We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Powell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

I find that in most creative careers there can be a lot of gatekeeping. Photographers not wanting to share their locations, web designers not willing to share their resources. It’s almost like there’s this scarcity mindset when it comes to a lot of creative careers. While I fully understand creatives wanting to keep their work unique and valuable, because after all, that is how we make our living, I try and see things from a different perspective. An abundance mindset. I’ve always believed in community in every aspect of my life and it’s never been more important to me than when I became an entrepreneur in a creative field. No one person will run their business or execute a wedding day or a website design like I will. We could all have the same exact tools, gear, resources – no one has my special sauce. And I don’t have anyone else’s either. We are individuals. That’s what sets us apart. That being said, why not share with others who are just starting? Why not give someone a tip here and there on how you got the shot or how you developed the site? I firmly believe that the more that we are willing to share and learn and grow with others in our creative fields, the more we can all gain. More resources, more knowledge – it all results in better client experiences, repeat clients, and let’s be real, a better check.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is Stephanie but most of my clients and friends call me Steph. I am a wedding photographer and creative website designer based out of Savannah, Georgia. I suppose my journey with photography stems back to when I was a little 5 year old girl with a neon pink and green Barbie polaroid. I never left the house without it and was obsessed with capturing little moments with my family. Something about freezing a moment in time was so beyond special to me. I feel like since then I’ve pretty much always had a camera in my hand.

I started to take photography more seriously when I was a sophomore in college at the University of Georgia in 2015 – go dawgs! I began sharing some of my work (which at the time was just fun photos of my close friends and family) and a couple of my friends that were graduating asked me how much I charged for a grad session. I knew then, whoa, this could really become something. My career in photography really did start back then when I was charging near nothing and I wouldn’t change a thing. It started with grads and then led to a couple of weddings while I was still a full-time student studying photography and working a part-time job at a local clothing boutique.

“So where does website design come in?” The question I get the most. Upon graduating with my BFA in Photography from UGA, I truthfully didn’t know what was next for me. I loved working with my clients but knew that wasn’t enough to sustain a future for myself at the time. A job opportunity opened up at the corporate offices of the boutique I used to work at and its title was “E-Commerce Product Manager.” I didn’t know the first thing about e-commerce but I knew I was adaptable, a quick learner, and in desperate need of a job post-grad. So I took the leap, took the job, and started 3 days after graduation. My first project in this new role was re-designing the company’s website. They wanted something new, fresh, and intuitive. Having designed my own site for photography at the time, I had a very surface-level understanding of website platforms but I gave it my all and truly fell in love with the process of creating a special place on the internet for this company. I used those skills for about a year and a half at that company, while still photographing grads and couples on the weekends before I moved to Savannah to work for an interior design and branding agency.

Upon my move, I was only part-time at the branding agency, where I was both designing websites and doing photography. Since I was part-time, I had more time to allocate to my own business. I got back into weddings, started offering website design as a service, and continued to perfect my craft and really hone in on my photography and design style. In 2021, yep – smack in the middle of the pandemic, I finally took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship and I haven’t looked back. My approach to all aspects of my work is extremely collaborative, whether it’s one of my brides or another creative business owner, the goal is to work WITH them, not for them. At this stage in my business, my main offerings are weddings, couples sessions, and creative website design. And of course, college graduates because I wouldn’t be here without them.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Without a shadow of a doubt, social media can be extremely daunting. Experts telling you one thing while your creative business pals are telling you another. It can all be super overwhelming. A lot of creative business owners are focused on that follower count. We’ve all heard, “Oh well if I can just reach 10k on social media then I’ve made it.” I personally beg to differ.

While my audience on social media isn’t massive by any means, it is CONNECTED, which is far more valuable to me. My social media audience knows what’s going on in my life because I am authentic and show up as my true self on social media. Of course, as a creative, aesthetic, and perfectly composed photos matter and do wonders for my business, I am not saying they don’t. But I find that I truly connect with my audience when they see my messy bun and no-makeup face on stories chatting about my day and sharing what’s going on in my business and my life. Of course, there is a fine line and my goal is to always keep things professional AND personal. The way I look at it is this – people nowadays want to work with a person, not a business. So pulling back the curtain on who you are on social media can really allow you to connect on a deeper level with those following you. Best part is that there are tons of different ways to do it. Not everyone is a sit and talk to the camera kind of person. That being said, make your captions more personal and chat to your audience like you’re chatting with a friend. It definitely takes some getting used to and consistency but this has been really game changer for me in connecting with my audience on social.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A huge pivot point for me was when I finally decided to leave my corporate 9-5 job and somewhat take a step back and start working part-time at the branding agency here in Savannah. I went from having benefits, retirement savings, and a decent paycheck, to working a 1099 contractor job in a new city with no real clientele and part-time hours. Though I had visited Savannah a few times and had a couple of connections down here, I had nowhere near the amount I had back home in Athens and Atlanta. At this point in time, I was working hours on end trying to balance my new job at the agency while also trying to grow my name and make a community in my new city. Not to mention, this pivot point was right at the height of the pandemic. Once things started opening up again, I did free shoots to get more Savannah-based content, second shot a lot of weddings, and offered discounted design services to close friends to really amp up my portfolio. I would be lying if I said it was an easy time. But nothing worth having comes easy, right? By the end of 2020, I was close to matching my salary at my 9-5 job, with more of that income coming from my business than the agency. I loved my time at the branding agency so much and it was so hard to leave just a few months into 2021, but having their full support made the transition a little bit easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: stephpowellcreative.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephpowellcreative
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephpowellcreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stephpowellcreative

Image Credits
Photos and website designs are all by me – Steph Powell Creative.