Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kylie Farmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kylie , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge to profitability in the photography industry, in my opinion, is more of an idea and less of a tangible thing. Being a profitable small business of any kind takes on various challenges, but for photography specifically, I think it’s the idea that in order to be successful, your product has to be liked by everyone who sees it. But, just like with any other art form, you have to find your audience with photography. You have to be comfortable with having your art disliked and criticized, and you have to be okay with the fact that you will be undercut in this industry by those who are willing to sacrifice their energy and time for the bare minimum. The trick, is not letting it get to you.

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 first picked up a camera and decided to try photography as a way to cope with losing my dad suddenly. My husband and I had recently moved to Arkansas where he was stationed with the Air Force. My dad passed one week after we moved, and I quickly found myself spiraling into a depressive state. I hadn’t found a job in our new area yet, and I didn’t know anyone locally or have any friends there. I purchased my camera before we moved to Arkansas with the idea of taking photos on our travels. Little did I know how big of an impact that purchase would make on my life.

I practiced family portraits on our neighbors at the time (shout to the Gordon’s from Cabot for always being down for my ideas), and I spent every waking moment thinking about photography and ways to improve (not much has changed there). A few months later, I got a job working as a social worker and photography was put on the back burner until about 3 months later when I was asked to take photos of the military families in front of the C-130 aircraft at Little Rock Air Force Base for a fundraiser event.

I just want to stop right here and say that aside from my impulse of actually buying my camera, taking photos on the flight line is what I credit as the start of my photography career. Brittany Boccher, thank you for asking me to be a part of that! You helped launch my career and you didn’t even know it at the time (to be fair, neither did I).

After those photos, I had loads of military families ask me to do yearly family portraits and voila – KFP was born.

I did my first wedding two years later after swearing that I would never go near wedding photography, and now, I’m a six figure business – after taxes – and I travel the country (with a few international trips sprinkled in) photographing the most amazing couples and seeing the most incredible places up close and personal.

When I’m not traveling, I’m spending time with my husband (who also picked up the tricks of the trade) and my dog. We own private land in the countryside in West Virginia, where we reside full-time.

My specialty has transformed from families to large southern weddings to most recently, intimate destination events. I am more confident and proud of my art now, more than ever before. I still have a few goals I’d like to achieve, but I’ve always said that if I were to quit tomorrow, I’d do so with a heart so full it could bust.

To this date, I am most proud that I built this business from the ground up. I don’t have a degree in business. I don’t have a degree in photography, and in fact, I was never the artsy friend in school. I never really felt like I knew where I belonged until photography entered the chat. It took me three years to have my first six-figure year, and I’ve been blessed enough to have the same every year since.

It would have been impossible without the support of my husband. He’s the one who first encouraged me to buy that Nikon D3300 in Best Buy that day, and he’s the one who continues to help me evolve and adapt to the changes that the industry can bring. He’s never, not once, caged my spirit or stopped me from reaching my full potential.

Trevor, I sure do love you and mean it when I say that I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you my love.

The number one thing that I’d like readers to know is that running a small business, while no easy venture, has been so very rewarding in more ways than one. I have met the absolute coolest people and traveled to places that only existed in my dreams. I’ve lived a comfortable life while simultaneously waking up with a purpose every single day. If the younger me could see where I ended up, life might not’ve seemed so bad in the moment.

My point? Follow your dreams. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Always be the hardest worker in the room, and I promise that the reward will be worth it. Give it all you’ve got, and never ever look back. Compete with yourself and yourself only, and lastly, don’t take a single second of it for granted.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Consistency and showing up for my clients is what I feel helped build my reputation in the photography industry. Being the one that other photographers can come to with questions, while simultaneously staying consistent in the effort that I put into my business. Of course, we all have have bad days, but you will never regret being good to somebody and showing up for those around you.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I know I’m supposed to say SEO, but honestly, Instagram has been the best source of new clients for me. I’m as busy as I want to be, and I get to enjoy social media without it feeling like a part of the job.

My second biggest source would have to be blog posts that I’ve done and/or blogs that I’ve been featured on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kyliefarmer.com
• Instagram: @kyliefarmerphotography
• Facebook: Kylie Farmer Photography
• Other: Tik tok – @kyliefarmerphotography

Image Credits

All images are mine!