We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Simmons recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kelly, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
In 2009 I moved from Indiana to South Carolina, and was doing everything I could to start and establish my business in an area saturated with wedding and portrait photographers. In 2010, I booked my calendar with every wedding and portrait session that came my way. I didn’t leave any time for myself, because I thought this would be the only way to get a foothold in the local industry, having moved here only a year prior. I was also booking weddings in my home state of Delaware and my college town in Indiana, which involved driving 9-14hours each way for a weekend trip around these weddings. I completely burnt out and thought of quitting. I actually thought of pursuing a completely different career path in the Culinary Arts, because cooking has also always been a passion of mine, and I spent over a year barely touching my camera.
In 2012, my daughter was born and while being a mom is one of the best jobs I could ever imagine, I realized that I was missing the passion and creativity that came from my wedding and portrait photography work, and I knew I really needed to get back into it. I started slow by offering discounted mini sessions to build that client base back, then moved on from there. I made sure to only schedule sessions that I wanted, rather than just accepting any request, meaning I scheduled couples’ portraits, family sessions, and weddings, but turned away the boudoir and newborn sessions, which aren’t really my specialty. There will never be a “perfect” job or career that ticks ever box, but for me, this is the closest I could imagine coming.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a wedding and portrait photographer based in the Charleston, SC area. I specialize in a more photojournalistic style of photography, where I do my best to capture the moment as it happens, rather than lots of posing and setting up “the perfect shot.” I do my best to form an actual connection with my clients, rather than just coming, taking their photos, and leaving at the end. I really feel like this helps me capture the most real and wonderful images of my clients where they are as comfortable as it is possible to be!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I feel the skill that has helped me the most in my job is that I originally planned to be a sports photojournalist. When learning how to photograph sports, I had to be patient but also remain watchful, and grab the shot just at the right moment. Even with sports I didn’t know much about, I did learn to anticipate the action and was able to catch some great photos! I have carried this with me into my wedding and portrait photography, and thoroughly feel that my candid photos are some of my best work!
During high school, college, and beyond, I worked part time in Food and Bev or in Retail. Although the skills I learned in both of those places can’t be exactly mirrored in photography, the customer service side of it has definitely helped me in my work. I truly believe that everyone, in any career path or walk of life, should work a customer-facing job at some point. It helps you learn how to interact with customers and clients, as well as how to anticipate needs and fill them, rather than having to wait to be told that something needs to be done. You also gain a certain amount of people skills in these types of jobs, and can communicate with clients so much better than if you’d never been trained on this sort of work.
Finally, (and I am not sure if this would count as a skill) I would have to say the combination of being my mother’s child and a mother myself has caused me to be that person that is always prepared. My bag has anything I could possibly need and more for a session. My car is packed full of everything from legit emergency supplies to deodorant and toothbrushes, so I am always prepared. I am a firm believer that if I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, I will never end up in a situation that I am unable to remedy! I have used my emergency kits when zippers have broken, buttons have popped, hair has fallen from an updo, and makeup has gotten on a dress. These things can cause immense stress to the person dealing with it, and if I can calmly help out with a quick fix, everything can run smoothly!
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
This is definitely a difficult question, but I think it is one everyone has to answer for themselves. I have always been someone who wants to be well-rounded. I want to be very good at what I do, but I have always feared that putting myself in a box would limit me and I wouldn’t be able to let my creativity grow and shine. I have worked with some amazing wedding and portrait photographers, who have helped me to grow and learn in so many ways, and I put the most effort into growing my knowledge there, as that is my main job. That being said, I have worked for car dealerships photographing cars, I have worked in sports, and in product photography. Each of those has taught me new skills and techniques that can be applied to my weddings. I also work in the graphic design field, where I use my photographer’s eye to create dynamic designs. I do believe that the primary focus as far as learning and growing should be within the field that a person is strong and passionate in, but learning additional skills can help develop those strengths in ways the person may never have anticipated!
Contact Info:
- Website: pbkpix.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/pbkpix
- Facebook: facebook.com/pbkpix
Image Credits
Photos By Kelly Runaway Photographer
