We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In 2020, I decided that the career path I had been taking for 4 year prior was not making me happy. I would wake up in the morning, dreading to go to the office. While I have love for what I did, the company I worked for was not my cup of tea. So, I took the biggest risk I could take as a new mother, and quit. I pondered different career options for the following weeks.

Over the past decade, one of my greatest hobbies was Photography. I would spend a lot of my free time capturing memories for family members and friends, as well as “in the moment” landscapes that I could look back on when my brain couldn’t seem to picture them anymore. It wasn’t until my first client after my decision to leave my career, that I had my light bulb moment… What if I did this as my full-time career?

My husband was my biggest supporter; “Find what brings you the most joy and put your heart into it.” he would always tell me, So I did. I opened up Three Ten Studios, LLC and began my life as a full-time Photographer – capturing every raw and beautiful moment.

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?

My name is Kimberly Johnson and I am a lifestyle Photographer with Three Ten Studios. I am a firm believer that every image tells a story, not just forced smiles staring into the lens of a camera. No, I believe in showing the raw beauty behind every moment. Those contagious laughs, those playful moments with your children, spouse, or even your best friend, those tears of joy that you shed from a bittersweet moment; that you only see from your perspective – turned into a lifetime memory, hung up on your wall or placed as the background of your phone screen – so that every time you look at it, it brings the biggest smile to your face. Those are the moments I strive for.

I came here from a long journey of trying to find what makes me happy. I have found that creating these moments that you look back on for the rest of your life, that is what bring me the most joy. Being able to provide you with a service that you will not only have for the rest of your life, but had so much fun doing in the process. I am absolutely that Photographer that cheers you on, smile by smile.

I want my clients to know that they can trust me, and feel comfortable with me enough to let loose, and be YOU.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My cofounder and business partner is my wonderful husband, Aaron Johnson, who constantly pushes me to keep going – to never give up. Aaron is my co-shooter when it comes to big events, like weddings. He also runs my marketing department and handles all of our product photography clients.

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

The Photography market in Southwest Michigan is huge! What helped me build my reputation was word of mouth. While social media plays a huge part in helping me build my follower base; it was my clients who put my name out there that helped me the most. I, to this day, still get butterflies in my stomach when I receive an email saying “You did so and so’s photos and they were absolutely adorable! Can I book you?” — and it melts my heart knowing that I am making my clients excited to show their photos. Another small tidbit that has helped me build my reputation is business cards. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve taken my daughter to the park and met future clients. Keeping business cards on hand is essential.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.threetenstudios.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/threetenstudios
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/threetenstudios

Image Credits
Three Ten Studios