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

Lexie, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Trial and error. I’m a very hands-on learner so taking classes and workshops on both specific and general skills has been helpful for me. I’ve taken several courses on film photography where I’ve literally spun the film onto the reel, mixed the chemicals, developed it by hand, then used enlargers to produce the image onto photo paper and developed those by hand. These processes are so time consuming and very different than the quick and digital age we live in now, but it really made me reset my mindset when it comes to taking images with my DSLR. For a while, I got really caught up in the “aesthetic” of my images and how they looked in comparison to other photographers. I walked down the path of being overly concerned about what my audience wanted, which is important, but I was letting it run how I crafted my images. Being able to dial into how to properly shoot and edit my digital images with the same time and care I did my film really made me rethink my business. Everyone’s creative approach is different, and I became confident in owning my vision and process and if it didn’t align with a client’s, that way okay with me.

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

My name is Alexis Knight, but I go by Lexie. Fun fact: my photography business name is my full name’s initials and my business was founded in 2015 while I was in high school. My photography teacher actually encouraged me to take the first step in putting my images out there since I was shooting so much for my school’s yearbook as the Editor in Chief.

When I went away to college at Missouri State University, I actually didn’t study photography, but majored in Organizational Communications and minoring in Creative Writing. I took several photography classes during my college career, but honestly during college my business sat on the back burner. I got into event coordination and digital marketing which was my first job out of college. From there, I became a freelancer in all things creative and took the opportunity to shoot anything possible. My original love of photography came from shooting landscapes with my point-and-shoot. From there, I dabbled in everything from portraits to events to commercial to sports. Each is so different in their approach and craft that I’m openly willing to tackle any challenge.

I feel my brand differs from others because I want to give my clients exactly what they want. I work to create what I call “pre performance packages” where I present my vision to my clients while including all the details they shared with me to ensure we’re on the same page. I’m very visual, as I stated before, so I like to create mood/aesthetic boards before shoots for inspiration.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn automatic settings. What I mean by that is I became too heavily reliant on the auto settings on my camera and editing software. Sometimes I would just chose those settings because I would get anxious about getting the perfect shot and hope for the best by depending on auto. I wasn’t against shooting manual, I just didn’t know where to start learning how to properly. Once I got some guidance and instruction from those who have shot waaay more than I have, I realized taking the time to test lighting and angles was worth all the while. I became more confident in telling clients to give me just a second to adjust, and I learned how to quickly pivot on the spot. These skills not only improved my images, but made me a better photographer all the way around.

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.

Creative careers take time. No one person’s creative career timeline is the same as another, and sometimes patience is key to get where you want to go. To be successful in creative fields, I’ve learned you have to be patient and open to always learning new things. There’s always going to be someone who’s better than you at your work. Instead of self-sabotaging and comparing, use it as a learning opportunity and ask questions. Once you get answers to your questions, sometimes that requires a little more research – and that’s okay. Don’t feel guilty about not knowing what you don’t know, just be resilient in tackling those new challenges.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arkimagesphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkimagesphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexisRKnight