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

Lindsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

I have been working from home my entire career as a photographer, so about the last five years. Recently, I felt like I was having a hard time focusing or feeling motivated while working from home. My clients were great, my personal life was great, I was happy with the work I was creating, etc. Unable to pinpoint the issue, I decide to talk with a friend who also works from home. She mentioned that yes, working from home is a huge privilege filled with flexibility and comfort, but it is helpful to acknowledge that there are challenges as well. There is power in simply saying, “This is hard to balance sometimes!”

While I am extremely thankful that my job allows for so much flexibility in scheduling, I’ve had to set boundaries for myself to remain productive, frankly. My level of motivation for editing photos and posting on social media rarely is related to my level of excitement about a project. Instead, I’ve found that my work motivation is most affected by household chores, general responsibilities, and the not-so-simple battle of keeping things from distracting me from my work.

On my most-productive work days, there is balance. Time set aside to start my day for a walk around our neighborhood and breakfast with my husband. A few minutes (but not too many minutes) to tidy the house, because I can’t be expected work in messy conditions, right? Chunks of work time punctuated with breaks. Actual breaks–not scrolling. Time for cooking a nutritious lunch. Time for a phone call or visit with a friend, because spending the entire day alone can get a little bleak sometimes. Another break to read a few pages of a book. And more chunks of work time before ending the work day.

When I have evening photoshoots or weddings, I have to remind myself not to work “overtime.” I give myself vacation time. I let myself be sick. I can afford to do those things because I have incredible clients who see me as a human and give me space to rest when needed.

Practically, these things have helped me succeed while working from home: scheduling work and time off; planning out daily, weekly, and monthly goals; and recognizing that this whole work from home thing is beautiful yet complicated.

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 a wedding, family, and lifestyle photographer based in western Kentucky. I’ve been interested in the preservation of memories for years, and I think it all started with scrapbooking family vacations in middle school. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a photographer, but there’s a part of me that’s always been a little entrepreneurial. When I graduated college in 2018, I bought a decent camera, and friends and family asked me if I could take photos for them. With that, I accidentally started freelance photography work, which has grown into my full-time job today. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that my clients pay me to do something I love for a living.

My degree is in journalism, which helped me discover the type of photography I wanted to pursue. My favorite work is documentary style, whether that is during a wedding while the bride finishes her makeup or at a family’s home while making cookies. It’s not about fanfare, and it’s not about the “perfect” photo. Sure, we can throw in some fake laughs, but real life and real emotions are what I’m ultimately after. The authentic capturing of memories is a gift I feel honored to give my clients.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Gosh, social media is the hardest part of my job. One of the best decisions I ever made was to separate my personal and professional profiles, that way only people who are interested in my business follow me. In the beginning, my page grew through friends sharing my page, and I’ve found that doing a giveaway about once a year helps to grow my audience. For last year’s giveaway, I asked past clients to share a photo I’ve taken of them for an extra entry. This increased the number of people who saw my page, plus it helped me reconnect with clients I hadn’t talked with in a few years.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Creating art for a living is still unbelievable to me. Specifically with photography though, clients have to trust me to capture them. My creation of art is dependent on the client letting me into their life. Just like in journalism, the source has to trust the journalist to share their true story. I’ve found that if a client of mine can show who they really are, and I can use photography to artfully tell their story, preserving it for generations to come, that is the most rewarding thing I could ever do.

Contact Info:

• Website: lindseymorganphotography.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsphotoco
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lindsphotoco

Image Credits
Headshot by Abby Kyle