We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Tesvich recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I had always loved photography, I was always finding myself snapping photos here and there of family members, friends, or travels on my iPhone. Instagram was my travel blog. My husband surprised me with my first real DSLR camera in 2018 before we took a trip to Italy, and that is when I realized I really wanted to pursue photography full time. I came home from that trip with a memory card full of landscape photos, overflowing with ideas, and without a single clue as to how to make those ideas come to life. I barely knew how to work manual settings on my camera, I only had kit lenses, and YouTube had taught me everything I knew up to this point…which wasn’t much at all.

1 week after returning from the trip, one of my favorite photographers posted on instagram about a creative workshop she was hosting in Arizona in a couple of months, several speakers that would be there were very well-known photographers that I looked up to and I felt like it was just fate…I felt like I had to go. I remember my heart skipping a beat reading over this workshop information as I fumbled around and frantically typed my credit card information in to leave a deposit. Purchase complete, my spot was secured! I sat in my living room on the couch and immediately started to panic, why did I purchase that? I immediately began to doubt myself. I had never taken photos of couples before, I had never flown alone before, I could barely work my camera! Internal panic set in and I became obsessed with learning my camera as much as I possibly could over the next few weeks leading up to this workshop. Youtube was my best friend, I shot anyone and everyone who would let me, and over those weeks I felt like I was actually ready to do this.

I remember being dropped off at the airport, I was a nervous wreck on the verge of tears and I almost talked myself out of going completely. I was willing to take the loss on the investment and just stay home but my husband told me if I didn’t go I would regret it forever, and he was right. That gentle nudge in the right direction was just what I needed to get myself on that plane headed to Arizona and that is where my photography career would begin, I just didn’t know it yet.

I spent the next 3 days staying in a house with 20+ strangers from instagram, definitely out of my comfort zone, where we learned one another through sharing stories and experiences, we pushed each other creatively through different photography methods and I realized I was the only person attending this workshop that had never photographed couples before. I was also the only one there that only had kit lenses and not a clue what that even really meant lol but they welcomed me with open arms, I left there with friends that I still talk to on the daily and it was truly the most beautiful weekend of my life. That kick-started my love for photographing couples, telling a story through images that evoked a sense of intimacy and emotion. I left Arizona with a fire in my heart and I was determined to start a business as soon as I got home.

The first 6-8 months were hard, I received a good bit of judgement from some friends and family that I really thought were more supportive than they turned out to be, through those months I put out model call after model call and more times than I can even count, I was rejected. To offer photos for free and still not secure models was pretty discouraging. I kept my nose to the ground and pushed forward, I attended more workshops, pushed myself creatively in trying new techniques, I upgraded my gear so my image quality would improve. I never gave up, with the support of my close friends and of course my husband and family, I kept believing that I could turn this dream into a reality and eventually I started getting inquiries for photo sessions. It started small, newborns and families…A few couples sprinkled in, those few couples turned into my first wedding and I felt like I had really made it! Fast forward 2 years later and I had my first 6 figure year, I couldn’t believe it. I had turned this hobby into a full-time career that was supporting my family. Now I not only have the privilege of being a full time wedding and elopement photographer, I am able to travel to so many beautiful places for work where I meet the most incredible couples and they trust me wholeheartedly to tell their story unlike anyone else. I also mentor beginner photographers, try to be the person I wish I had when I just started out. It is so rewarding how this entire journey has come full circle.

The hardest part about owning your own business, especially in the creative field is that no-one makes you get up and clock in, self discipline every single morning is what keeps your business growing because no-one is going to do it for you. There are going to be countless people who cast judgement on the “creative field” in general. Ignoring it and proving them wrong is the best advice I could give anyone. If you want to successfully make your dream a reality you are solely responsible for all of the long sleepless nights, business backend paperwork, you are the one to blame if things go wrong and you are the one to pat on the back when things go right. It has been the hardest, yet most rewarding 4 years of my life and I do not take a single day of this career for granted.

I wholeheartedly believe anyone can make their dream a reality, it is a huge risk and it feels crippling at the start of any huge risk, but with enough discipline and determination you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to.

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

My name is Taylor Tesvich and I am a photographer located in Woodstock, GA focusing primarily on weddings and elopements but I also dabble in a good bit of family and lifestyle photography as well. I am 30 years old, born and raised in Alabama but have been loving my time here in Georgia for about 7 years now! I am married to a wonderful man named Blaise who is nothing short of a perfect human, without his support I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have a tiny human named Laekyn who calls me mama, she is almost 10 years old and every bit of my motivation to wake up every day and show her that she can make all of her wildest dreams come true with a little bit of support and a whole lot of heart!

I am a hopeless romantic at heart, big poetry lover and I try to integrate my inspiration from poetry into my photography. My mission statement being “Images that feel like poetry” will likely never change no matter what season of growth comes my way just because I wholeheartedly believe that as long as I can evoke emotion through imagery the way poetry evokes emotion through vocabulary, I am serving my purpose here. I would consider my work to be intimate and warm with hints of vintage charm throughout. I love a good black and white with some grain added in.

I believe I can find a friend in anyone, I love connecting with people and finding common ground. When working with clients I believe this really helps establish a trusting relationship because I allow for the space to feel comfortable like we are already old friends catching up, I often times have clients tell me that when we shoot it feels like we were just all hanging out and nothing felt forced. That is my main goal, capturing the organic moments in a way that feels inspiring.

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

I believe there are so many rewarding elements to being an artist, I am always reflecting on how lucky I am to meet so many unique people and tell their story through different chapters of their lives through imagery. I am often reminded “the weight of the work” when I realize that my photos, images that I took with my creative vision and carefully edited with my two hands will be passed down for generations and generations to come. Long after I am gone, these images will remain as tangible evidence of someones legacy. I have always wanted to feel like I had a sense of “purpose” and through photography I really believe that my purpose has been fulfilled by documenting these beautiful stories and knowing that my art will exist long after my human life comes to an end.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media can be such a light sometimes, I have found some of my very best friends through social media along with such. strong support system in the photo community. I would say my best advice for someone looking to build an audience is to ignore the following count, you can purchase followers and put so much time and effort into growing that number on your feed but at the end of the day finding your ideal client and catering to your ideal audience by being your authentic self on social media is what will pay off in the long run. Share your favorite songs from time to time, share snippets of life that you enjoy. Everything doesn’t have to be perfectly curated and fall perfectly in line with business, your clients should be able to see you as a real person too. I believe I have grown my social media by staying true to myself, not falling victim to every single trend that comes and goes, and showcasing my personality as much as I can. Everyone has a “special sauce” you just have to find the right people who appreciate that special sauce. Those people will appreciate you and hype you up because they see the value in who you are as a person too, not only the work you provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taytesvichphoto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/taytesvichphoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/taylortesvichphotography

Image Credits
Images taken by me