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

Stephanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In the midst of the pandemic, I quit my full-time job to chase after my dreams. That is the BIGGEST risk I have ever taken, but also the most rewarding.

In January 2021, I decided I had finally had enough of my corporate job. I was exhausted, underappreciated, overworked, and just fed up.
Leading up to leaving, my therapist and I had come up with a foolproof plan to leave and never look back. We talked about why I was so scared to leave, what would happen if I failed in my business after quitting my job, and what kind of income I needed to survive without a normal job… all of these things had been answered and a plan was plotted. Even then, I was still terrified. Leaving a job that offers security in terms of income is gut-wrenching. That is the one thing that kept me there for so long.

Then, one day, I was doing a session for a friend who specializes in taxes for small businesses and she asked me “so… why haven’t you quit your job yet?” And of course, my response was “the financial security….”. to which she asked me another question, “how many sessions would you need to do every week to make the same amount of money you make at your job?” “2 sessions”, I said. And that is when it clicked. All I needed to do was book 2 sessions a week to make the equivalent to what I was making at work. TWO sessions! Or 1 wedding a month.

When I realized that was all I needed to do to put myself in a position to be successful, I put in my 2 weeks the very next day.

It’s now been just over a year since I left my 9-5, and it has been the best year I could have asked for. Things are going well, business is growing steadily, and my happiness has increased significantly. I love being able to work for myself, make my own rules, and do what I love.

Stephanie, 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?

I am a traveling wedding and elopement photographer based in sunny Arizona. Funny enough, I never had any intentions of photographing weddings, EVER!

I originally went to college in Colorado for Commercial and Editorial photography, with the hopes that I’d some day work in the fashion industry, or photograph campaigns for magazines like Vogue.
In the long run, Art school didn’t work out, so I dropped out and moved on. I still did some portrait work here and there because I loved it so much, but I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in with photography.

Fast forward to 2019, when I officially started my business. I was starting to work with clients more regularly, had people asking me about doing their weddings, and things like that. At this point I had only photographed 2 weddings for family friends of my parents and wasn’t really set on strictly working with couples.

Then the pandemic happens. I get furloughed from my job and my only choice was to really push forward in my business, so that’s what I did. I started marketing on social media like crazy, hosting styled shoots, getting to know other photographers in my area, just doing everything I could to get a foot in the door.

Amazingly enough, the work paid off and I was finally able to quit my 9-5 in January of 2021, something I had dreamed of doing for many years.

Now, I work in my business full time, working mostly with couples. Weddings and elopements are truly where my hear lies now because I get to photograph people on one of the happiest, love filled days in their life. And I get to help them remember it forever. That’s why I do this.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Instagram. I would say about 80% of my clients come from instagram. And while I do not want to be a content creator, learning new ways of reaching potential clients has been a fun and rewarding experience. Instagram puts me out of my comfort zone, but it is the main source of my bookings, so I will continue to learn and use the platform in order to keep growing.

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

Hands down, being myself in front of my clients. Whether that be in person, on social media, or on client calls. You are your business and showing your authentic self is going to help build rapport with your current client as well as future clients. Social media is probably where it starts most of the time. People will follow me on social media for some time before they inquire and I love that because it allows them to get to know me and decide if I am the right photographer for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: luxeandcophoto.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/luxeandcophotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luxeandco.photography

Image Credits
Luxe & Co. Photography