We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roshawn Lyles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Roshawn , thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

For the last 20 years, I walked the path of a professional recording artist under the name **Kwiet Storm**—an R&B boy band born from the streets of Harvey, IL, a suburb of Chicago. During those years, I had the honor of releasing a music video on **106 & Park, BET, and MTV**, touring nationwide, and dropping our signature album *In the Midst of the Storm*. Later, we signed with **JPat Records**, the label of Usher’s mom. When the group eventually parted ways, I kept moving forward in the creative space.

That’s when God placed a new gift in my hands. What started with just a **cell phone camera** quickly grew—capturing three weddings and sparking a passion that transformed into a business: **RLylesVision**.

Since 2016, RLylesVision has evolved into a full production company, curating **luxury, high-fashion, portrait, and lifestyle imagery**. From a single lens to a household name, my journey is proof that creativity never dies—it just transforms.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started using my cell phone just as a hobby, shooting everything and everyone in sight for free. After creating a passion for imagery, a free of my suggested I should invest in a camera to get better results and get paid like a content creator. So I did. Bought my first camera, Canon T6I with a kit lens. Over a years time, I master the camera, felt good about leaving my job at T-Mobile to procure photography as a business. I Created a team, sign up for a LLC and put my boots in the ground running.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

As photographers, many of us start out leaning only on our talent—without truly understanding the business side of the craft. For me, those first three years were a grind. I was “the guy,” hustling shoots, but burning through money just as fast. I wasn’t saving, and I definitely didn’t understand the power of making my money work for me.

Eventually, I hit a breaking point. I was close to losing everything—my home, my wife, and even my focus. That’s when I realized I needed structure. I needed a new goal.

So I hired a mentor, and that decision changed everything. She taught me the concept of working backwards—starting with the vision of where I wanted to be and then building step by step toward it. He showed me how to identify my true target audience and how to position myself so that they saw me as valuable.

From there, I took action. I built a professional website on Wix. I tripled my prices—positioning my services above the local noise. I designed premium packages, added new services, and shifted my brand from being “just a photographer” to a full-service production company.

That mindset shift not only saved me—it transformed RLylesVision into the luxury, household name it is today.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn but still learning today was, you can’t take everyone with you as you are scaling. Not everyone is ment to grow with you or even want you to win. Some people are in your way or can be a distraction. You have to ask God everyday for clarity. It’s ok to let people and old habits go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.rlylesvision.com
• Instagram: Rlylesvision
• Facebook: Rlylesvision
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rlylesvision
• Other: https://youtu.be/74Euty0AUVM?si=idh1MTSXyfh-vesp

Image Credits

Photography by RLylesvision
Edits by RLylesvision

Models:
Brittany
Blake
Shana
Jessica
Kelly
Mariana
Allies
Bri