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

Kirsten, appreciate you joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I’ve always been drawn to color and light–I notice different color combinations, I can study art at modern art museums for hours, and I find and watch light reflections wherever I’m at. I was THAT kid who would set up my M&M’s in interesting ways and photograph them using harsh flash or set up little monochromatic scenes in my room with all my trinkets with my little Canon point-and-shoot. It wasn’t until I was in a still life photography class in college, though, that I realized I could combine those things into something real, like a real adult career. For me, these had always just been fun silly things I was drawn to, so realizing there was more potential there was reallllllllllly exciting! But of course, there’s a lot more to starting a business than just enjoying the fun, creative side of it, so it took a while to build my experience and confidence to a place where I was ready to take the leap.

After graduating, I worked a couple different in house jobs over the next 3.5 years while I worked with clients on the side. It was a great chapter for learning a lot more about the business side, how to keep everything organized, and how to work with different types of creatives. I definitely cycled through burnout, too, though, as I would work with my freelance clients. I’d get so excited to have something FUN to work on , so I’d dive into the full process–do all the pre-production, get the shoot set up for a weekend, and then edit on all nights and weekends necessary to get the work done on time. It was such a double edged sword, because I loved working with my clients, but working 2 jobs meant I had no work-life balance, and I’d get burned out FAST. After finishing a project, I wouldn’t reach out to new clients or do any marketing because I was so worn out, then eventually I’d miss it again and the next time an inquiry came through, the process would start all over again! It was a vicious cycle, but I wasn’t sure how to end it.

It wasn’t until I got into studio management I really even considered going full time into my own thing. That always seemed so SCARY and BIG and when it came down to it, I didn’t believe I could actually do it. But once I stopped shooting in my full time career, I realized how much I missed shooting and craved the creative work I loved. I ended up moving to a part time schedule at my management gig, and started working on all the foundation things needed to get moving. Although I had been a business for 3 years at this point, I had zero momentum, and very little know-how on how to find new client, how to keep everything organized, and how to ensure a great process for all my clients. It didn’t take long for me to lean into my business full-time, and I quit my job for real only 2 months after going part time!

I’ve now been in business full-time for an entire year (!!!!) and it has been so much fun. And so exhilarating. And so difficult. And so exhausting hahaha. I have learned SO MUCH this year, from how to run my business, to keep a positive mindset during slow season, to pitching myself to potential clients, to diving into social media strategy, to learning how to ask for and accept help. It can be overwhelming at some points to run a one woman show, but I feel so much more ME than I ever have, and a huge part of it is getting to work in what I’m passionate about! It truly has been the highest highs and lowest lows, which can definitely give me some whiplash on occasion (okay more like super regularly), but a great therapist, and an amazing support group keeps me going when I feel like it’s all too much. I’m learning to accept that I don’t have control in every aspect of my business, and to go with the flow more. It’s a daily process, but it’s getting easier! I have had SO many amazing experiences so far, I just keep looking to those as examples of what I can do!

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

Hi hi! I’m Kirsten, a still life beauty photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, working with badass beauty brands nationwide. I started from the bottom, photographing borrowed products in my basement, and now get to work with some of the most innovative beauty brands on the market!

I am a big fan of all things COLOR–the bolder, the better! I create imagery that stands out, and makes people stop their scroll and say, “wow!!” I believe a brand’s photos should be luxurious, exciting and NEW.

I value long term relationships, and see myself as a strategic content partner for my clients. Working this way allows me to supply my clients with consistent imagery to help their businesses through all sales, product launches, and campaigns that occur constantly! I absolutely love being a part of your growing business landmarks!

Kirsten Nicole Photography is all about creating an experience for my brands audiences that makes their product look their best, with imagery that POPS!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

PITCHING, hands down. I did a fantastic course last year, called Pitching With Confidence, from an amazing photography educator based in London named Olivia Bossert, and it has been one of the best investments for my business for SURE.

I quit my job last year and was suddenly full time, with a total of 1 client I wanted to keep working with. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement, I felt so much pressure of bringing money in to pay my rent, but wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Developing a pitching strategy over the summer included finding brands I wanted to reach out to, tracking everything in Notion, writing some pitching templates (that get personalized for every person), following up on the emails I send, and staying consistent with sending updates. It takes a lot of work, but it definitely has produced results for me–I ended last year with 10 total clients, with 4 of those that came from pitching. And one of those was my biggest invoice I’ve ever sent at 5 figures!!

I still use pitching in my business, combined with being consistent on social media, and that has been working for me to find enough work. Because I value long term relationships, I put a lot of work into the clients I already have to keep working with them, so I’m not always needing to look for new work. But it’s so valuable to be casting a wider net and meeting new creatives, so I think it’ll always be a part of my business structure!

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

There are so many things I love about running my business! I love the freedom I have in my day to day life to adjust work to my life, instead of the other way around. I love getting to collaborate with such talented creatives at so many fun and unique brands, not to mention all of the people I bring on to my team to create the work! It’s absolutely amazing to be in a creative mindset so much.

Above all, I think the most rewarding part is feeling the most tuned in to ME I’ve ever felt. It feels so great to lean into all the things I’ve always wanted to–I have pink hair, wear as much color as I want, get to creative problem solve and come up with new and interesting ideas for different brands all the time–I mean, how much better can I get than that?? I feel so lucky and excited to get to grow with brands!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.knicolephoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knicolephoto/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-leslie/

Image Credits
Personal Photo: SQH Photography Examples of work: Kirsten Nicole Photography