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

Kendra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I have constantly taken risk to not only grow and improve my business but my personal life as well. I was doing photography in Florida and one year decided to move with $100 in my pocket and a plan to step foot into Atlanta, to build my photography business there. I knew nobody but quickly networked and met so many amazing faces and worked with tons of upcoming entrepreneurs. A few years later I did the same (except this time I was more financially stable) I took a road trip across the country to California, where I am now rebuilding my photography business and putting myself out there once again in front of a new crowd! Taking these risks and stepping out of my comfort zone has helped mold and shape me into being the photographer I am today and experiencing life in a new light. There are no limitations when it comes to living the life you truly desire!

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

I am a photographer based in San Diego CA. I have always enjoyed taking photos and looking through old photo albums as a child, little did I know I would find a deeper love for it in my adult life. I decided that I wanted to not only help share and save memories through photo for others to hold onto but I wanted to create a space where people, especially women, felt comfortable and had a safe space to model or promote their work. As experiencing being a model myself, working with male photographers can sometimes be nerve wrecking so I understood what was needed. I range from nature/landscape photography to portraits and all the way up to event photography. There really isn’t any type of photos I don’t take. It really has been a roller coaster in the business, one minute I have high clientele and the next it would be stagnant, but the important part is learning balance and finding what creates that spark again. Photography is less of a job and more of a lifestyle. Expressing/feeling emotion & life through a photograph runs deep and can be saved forever. I will always continue to improve my art and do my absolute best to continue to show through my work how beautiful life and this world truly is.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think the biggest thing that helped build my reputation in my market was putting myself out there in the spotlight. Attending events as both a model and photographer really separated me from other photographers or models really. Also attending multiple events and being that same face everybody saw helped get my name and work out there a lot more! Lastly personally contacting models, event coordinators, and business owners helped me create new relationships and business opportunities.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect as being a creative is simply seeing the relief, joy, and love a client has when they see their photos. When the final result is out and I hear how they love how they look (embracing themselves, feeling confident) and want to share their photos with the world, that tells me I’m doing something right. But also with events, landscape or any other photos taken, when I see how one embraces the photo and feels the emotion within the photo. That too gives me a rewarding feeling!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/Kendras.visuals

Image Credits
Aceah Brown Baba lemi Productions Don Lexie Rooney Kelsie