We were lucky to catch up with Peyton Coursey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Peyton, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I started photographing my American Girl Dolls back in elementary school with a little point-and-shoot camera. This evolved to me wanting to take photos of anything and everything, all the time. My grandmother bought me my first “real camera” when I was in fifth grade and I continued to take pictures of landscapes and nature. I kind of lost my passion for it throughout middle school but when I began high school I started attending a local youth group. As part of this youth group they had “teams” and I decided to join the Creative Team and use my previous photography skills to take pictures at church. This is when my spark came back on for photography. As I continued to take pictures there, I started taking family portraits of people I knew really well. In April of 2021, I decided that I should turn my passion into a business and that’s when Peyton Elizabeth Photography was born. It started off really slow and I had many doubts about making this into something official. With lots of practice and lots of Youtube videos I really began to perfect my craft and started booking clients I didn’t previously know. It was very rewarding knowing people saw my work on social media, without even knowing me, and wanted ME to capture their special moments. That’s when I knew what I was doing was worthwhile. Another thing that led me to clarify that this was the right decision was when I was able to purchase my first professional camera and lens!

Peyton, 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?

My name is Peyton and I’ve lived in Savannah my entire life. I started my photography business in my junior year of high school! I’m currently a college student studying Agriculture Communications. I previously mentioned how I got into this industry and it really roots from me wanting to turn my passion into a business that serves all people. I’m mainly a portrait photographer (families, couples, seniors, engagements, etc) but I do dabble in the wedding photography world every once in a while. I think what sets me apart is that I am really for my clients, I want to build a personal relationship with them and be their friend! I think this really helps with people being more comfortable in front of the camera when they somewhat know the face behind it! I also love to incorporate what my clients really want. I want them to send me their ideas, Pinterest board, old photos they want to re-create, whatever it may be! I also like to be really transparent with my whole business and process that way clients build a sense of trust with me. I make sure my pricing is clearly outlined on my website, check in with my clients about a final price before we book their session, and also ensure they know about how long it will take me to get there photos too them!

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

Word of mouth! I know it sounds so cliche but word of mouth really helps. I always make sure to put my cards in local businesses I trust, as well as always carrying my business cards with me because you really never know who you’ll meet and where you might need them. I also give them to my family members and past clients in case they run into someone looking for a photographer. Social media is nice and all but you really have to just hope the right people scroll past your page or find you through a hashtag.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love getting to see my clients so in love with pictures of themselves. I know in today’s world many people struggle with body image and self-confidence. But it is my job to make you feel your best and comfortable capturing those moments. I get tons of replies back from my clients about how they truly love the way they look in photos or that they haven’t liked a photo of themselves in years till now. Compliments like that and just true genuine feelings being shared with me make my job extremely rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: peytonelizabethphoto.com
• Instagram: @peytonelizabethphotography
• Facebook: Peyton Elizabeth Photography

Image Credits
Myself, Peyton Coursey