We were lucky to catch up with Kelsey Breton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

A huge part of my business model is service. It’s important to me and my business, that my clients feel heard and acknowledged. A big part of my process in wedding photography specifically, is gift giving. I like to provide a welcome gift when couples first book with me as well as a fun, celebratory package to help them get even more excited for their wedding day experience a month before their big day. It is my ultimate goal to serve my clients in any way I can. It’s important to me, because I was not lucky enough to feel the same experience during my wedding planning process. I want all of my clients to feel as though they’re part of a community when they’re working with me in my little business.

Kelsey , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi! I’m a wedding and portrait photographer in the North Florida area. I am your number 1 hype woman! Photography is so much more to me than simply capturing beautiful images. I love photography because it allows me to pause special memories in time; memories you will remember and cherish for years to come.

My photography journey sort of began by accident in a perfect series of events. In 2018, I was working as a speech-language pathologist in the St. Johns County School District, where I was struggling to keep up with my caselaod and a general sense of purpose as a relatively new grad in the real world. That March, my husband and I said “I do” with a far-less-than-exceptional photography experience. Two months later, my husband gifted me with my first digital camera. It wasn’t until our full wedding gallery was delivered that I realized these two events were meant to coincide. The moment I opened our wedding gallery, I started wondering if I could provide a better experience for future brides. In that exact moment, Kelsey Breton Photography was born and has continued to grow ever since.

I have utilized the last few years to not only fine tune my skills as a photographer, but also to grow relationships in the gorgeous town I live in. When you book a photography session with me, you’re receiving a friend, hype woman and neighbor. It is my ultimate goal for you to leave your photography experience feeling confident, beautiful in your own skin, and hopefully with a big ol’ smile on your face.

I know what it’s like to be disappointed in an experience; particularly one that you’re investing time, energy and money into. There is no awkward posing or weird silence; just laughter, movement and fun!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I always go above and beyond for my clients! I learned very early in my photography career, that people just want to feel their absolute best when they’re in photos. What’s the first thing you do when you see a photo of your family or a group photo with friends? Do you look at all the other people in the photo first or do you look at yourself first? Yourself, right? We all want to feel amazing about ourselves. That’s where I come in! My clients expect to have a fun, comfortable experience with me where they feel valued as humans. My business is built on serving my clients in any way I can. That includes gifts, positive reinforcement, shout outs on social media, giveaways, etc. When you provide an exceptional experience for your clients, the final product is on the back burner. Your client wants to know that they will enjoy their time with you and that you have their best interest in mind. When you treat people with respect, love, compassion, friendship, you build a community, not a client list.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

This is my exact experience, and in my opinion, a particularly rewarding one; despite the lack of sleep, missed social events and decreased energy at times. I began my adult life in a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist after graduating from Florida State University in 2015. I began working in the world of “speech therapy” for the next six years, in many different environments, but not particularly happy in any of them. It wasn’t until 2019, after having my first camera for a year, that I started imagining a potential career shift; a difficult decision for me to make after having spent so much time, energy and money to complete my graduate school program. As I continued practicing with my camera and learning more about this new, exciting craft, I began to see a shift in my income and in my mood. I was enjoying the creative side of the photography world and began working toward building my photography business as more than just a side hustle. For the next three years, I juggled photography and full time and/or part time positions in speech therapy before I made the leap to full time photography in 2022. It was a hard decision to make! The overwhelm of keeping up with both jobs became too challenging to maintain for any longer. It was time to move on and take the very scary leap to full time photography. It was the best decision I have ever made! I am so much happier and feel so much more fulfilled in my career choice. I am grateful for the journey and wouldn’t change it for the world!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kelseybretonphotography.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/kelseybretonphoto
• Facebook: facebook.com/kelseybretonphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-breton-9aa07a249/

Image Credits
Kelsey Breton Photography, LLC