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

Alright, Melany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is there a lesson you learned in school that’s stuck with you and has meaningfully impacted your journey?

From the time I was 8 years old until I was 18, I participated in 4-H in El Paso County. I absolutely loved every aspect of 4-H and it taught me so many life skills. Some of the skills it taught me included hard work, responsibility, public speaking, respect and more. I started out showing sheep when I was 8 and soon after fell in love with showing cattle and participating in cake decorating. Each morning we (my sisters and I) had to get up early to make sure our chores were done before we headed off to school then, in the evenings we also had to be home for chores and to halter break our animals to get them ready for the fair. My dads rule was that if our animals were not halter broke before fair came around, then we would be unable to show and sell our animals at the fair so, I always worked super hard to make sure that my animals were “show ready”. By the time I got to the fair, my cattle were so tame that you could lay on them!! I raised these animals with much love and care!! At the end of each fair, I had to sell the steer that I raised at the market auction. The money I would raise from that sale would go towards buying grain for the following year and I would also put some in savings to be used for college. It got to the point that I loved raising my cattle so much that we started breeding and building our own herd so it became a full time job of taking care and raising animals. My favorite times were the opportunities that I had to watch lambs and calves be born! Nothing is more beautiful than watching a new life come into this world, whether it is an animal or a human. It is truly a miracle and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to experience that as a child. I also held the offices of secretary, vice president and president of my 4-H club throughout the years which built up my public speaking skills. Being responsible and working hard were probably the best life skills that 4-H could have taught me. It taught me that you have to work hard for what you want but to never give up on your dreams. Make goals and run after them!!

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?

My name is Melany McKnight and I am the owner of Melany McKnight Photography. I have been in business since October of 2017 and dabbled in photography as a hobby for many years before that. I had a love for photography as a child and it just always stuck with me. I specialize in family and senior photography, but love photographing other events like small intimate weddings and newborns when I have the chance. I love being able to photograph my clients year after year for all of their life milestones and watching their children grow along the way. It is such a beautiful thing to build relationships and trust with clients that will last a lifetime! My clients are not just clients, they are friends and I wouldn’t want it any other way! I am the mother to two wonderful children, Kaylie is 17 and Tanner is 14. I have been married to my hubby, Jeremy for 19 years. We met while I was a senior in high school and got married a year after I graduated. My passions are photography, cows, traveling and just being with my family! I am a small town country girl that loves Jesus!! Without the Lord guiding and directing me I would not be where I am today!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I would have to say that social media and word-of-mouth have been the most effective strategy for me in building my clientele. I am not big on spending money for advertising especially since we have so many free options nowadays with social media. I really only use one platform of social media for my advertising and that is Facebook. I have tried using other social media platforms and they just don’t seem to work for me as well but I definitely think that each business and business owner needs to find what works for them. Everyone is different so what works for me, might not work for others.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is the relationships that I get to build with my clients. I love that so many of my clients have turned into friends. I also love that I have the opportunity to provide them with beautiful portraits of their families. This is so important to me, because portraits tell a story of their family for generations to come! When someone passes from this life, all that is left behind are those portraits and the beautiful memories they hold. That is why I do what I do!!

Contact Info:

• Website: MelanyMcKnightPhotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/melanymcknightphotography?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanyMcKnightPhotography

Image Credits
Life Photography by Melissa Melany McKnight Photography