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

Kristina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

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How has Covid changed your business model?

When I think about the pandemic as a whole, my heart first and foremost, breaks for those who lost a loved one, suffered great financial loss, and have an experience during covid quite the opposite of mine. I was living in Key West at the time, and working as a host at Boondocks Grille and Draft House..the massive tiki-golf course in the keys, if you’ve ever been. I credit a lot of my success in the early stages to my former manager, Chad Helmke who believed in my future before I did, truthfully. Just shortly before the world began to shut down, I had more support and opportunities photography wise thrown into my direction that put me in the place I needed to be for March 2020. From capturing new featured drinks to headshots, creative concepts, music, I was so blessed to dip my toes in the water in the very thing id be so on fire for, come 2023. Losing my job for 3+ months gave me the opportunity to start Kristina Bremer Photography from scratch, and dive into the roots of starting a business. I spent hours a day launching my first website with the few non-paid shoots id ever done, learning web design, building contracts, watching YouTube videos on posing, editing, and client experience. The ONLY reason I was able to do this was because I had the time. I firmly believe there is a time to work on your business, and a time to work in your business. -I was more than blessed with the time I spent at home or the beach, dreaming up a future for myself. The lockdown was just the beginning for me.

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?

Coastal (the aesthetic I want you to see). Candid. (How I want you to feel when working with me) Creative. (Ill take care of that)

I was raised in front of the camera. My mom, when in college took a photography class for fun, and fell in love with the complexity of the darkroom. My entire life in some way is either documented on film, or prints. It was something I became very grateful for when I moved away from home for the first time, and all I had to remember my childhood was moments frozen in time that allowed the memories to come rushing back. My mom, to this day is the most resilient woman I know, and my number 1 supporter. She taught me everything I know on a Canon XSi in 2013. I remember running around my house taking pictures of plants, lizards, birds, forcing my younger siblings to model for me. Id spend hours editing every image differently, playing around in Lightroom, learning how to make basic adjustments. I wanted my instagram to look like a Pinterest board, and to this day, I have the same outlook now….that board just looks a little different these days.

Currently, I work with Couples, and Brands. I love capturing the love between you and your partner, as well as the dedication that’s gone into launching your business. My first couple I worked with was my friends back in the keys, I was just learning how to use my camera, and they allowed me to photograph them when I struggled with posing and getting that angle. The photos from that shoot are printed in their house to this day. Ive since photographed their first move, and their engagement, years later. Really proud moment for me. I want to educate small businesses how important brand photos are. Social Media is bigger than it ever has been, and is the storefront for many businesses. Branding photos can look like new headshots for staff, website photos, featured products, styled shoots, seasonal promotions, etc. My usual workflow for onboarding new clients is chatting their vision and hopping on Pinterest together and creating a board that inspires the ideas, and puts us both, aesthetically on the same page. I firmly believe this beginning stage is the most important when booking any photographer for anything. I want my couples, (or singles) to feel like we’re just hanging out, totally comfortable to be themselves like nobody’s watching. When you receive your gallery, I want you to cry happy tears, I want you to jump around the living room, I want you to download all the photos and make a long post on Facebook about how confident you are. I want the gallery to be sent in the group chat with your best friends so they can further hype you up for hours. I want you to love yourself, your business, your partner, everything that brought you to this moment.

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

My social media has gained its following first with family and friends. My closest friends were my biggest supporters in the beginning. Since, its come in a mix of fellow entrepreneurs, and clients. My advice for building the following-be consistent. I love making reels, and hopping on new trends. You never know who is going to see your social platforms and fall in love with your work.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Photography started as a hobby, like it does for many photographers. Some memorable moments were purchases of the big ticketed items of gear I need. I always use those upgrade moments as the ones that mean taking a new step or new direction. I moved to Saint Petersburg in 2022, and began working at a photography studio in Tampa, where I learned everything I could’ve ever wanted to learn on operating a studio, and manipulating lights, backdrops, client communication, etc. To this day, that job was the biggest stepping stone into what was next. It allowed me to put many of the skills id learned in the pandemic, to real time use. I was able to begin friendships with other photographers and value the community aspect of being a creative. I knew, however, that it was time to say goodbye to that position when my bookings for my personal business was giving me more opportunities than shifts working for someone else. While it was sad to leave something that had taken me so far, it had to happen to be where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kristinabremerphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinabremerphoto/