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

Alright, Patrice thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I can always remember having creative calling from a very young age. Whether it was poetry, drawing/calligraphy, or dance. Art was always a part of my life, but not something that I necessarily leaned into. I attended undergrad at Winston-Salem State University and I moved to the Atlanta area shortly after for grad school at Life University. Upon receiving my master’s degree – it was time to begin my career. Along the way, my family lost a jewel in our family. My Nana was such a sweet spirit and was so proud of all of her grandchildren, but as much as I loved her – we did not have one recent picture together. I was crushed to not have those memories with her in an image that I could cherish.

This led me to push for photos of our family as much as possible – and the start of my photography journey. I found any and every reason to document memories with the people I love the most as I realized you can never have too many memories captured. Fast forward to my first DSLR camera investment and being behind the lens felt so organic and natural. From then on, I haven’t looked back!

The name Pearl’s Lens Photography (P. Lens Photography) pays homage to my Nana. Whom I’d like to think would have more of our family photos all over her living room right now if she could.

The emotions of starting a service-based business was a scary road. It filled me with doubt and comparison to other creatives that were already established in the industry, but I knew that I wanted to offer a style of photography that was not easy to find in the Black community. My style of photography is an emotion-led documentary style but also very detail oriented. Because there are so few Black photographers in the area that offer my specific style of photography, I knew I could succeed with the right tools and determination.

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

I grew up in Charlotte, NC born and raised (a rarity in 2023) and I’ve only been away from the city to attend college. I was called to photography in 2020 during the pandemic while I was 6 months pregnant with my first child. At the time I wanted to allow myself to create images that made time stand still for a moment in my own family. I loved unposed, emotion-filled photography and I wanted to capture every detail of my family. Once I purchased my first DSLR camera, I instantly knew it was more than just a hobby or project.

From there, I took a leap of faith into learning and investing what I could into photography and exploring different niches of photography. Currently I offer family, couples, maternity, branding, events, and wedding photography. I create a relaxed, safe space for my clients. Most people don’t feel that comfortable in front of the camera – that’s where I come in. My goal is to create images are true to the client which means that every single session is personalized – from location & poses all the way down to styling recommendations.

I’m mostly proud of how I make clients feel during their session and after they receive their images. Photography is something that allows us all to slow down and make time stand still in a really fast world. I want them to remember how they felt at that time more than anything. Whether its remembering how their infant smells as they held them close for a pose, the excitement they felt after just getting married to their soulmate, or how proud they were of themselves for starting the business everyone doubted. I’m here to capture every single raw moment of your session to look back on and remanence.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When starting out as a creative, it is very easy to compare your art to the next photographer. It’s easy to ask “Am I good enough?” And in the beginning of my journey I constantly questioned my abilities as a photographer. Imposter syndrome is a real thing and I felt that even more as a woman-owned & minority-owned business. I believe that if I had let my guard down in the very beginning of my journey I would have jumpstarted my entrepreneurial career even faster. Once I let go of the internal struggle against myself I started to see my photography skills and confidence skyrocket to new levels. While I still have times that I struggle, I have unlearned the feeling of being an imposter and gained the ability to realize that I’m so passionate about my creative journey that I am constantly criticizing my own work and striving to be better every single day. Once I changed that perspective, I became much more confident in my photography skills and have increased my own learning curve in my creative abilities.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Professionalism has been the driving force for growing and maintaining clientele. Working full-time in the corporate world quickly served a purpose in my business as it allowed me to communicate and organize effectively. Since day one I’ve always treated my business and clients with value – no matter how much or little someone invested. It can be very easy to cut corners or slack when owning your own business, but I’ve always treated clients how I want to be treated when services are being rendered. This has allowed me to have repeat clients and also easily refer me to their families and friends. Social media is also helpful, but not always ideal as a one-woman show and can be easily overwhelming. My clients and the people they refer me to know that they can expect the best professional experience when booking services with me and I’m proud that I’m able to provide that.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.plensphotography.com
• Instagram: @P.lensphotography
• Facebook: P. Lens Photography

Image Credits
Patrice Squirewell (P. Lens Photography)