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

Mo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Risk taking is healthy – It’s part of a life well lived. I’ve taken risks all my life. Some measured and others dramatic. Moving from New York to Atlanta was a risk. I was 31 years old with a small child. We were so used to small apartment living–common in NYC–that we never noticed. I never learned to drive. ‘Cause in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan—the “concrete jungle,” few people have or even want a car. But I needed something different in life—a chance for change, growth, and it was a wonderful risk. I discovered so much about myself—I could expand my horizon, opening up to new ways of thinking and ways of navigating the world (literally, I had to learn how to drive, which was a frightening prospect at that age especially). Apologies to those for whom I caused driver frustration at the start; I promise I’ve become a confident, competent driver. I truly missed the energy of NYC, but learned I could slow down a little and enjoy my newly adopted “Hotlanta” the “City of Trees.” These are the things that taking a risk allowed me to realize.

I took measured risk and had created a life for myself–with a blended family that included a supportive husband and a very nice career in digital marketing for a large company. Corporate life was demanding and all-consuming, yet stable and fairly predictable. And again years later, I took another leap of faith – a chance to do something I truly love. I was offered the opportunity for early retirement and took it – that was a measured risk. I was too young to actually retire and live on my small savings (that’s crazy talk), yet I was too in touch with myself to deny that I didn’t want to go back to the demands of another corporate employer.

The dramatic risk this time was changing careers and starting my own creative business as a portrait photographer. I love taking photos of people, headshots for business and portraits for memories and wall art for homes. I enjoy having my own beautiful studio space to do it in too. I’m not going to say that it’s not a hard road, but I’ve learned enough about business over the years to turn this into a measured risk. I don’t plan on ever looking back!

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

I’m a professional photographer with a portrait and headshot studio in Alpharetta, GA. Once upon a time, I was an art student who enjoyed creating beautiful watercolor paintings. But as an adult, I found myself in the corporate world, eventually working as a marketing manager and managing editor for a fortune 100 company website. I gained invaluable experience in marketing strategies and developed a keen understanding of the importance of brand image. Though I enjoyed digital marketing strategy, I missed the creativity of art. That creativity has since reincarnated itself as a love of photography.

Today I use my marketing experience and training in professional photography in my own business. I offer corporate headshots and personal branding photo content as well as consumer portraits. There are times that a casual selfie or phone snapshot is enough for what you want to share on a social media feed. But having polished well-lit photos is important for media kits where my clients need photos at-the-ready for press releases, business events or marketing material. You probably don’t want some random photo of you that’s floating around on the internet to be used for your next speaking engagement. That’s when it’s time for some seriously branded and styled photos. That’s how my clients can control the narrative.

But I am truly excited and inspired by portrait work. It’s a creative outlet for me. I photograph a lot of women (some couples and families too). I offer professional hair styling and makeup, plus I have a studio wardrobe of dresses and gowns. I like to work with different types of lighting during my more creative sessions for interesting looks. Portrait work evokes emotion and communicates a feeling. I love creating something unique for my clients.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Starting out, photography was a hobby. I’m sure this is true for so many other photographers; I wanted to photograph everything! Babies, couples, weddings, events, nature, houses, random patterns, —whatever opportunity presented itself. I learned though that certain types of photography were more interesting to me than others and some were much more profitable than others.

To actually create a primary source of income for myself, I had to decide what I enjoyed photographing among the most profitable opportunities. Portraits and headshots won.

But during the height of Covid, jobs were few and far between. So, I had to pivot to what was available and that was real estate photography. I didn’t dislike real estate photography; it just wasn’t that profitable. I wouldn’t have been able to maintain a studio or survive for long financially without totally wearing myself out. Some of the homes were amazing. Seeing the insides was usually a treat and often generated creative ideas for capturing that beauty. But I’m also not a very outdoorsy type, so trudging along on huge properties fighting bugs or avoiding poop and snakes really wasn’t my thing. Hat’s off to real estate photographers for doing what they do!

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

Referrals are king.

The best thing I ever did to generate clients is join networking groups and learn how to “get myself out there.” I even took classes to find out the best way to make the most out of networking groups. Two things I learned were to only take on what you can handle – usually 3 groups, one of them being a closed network where you’re the only member within a business category. And be as active as possible – taking a leadership role or volunteering for things so that people start to see you, like you, trust you, and hopefully refer you. Definitely worth the effort.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.molimaphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molimaphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molimaphotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mo-lima-photography
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/molimaphotography/_created/

Image Credits
Mo Lima Photography, LLC