and a business owner/manager, is to exercise caution when hiring friends. Unless you are adept at being a strict boss and can establish strong boundaries, I would advise against it. I should have overseen the process more diligently and ensured that they followed the specific checklist that photographers typically go through before shooting a wedding. In the end, this experience taught me the importance of setting clearer boundaries for myself and my business.
Kelly, 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?
From a young age, I subconsciously sought a medium to express my emotions. I experimented with various forms of self-expression, including journaling, writing poetry, crafting short stories, and even trying my hand at painting. Then, my dad gave me his film camera, and it felt like destiny had found me. Throughout high school and college, I focused my lens on friends who were couples or even conducted boudoir photography sessions for them. This early exploration of diverse subjects helped me discover my true passion: capturing the essence of people, particularly couples. I had an affinity for love, and I aspired to be the conduit that could beautifully convey it.
In 2009, I photographed my first wedding and soon realized that queer couples lacked proper representation compared to their heterosexual counterparts. So, I began photographing queer love, even before it was legally recognized in the United States. To this day, I continue to celebrate all kinds of couples and partnerships.
However, I never forgot the beauty of writing as a medium for emotional expression. In 2020, I completed the third installment of my queer fantasy fiction trilogy, “Aphrodite’s Sister.”
Through both photography and writing, I’ve come to understand the profound importance of emotion. I aim for my art, whether in the form of photographs, videos, or written words, to not only be visually appealing but also emotionally resonant. Delving into my own emotions has led me to realize the intuitive and spiritual nature of my perspective on love and life. It has also enabled me to connect with and empathize with my clients, contributing to the success of my business.
Above all, what I am most proud of and wish potential clients to understand is that my work and services offer more than just visual or written content. They provide a spiritual and emotional experience, allowing us to recognize the beautiful connections we share through the universal experience of emotions, with love being the most significant. It is an honor for me to serve as a guide for my couples and clients on this emotional and spiritual journey.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
This is an easy one… authenticity.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media has proven to be somewhat of a challenge for me. It often insists that users must remain constantly active to make the algorithm work in their favor. However, as a response to my previous statement, I’ve come to realize that authenticity is the key. I’ve observed that being genuine on social media consistently attracts both old and new clientele. Simply sharing posts about my experiences or emotions tends to resonate with someone out there. I hope they say to themselves, “Hey, I appreciate what she’s expressing, and I’d like to connect with her.”
The other, more 1-dimensional answer to this question is that it certainly helps to connect with individuals who have a larger following than you do and collaborate or work together. However, it’s crucial that they give proper credit or tag you in their content. Unfortunately, many high-profile users tend to overlook this aspect, and recognition in the form of credit and tags is your valuable currency in the digital world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kellybalch.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kellybalch
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.balch/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellybalch/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kellybalch/videos
- Other: https://vimeo.com/kellybalch
Image Credits
1. Image of queer couple in Iceland for their elopement. (no credit) 2. Styled shoot at RUMBO workshop in Barcelona, Spain (instagram – @rumboworkshop) 3. Instagram – @gregtarzandavis for GQ Mexico magazine 4. Queer couple in Cape Cod, MA (no credit) 5. instagram @preciselyangel 6. Garrett Clayton and Blake Knight wedding for @poeple magazine – Instagram @hrhblakeknight & @garrettclayton1 7. Rudy Pankow for GQ magazine and Netflix — instagram @rudeth 8. Couple in Dallas, Texas (no credit)