We recently connected with Krystina Elder and have shared our conversation below.

Krystina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I have been working since I was 14. I started at a dollar store and I have been working ever since. But I didn’t start my own business until I was 31 years old. The last job I had I worked for a large national bank. Prior to that I was a Certified Nursing Assistant going to school for my registered nursing license, as well as a call center, a retail store and I was even the assistant to Patty Duke for about a year and a half. In that 16 year time period, I also went to college for fashion and journalism and had my daughter. I have never graduated college, and I never advanced in my career in any of the jobs that I had. When I started my business, I wasn’t thinking about starting a business. I was frankly helping a dear friend that needed a wedding photographer for free. Things took off from there and I often found myself wondering what things would have been like for me if I didn’t pay to not graduate college, or continue working in jobs where I was never going to have the opportunity to advance. Sometimes I think ‘I’m an idiot… what was I thinking… I should have started years ago.’ But on that thought, I think that my experiences in the work force, college, and becoming a mother where someone depends on me 100% to provide them their most basic as well as complex needs, I don’t know that I would have had the drive or ability to succeed. My experiences molded and prepared me to start a business and not give up when things aren’t easy.

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

In 2020, a dear friend of mine was getting married. She didn’t have a photographer and was not going to hire one. Pictures have always been so important to me. Not necessarily being in pictures, but having the ability to look back at something as it truly was and to have the opportunity to remember. I offered to my friend to take pictures with my iPhone. I figured that was better than nothing at all. My husband’s grandfather heard about what I was going to be doing and offered to let me use his DSLR Nikon camera for the event. That was it, I was a photographer from there on out. I photograph anything and everything from weddings to birthday parties, celebration of life events to senior photos and everything in between. I think what sets me apart from my fellow photographers is that I’m not necessarily a specialist in one type of photography, but an artist with a unique perspective and I am able to capture how I see my clients into my images.

The thing I am most proud of that came from my photography business is the “goodbye for now” sessions I offer to families who are going to lose a pet. I do not ever charge for those and I am able to offer anyone who wants it, a professional quality memory of them with their non human family members before they pass.

I want my clients to know that every session is personal for me. I invest my heart into the work I do for my clients because they are more than clients to me.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I have found that social media has been the most efficient way to reach new clients. Almost everyone uses social media so even through word of mouth via social media has brought me the most new clients.

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

I’ve been told to “be consistent” with social media. And while I think that is fantastic advise, I noticed when I put content out just to have content, it takes away the personal care aspect that you get from my business. The whole experience around my business is that it is not a “one size fits all” kind of service. Every session is personal and different than another. So I have been the most successful by showing a little of that personal experience with each session that I share on social media. Rather than getting a lot of content, you get an inside feel for all of my content, even if I don’t have as much to share.

Contact Info:

• Website: KrysEphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krysephotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krysephotography

Image Credits
KrysE Photography