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

Kylie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

Prior to Covid, I was regularly working with larger crew sizes on sets, consisting of art directors, stylists, assistants, etc. Shoots during the Covid era required me and my clients to pivot – especially considering that most of my shoots take place in someone’s home. It was no longer an option to have a crew size of even 5 people.

As everyone began shifting to Zoom for remote work, so did I. I developed a system where I could connect my camera to my computer which I would then screen share over Zoom with my clients, consisting of remote art directors and stylists. All joining from different parts of the country.

Now in a “post-Covid” world (if we can even call it that yet), this system has remained instrumental for some of my clients. Allowing art directors, designers, or stylists to join remotely if they cannot travel in for a shoot.

This system also unlocked a new ability to screen share the shoot to multiple iPads on set, allowing multiple people to view the scene exactly as my camera sees it, which helps for shoots that require a large amount of detailed styling.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an architectural, interior + portrait photographer. I always consider myself very lucky in that I have always known what I wanted to do, which is photography. I developed an interest in photography at a young age playing around with my family’s digital camera, after several years of film photography classes and independent studies in high school it was cemented.

I’m beyond grateful to have a family and husband who could not have been more supportive of me. My parents, who despite being from the math/science community were always my biggest champions, especially as I moved to Southern California to a small private art school where I received my BFA.

Growing up I had also taken an interest in interior design, from designing intricate and detailed dollhouses, then creating virtual homes in The Sims, to going to countless model homes with my mom every year.

After graduating college, I was able to combine these interests by photographing stories for the “Open Home” feature in a local magazine. It felt like such a natural overlap of these interests. I then began working with luxury real estate companies, and home stagers which led to working with interior designers, architects, furniture designers, and editorial publications.

In 2020, I was fortunate enough to hire one of my closest friends, Tellico Shpall, who comes from the world of business and hospitality management. She helps out part-time as my studio director and assists in all things from client communication, to billing, scheduling, and even helping out on set from time to time. She knows her stuff when it comes to business operations and her hospitality background shines when she communicates with clients. Her presence in my business allows me to focus on the creative; I have learned so much from working with her over the past 4 years.

It’s such a privilege to work in this industry, especially as home design is becoming more popular and more accessible. I take such an interest in my clients’ projects and have learned so much from my clients that I am now able to apply as my husband and I renovate our own home. I am so passionate about the industry. My most common response when clients say that they love a photo I took is, “well, I have good subject matter.”

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Outside of photography, home design is something I have always been passionate about. I am fortunate enough to be renovating our 1977 mid-century time capsule home with my husband. It is so exciting and fulfilling to finally have the opportunity to have a home with such character, we are slowly and very intentionally updating it with mid-century design. We have, to our own surprise, grown very fond of the orange shag carpet.

As a photographer, I have frequently used websites like Peerspace + Home Studio List to rent out properties as backdrops for productions. It was the next logical step to list our own home on these platforms. Which has turned into a lucrative and very fun extension of my photography business.

It’s so exciting to share our carefully curated space with other creatives.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Turning a passion or a hobby into a full-time job is difficult. Don’t get me wrong, it is incredibly rewarding and I feel so lucky to have turned this into my career.

For me, it has been challenging to find a balance between photographing for my job and photographing for purely creative fulfillment. For so long I have had the mindset of monetizing my passion and it can be a hard cycle to break out of. Even finding joy and creative fulfillment in renovating our home has turned into monetization.

It is something I am still working on, and it comes down to carving out time in my schedule for me to indulge in purely creative projects where I can create with zero expectations of monetizing, or even portfolio building, purely creative exploration.

Contact Info:

• Website: kyliefitts.com
• Instagram: @kyliefitts and @that.70s.chateau

Image Credits
All photos are credited to myself, Kylie Fitts. The photo with the orange carpet and disco ball is our home (“That 70’s Chateau”) that we rent out for productions. :)