We recently connected with Stacey Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Stacey, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is my personal Project 52. Where I try to take out my camera every week and take personal, meaningful photos. A lot of these ended up being photos of my daughter and her everyday life at home. It was an endeavor that I started to be more in touch with the whole reason I started my photography business. To document beautiful memories that will be cherished by families for years to come. Allowing myself to slow down at home, savor the sweetness, and more creatively capture these moments has helped me better do this in my work as well. With little ones you can’t force emotions, so letting the genuine moments naturally happen is often the best approach.

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

My name is Stacey Smith, and I’m a newborn, family and brand photographer with a very relaxed and natural approach to photography. I started taking photography classes in high school, and then attended DAAP at the University of Cincinnati with a major in graphic communication design. I loved my photography courses, but didn’t really start my photography career until after my niece was born. Watching her grow so quickly and documenting the special moments in her life became so important. I kept investing in education, and eventually started PicSmith. With my graphic design background I have a uniquely creative eye for brand photography, but I also use this in newborn and family sessions too. I like to provide my clients with all the help they need in planning for their session, providing outfit and preparation guides so that they can come to me feeling completely relaxed and ready to have fun. I’m here to help every step of the way. I’m honestly touched when people share with me how much they cherish not just their photos, but also the time they got to spend in front of my lens spending time with their loved ones. I truly put my heart into each session and I spend so much time smiling at my computer screen while editing. It is the best job in the world..

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

Social Media is a big part of my marketing. I try to consistently show up, because my job is very intimate. I often get to meet babies, before all of their family members even have, and I get to grow with many families year after year. In the start of my business, I thought you had to post everything, and shoot every type of session and it should look like the content that is already out there. I went through a bit of a “Light and Airy” phase with my images, but it never felt true to the emotions I wanted to convey in my artwork. I started allowing more color and more depth with light and shadows and started to share more of my own life. If people were going to share their lives with me, I wanted to do the same with them. I also dabbled in wedding photography, which is a lot of fun, but very time consuming. There’s a lot more planning and time that goes into just one wedding and it felt if I were going to go down the path of wedding photography I should truly dedicate myself to just that. I felt myself more naturally drawn to the smaller intimate moments in people’s lives so I’m focusing on documenting those beautiful moments instead.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

For me Instagram and Facebook are where I focus my marketing. Through tags and shares I’ve seen a lot of growth in clientele. But the best way to grow my business has been creating a great overall experience for my clients. Referrals are really the best way to get more clients and get my name out there. Hearing from people you love and trust about a great experience is always reassuring when you’re searching for a service that requires an intimate relationship like photography. Trying to keep my website and social media platforms updated, as well as my Google business page also lets potential clients know that they’re reaching out to someone who works hard and genuinely cares about the work I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.PicSmithPhotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/picsmith.photography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/picsmith.stacey/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-kurzhals-smith

Image Credits
Stacey Smith, PicSmith