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

Kyra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on would be my Detroit project. I was 13 years old when I moved from Detroit to Lawton Oklahoma. Life was so different for me because Detroit was always home. It was where both sides of my family lived, my friends, my memories, everything. It wasn’t until my paternal grandmother’s passing called me back home. I was able to be reunited with family, and it was a foreign feeling being back as a young adult. A few years later my uncle’s health was declining, and I had to go back home with my mother to handle business with her. I packed my camera with me and traveled from South Carolina to Detroit. I explored parts of the city that we were too poor to indulge in. My mother was my tour guide, she knew everything. She took me to landmarks that was near and dear to our family, like my great grandmothers house that the gentrification stole from her. I walked around the city alone while she handled business, and I just started shooting, taking it all in, knowing that the city will continue to change, just like it did when I was 13 leaving what I knew. It was so meaningful to me because I was able to see this city as an adult and it made me realize that I survived the hardships of it. It helped me to understand that this city made me into the woman I am today, and the generations before me is the reason why I am standing here, proud of this city. Detroit is a diamond in the rough, and people should never forget that.

Kyra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So much as changed since the last time I introduced myself. I am a Detroit native who calls Columbia South Carolina her second home. I am a child of God, visual story teller, wife, aunt, daughter, sister, and a lover of life. I am also a birth and postpartum doula and I am a first year Clinical Counseling grad student. I have been a freelance photographer for almost 4 years as a part time profession, but I have been perfecting my craft for almost 20 years. I have been combining my photography and doula services for less than a year and being apart of the doula community has been so rewarding. The services that I provide for my clients help the need of support and advocacy in medical settings, and documenting milestones that they can cherish for a lifetime. I am most proud of the people and families that trust me enough to help them accomplish their birth goals and to bring their visions to life. I want my future clients to know that I fight hard for what’s right, and I am attentive when it comes to the needs of the people that I serve, that is a guarantee.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes. 2022 was a hard year of transitioning and learning how to properly grieve. It was a year where a lot of things did not make sense to me anymore and I had to make two choices, one: to focus on my mental health, school, and family, and two: take a break from trying to push myself so much. That break resulted in me stepping away from photography as a whole, and that was a hard decision. I was making pretty good money and connecting with clients, but I felt empty. In 2023 I began to get back on my feet but I still felt empty every time I picked up my camera and I didn’t know why. It wasn’t until I realized that my life shifted and I wasn’t living in the moment when it came to my art. I was so focused on building a clientele and making money that I forgot why I fell in love with photography in the first place. When I picked up my first National Geographic book when I was 6 years old, the moment when I got my very first digital camera, I loved the art, the expression of photography. This pivot resulted in this new journey of film photography, which forces me to take my time, and also into birth photography where it’s not about me, but about the story of my clients. I was reminded how much I love being behind the scenes. What people made negative God revealed a gift of not being in the forefront. I love what I do and I think that I found where I am supposed to be…enjoying the art of photography.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think that non-creatives struggle to understand that this journey as a creative is very draining and hard on your mental health. It’s hard to sometimes balance the art and the business, and one always seems to overshadow the other during the many seasons of life. For me, it’s not about the money, it’s about the art, the details, the connections. These things make an impact, and money should not be at the forefront although it’s important. In my personal opinion I would hope that non-creatives will be more understanding on why our price tags are the way they are and not bash us for it. The amount of effort, time, and money we put into producing art for everyone should be seen as valuable.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lnk.bio/kayledwell
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by.kayledwell/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyra-ledwell-20849776/

Image Credits
photo credits by Kyra (Kay) Ledwell