We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Myra Kushon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Myra below.
Myra , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?
Heck yes! I absolutely think taking a step away from your business to recharge is a must! I’m just about to take a week off for a beach family vacation. The weeks leading up to this vacation have been full of to-dos and tying up loose ends, but I know it will allow me to be present on my trip. I’m a wife and mom of four and if I can’t take time off to spend time with my people, then I’m doing something wrong. I think taking time to enjoy the fruits of our labor is not only good for the soul but also necessary for our mental health. My advice would be to spend a little bit of time prepping your business for some time away and then unplug and enjoy!
Myra , 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?
When I graduated college I worked at a law firm and then for a legal recruiter. Then the 2008 recession hit and I ended up getting laid-off and taking a job as a nanny for 4 kids in the DC area. While I was working for that family my husband gifted me with my first DSLR, a Canon Rebel. That was the beginning of my photography journey. I began reading all the photography blogs, signing up for online courses and taking pictures of everything, including the family I worked for at the time. From there things evolved, I had my first child, became a stay at home mom and started my photography business.
I am now a lifestyle family photographer back in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. I focus on capturing the connections of sweet families and taking children’s portraits.
Often times parents will leave a session, apologize for the chaos and then go home feeling like we probably didn’t get anything even though I know and assure them we got the job done. It’s always a great feeling when I send them their gallery of beautiful images. My favorite and most rewarding thing to hear is when they tell me that I captured their children’s personalities perfectly! I love that.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I was first starting out I dabbled in many different areas of photography. I have done weddings, real estate, birthday parties…and so on. When my second child was about 9 months old he spiked a fever and even though all I wanted to do was be home with him, I had to go photograph an all day wedding. After that wedding I realized that that if I had to choose between photographing weddings or my caring for my sick kid, it was an easy decision. I no longer photograph weddings because it just doesn’t fit into my ideal family life, even though they were fun. I quickly realized that the beauty of owning my own photography business is that I get to decide what works best for my family, which is my top priority.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
I work in a few local preschools doing school portraits. This has been a recent development for me in the past few years and I absolutely love it. It has given me the opportunity to meet new a lot of new families and get in front of my ideal clientele. I have had teachers from the school’s hire me for their family photos after seeing how I interact with the preschoolers. It’s been really fun to see a lot of familiar faces around the community. I would also say word of mouth has been really helpful!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kushon.com
- Instagram: @myrakushonphotography
- Facebook: @myrakushonphotography
- Youtube: @myrakushonphotography
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Kellie Rochelle Photography