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

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I do not have to wonder what it would be like to have a “regular job”. I was working as a Litigation Specialist for an insurance company (out of my home before it was commonplace) and was handling injury cases that were heartbreaking. I was a walking checkbook, paying the injured or heirs who suffered injuries and catastrophic losses and it was beyond soul crushing for me.

I was moonlighting as a photographer (as a creative outlet and for my mental health) for two plus years when I went full time in 2016 and I will be forever grateful that I summoned up the courage to go out on my own.

If I hadn’t taken the risk in 2016, I don’t know where I would be today. My career has brought me friends, respected colleagues, life experience, travel, insight on the human condition and joy. It has taught me that I am far more capable than I had ever given myself credit for. It has provided a freedom that most working adults cannot appreciate. That said, it comes at a price. It has cost me sleep, friends, social experiences, peace of mind and so much time. Being a business owner means you must be willing to embrace personal sacrifice – at least for a time.

But yes, I am happier as a business owner. And to be quite honest – I am proud. I’d like to thank me. I’d like to thank me for believing in me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a Wedding and Portrait Photographer for a decade now and it still makes me giddy to say that. The imagery I create is pure and authentic. I strive to capture the elegance of a moment in a way that makes my clients feel at ease and as the best versions of themselves.

I have been in the industry long enough and have worked with enough artists to know exactly what sets me apart from so many creative people (especially out here in Los Angeles where talent is overflowing). My obsession with connection and the human condition is what fuels my fire and provides me with the drive to make images that will speak deeply to each person I photograph.

I appreciate the fact that I will be photographing people in some of the most momentous days of their lives collectively. I appreciate the fact that more often than you would like to think, I will take the last image of a cherished grand parent or parent. My eyes are different after doing this amazing work for so long and that is what keeps me going. When I no longer desire to see beyond the exterior, I’ll know it’s time to call it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Simply put – our work is personal. As a wedding and portrait photographer, I have spent 99% of my career photographing people I have no personal connection to and yet once I create an image of a person or an event, I become personally attached to it.

I know plenty of photographers that are business owners who happen to take photos. These people are successful and good at what they do. They often have a thriving business.

For photographers who are creatives first, there will always be emotion tied to the work. Sometimes this is to their detriment. Artists pour over every last detail, agonize about missed shots and opportunities that could have/should have been, spend way too much time personally editing and curating work…the list is endless. Work is always more than work.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I was starting out I worked for a photographer who ran a company that catered to weddings for couples who idolized a very famous cartoon mouse. This company churned out weddings 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I was able to gain a ton of shooting experience straight out of the gate which was amazing and I stuck it out with this company for three years while also running my own business.

Working for that particular company taught me so many valuable lessons about what I did not want to do in business and who I did not want to become. I left that low period of my career knowing that my clients were going to be priority and that I would treat everyone with kindness and value. I was able to digest in real time that the difference between the level of service and client experience that I provided meant he world. The takeaway for me was more valuable than anything else in my career. Clients are not a paycheck. Each client is a relationship and that is at the core of my business practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kellymcdanielphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellymcdanielphoto

Image Credits

All images taken by me.