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

Kristin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It all started after one of our own family photoshoots. I’d spent so much time obsessing over what we should all wear—hours of scrolling, over-ordering, returning, second-guessing—and when it was all said and done, sure, the photos were beautiful… but the process? Way harder than it needed to be.

After that shoot, I remember thinking, There’s no way I’m the only mom dealing with this. So I started a blog—just a simple space to share what I was learning and maybe help some other families avoid the same late-night outfit spirals.

At first, I looked for existing advice on styling specifically for photoshoots—and honestly, there wasn’t much out there. So I went deeper. I started playing with color theory, seasonal color analysis, and color psychology—especially how those principles apply to photography. I studied editing styles, lighting, skin undertones, how certain fabrics moved on camera, how to create palettes that worked for both real people and the final photos. I was crafting styling formulas from scratch—just trying them out on my own family. I didn’t know it yet, but I was building a system.

Then after our second family photoshoot, everything shifted. Our photographer, Kimberly Minor, saw our outfits and the blog, and reached out: “Would you style some of my clients?” I was nervous—I hadn’t done it professionally before—but I said yes. That was the start. I became a Photoshoot Stylist, eventually got certified as a Color Analyst, and started putting my system to the test with real clients.

Styling those first few families gave me the chance to see everything I’d been working on come to life. And it worked—across different photographers, editing styles, locations, and people. It was repeatable. It was intuitive. And it took so much pressure off the clients.

From there, it all grew. I created tools for photographers—plug-and-play style guides, templates, even an app—so they could offer the same polished experience to their clients without spending hours figuring it out themselves. Everything I’d developed—color palettes, color stories, styling workflows, coordination formulas—all rooted in color theory, seasonal analysis, and real-world experience—got built into systems that work on autopilot.

But what still gets me most excited isn’t just that it works. It’s knowing I get to help families walk away with photos they actually love. I get to take the stress off photographers who are incredible behind the camera but aren’t sure how to guide clients on what to wear. I get to be a small part of helping someone capture this season of their life—and feel good about it.

I’ve always had a deep love for family photoshoots and the stories they freeze in time. When I look back at ours, I’m not just happy we did them—I’m happy we did them right. That’s what drives me. I want other families to feel that way, too. Because I know how much effort, money, time (and let’s be honest—convincing) goes into making them happen. And if I can make that process easier—and the results even better—that’s everything to me.

Kristin, 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?

I’m a wife, mom of three, and a Photoshoot Stylist and Certified Color Analyst. I help families and photographers take the guesswork out of what to wear for photoshoots by combining color theory, seasonal color analysis, and styling strategies created specifically for the camera. My work blends the science of color and creative styling with practical, proven systems to make the entire process easier and more enjoyable—for both families and photographers.

Everything I offer is rooted in real-world experience styling hundreds of photoshoots and designed to meet the unique needs of photography sessions. From one-on-one color analysis and photoshoot styling to digital guides, templates, and full styling workflows, my goal is to simplify the process while still delivering beautiful, cohesive results.

The product I’m most proud of is my styling app, Mood Board Magic. It brings all the pieces together—custom palettes, outfit coordination, and visual planning—and turns what used to take hours into a streamlined, elevated client experience. It helps photographers style their clients faster and more effectively, which means more families walk away with photos they truly love—and absolutely need every single picture from their session. For me, that’s the ultimate goal: helping preserve meaningful moments that will be passed down for generations.

Coming soon, I’m launching a new shop that brings the color analysis side of my work to life in a fresh, modern way. It’s designed to help people discover their best colors for photoshoots—and beyond—using tools that are new to the industry and easy to use. It’s an exciting next step that bridges personal style, confidence, and camera-ready color in a whole new way.

At its core, everything I create is about helping people feel beautiful, confident, and seen in their photos—and giving photographers the tools to offer that kind of transformation without all the heavy lifting.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had a few major pivots in my life—and every one of them has shaped what I do today.

I started out in School Psychology, and I loved it. I really thought I’d found my forever career. It was fulfilling, people-centered, and totally in my zone. But then I had kids—and everything shifted. Not in a dramatic, everything-must-change kind of way… more like a natural, this is where I need to be right now shift. I chose to stay home, and I genuinely loved that season. It gave me space, perspective, and—surprisingly—a creative spark I had forgotten about.

That led to the next pivot: from full-time mom to blogger. I started sharing what I was learning through our own family photoshoots—how to choose color palettes, coordinate outfits, and make the whole process less overwhelming. It wasn’t some big strategy; I was just figuring things out and sharing what was working, hoping it helped someone else too. I just couldn’t stop blogging about it and sharing what I was learning.

Pretty quickly, blogging turned into a business. Clients began reaching out, I started developing systems and services, and before I knew it, I was running a business from home. And with that came a whole new round of pivots—learning things I never expected to need: marketing, sales, content creation, digital products, app development, email funnels… the list goes on. I thought I was just learning how to style families for photoshoots—but I ended up learning how to build and run a business.

What I’ve learned is that pivoting isn’t about abandoning what you loved or getting it “wrong” the first time. It’s about responding to what’s needed right now. You make the best decision with what you know—and when something new shows up, you adjust.

Motherhood trained me for that. Kids grow and change constantly, and you have to roll with it (mostly without panicking). Business is exactly the same. It’s not always about following your original plan—it’s about recognizing when it’s time to shift, and being willing to go with it.

So yes, I’ve pivoted more than once. And I probably will again. But every turn has taught me something—and brought me closer to the work I was truly meant to do.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started building my audience on Instagram and, like a lot of people, I poured a lot of effort into that platform. Growth was slow—it took a ton of learning, planning, experimenting, and showing up consistently. As a mom of three, posting every single day wasn’t always realistic (especially in the summer when my house is full and I’m in full-on mom mode), but I did as much as I could and built a small following and people started reaching out to me in my DM’s.

Eventually, I realized I needed a more sustainable approach—something that could keep working for me even when I couldn’t be online all the time. So I went back to basics and focused on blogging and Pinterest instead.

I didn’t completely walk away from Instagram, but I shifted my energy. Blogging gave me space to go deeper, and Pinterest gave me visibility on a platform that’s search-based and long-lasting. It was a slower build at first, but it’s absolutely paid off. Pinterest now brings consistent traffic to my website, which leads to more email subscribers, more sales, and a steady stream of new people discovering my brand—worldwide! When I check my stats, I’m amazed at how many countries are tuning into my blog.

And surprisingly, that’s also helped my social media grow in the background—without having to rely on constant content output to keep momentum going.

I used to think blogging was dead. I was wrong. It’s alive and well—and it’s working.

My advice? Focus on creating content that can live longer than 24 hours. Don’t feel like you have to keep up with every trend to grow your audience. Build a system that works with your life, not against it. You’ll still show up, still connect, still serve your audience—but without burning out trying to do all the things, all the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kristincruz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekristincruz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KristinCruzPhotoshootStylist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-cruz-photoshootstylist/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thekristincruz
• Other: Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@itskristincruz?lang=en

Image Credits

Lucki Malloy Photography