We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kimberly Marsh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kimberly below.

Kimberly, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I believe my entire life has a pretty common theme of taking risks. I left home at a very young age and took the risk of raising myself and surviving on my own. I became a young teenage mom and had to take the risk of figuring out how to not only support myself but also taking care of a baby. As life progressed I started over so many times it seemed like I would never get ahead yet I’ve had the most amazing ability to always figure it out. Taking risks made it where I always had to figure out what to do next. I had to get super creative at times to figure out how to make money and how to survive.
It wasn’t until I was 40 and had the opportunity to go to photography school that I took the risk a few years later to quit my “day job” and go out on my own to make it happen. At this point of my life I am married and have 4 kids. 3 of them still living at home and my oldest already grown and in the military.
When I chose to quit working a regular 9-5 job it was a super scary time but I knew if I wasn’t all in that photography would always just be a side thing and I would never make very much money with it. This risk turned out to be one of the best decisions ever.
I am now 10 years into my business. I have a super amazing studio right on the main downtown street where I live. I have the most amazing clients that don’t just use me once but I have lasting relationships with. I have been published in numerous magazines as well as winning many awards.
If I wouldn’t have taken the risk to not just go to photography school in my 40’s but also quit my 9-5 I never would be where I am now. I love my job. I love coming to work every day. I love being able to play and get super creative where I can offer insanely epic images to my clients.
Many people stay in their comfort zone and are afraid to step out to try something new. I think I am one of those weird people who need to keep pushing the boundaries or it seems life gets stagnant. I am not content unless I’m taking those risks to push myself even harder to be something more. To do something more. To be something more.

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 am a creative portrait photographer that specializes in personal branding photography. I love to be super creative to give my clients images that are not like anyone else’s. My images are used to support the main brands for many businesses within my town. I have a program where I work closely with business owners to give them the images they need to stand out from their competition. I like to say that I provide the images to make people famous. I think the major thing that sets me apart is the ability to capture the soul of who someone is. I truly want to spend time getting to know my clients so when we shoot they trust me to put their wall down and really let me capture them. Anyone can snap a photograph these days. I don’t want to be that anyone. I want the relationship. I want the trust. One of my favorite times was when I photographed a high school senior and I captured her laughing that was so natural that her mom ordered a huge canvas of it because she said she can hear her laugh. The daughter was going away for school and she wanted to be able to hear her laugh every day. That image did it for her. These are the memories I want to provide.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think many business owners had to pivot during covid. Weddings cancelled. Prom photos cancelled. Senior photos cancelled. Everything cancelled. It was another one of those times where I had to get creative and take a risk to come up with something or I would lose my studio and business like so many others did. It was at this moment that I created my personal branding program. I saw that so many businesses had to now depend on social media and their websites to be seen since stores were closed. Well, what better way to be seen than to have amazing images?
The program is a monthly subscription where I shoot with them every month and give them a gallery of images where they always have something to post. When the world sits and scrolls social media all the time people get numb to the same cell phone images but when a really good image pops up they stop and go back to see what it was. This gave my clients the upper edge to stand out and not lose their business. We all grew over 300% in 2020 when others closed their doors.
The world is locking down again financially and people are scared to spend. This is when I say that it’s the time to get out there even more. If your competitors are backing down, step out! Get out there and be seen. Let me photograph you, your business, your brand, you life and get you the business everyone else is leaving on the table.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Honestly the main thing that drives me is being able to show people how amazing they really are. There is nothing more rewarding than showing a mom the woman their husband fell in love with. Showing an insecure teenager how beautiful they really are. I love to show people what I see by bringing out the passion within them in every shot. Turning the camera around and showing someone the image gives someone the confidence they didn’t know they had. That is really my favorite part.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimberlymarshphotography.com
• Instagram: kimberlymarshphotography
• Facebook: Kimberlymarshphotography