Meet Kimberly Teebagy

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberly Teebagy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is everywhere and it’s something that pretty much every human has felt at least one time in their lives, and most of us have felt it many more. Growing up in a small town I didn’t see many “successful” people, not to say people were not successful in their own ways, more so that people were content with taking a job as a waitress or working in a mill for their entire lives and just settled. I always knew I wanted to be three things when I grew up, I wanted to be happily married, I wanted to be a mother and I wanted to be a photographer.

I met my husband when we were both 21, I was in the “finding myself” stage and didn’t really know where I was headed at the time. He on the other hand had already graduated college and had been working a full time job since the end of his junior year. He grew up with a successful father and an amazing stay at home mother. He was the one that helped me understand how the world works and that I could get everything I dreamed of. We married at age 23 and had our two children soon after. I was 2/3rds of the way to having everything I ever wanted. The last step was to become a photographer. My husband was 100% behind me and I enrolled in a course through the New York Institute of Photography. It took me about 2 years between the course and practice, but I was ready to start charging and begin my journey as a professional photographer.

The first several photoshoots that I charged for I completely felt like a fraud. I was so nervous I couldn’t get my settings right, my lighting was off, there was just so much that I didn’t feel like I had control over. But with time it got a bit easier, I started getting more and more shots I could keep and present to the client. Then I started shooting outside, previously I was only indoors with studio lighting, now I had to learn all over how to compose and light a portrait. Again I felt like the world’s biggest imposter, I couldn’t figure out why anyone would actually pay me when I had no idea what I was doing. The funny thing was that even though I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing, I was taking amazing pictures, and my clients were happy.

It’s been almost 20 years now that I’ve been a professional photographer. I don’t do it as often as I used to, now I typically only shoot high school and college seniors. I found that they were my favorite, it is always exciting to capture someone right before they start the next big chapter of their lives. I won’t lie and say I never feel like an imposter anymore, because there are definitely days that I do, but I remember an executive of a major company once telling me that everyone feels like a fraud from time to time and that always makes me feel better. I think the term “fake it until you make it” is something we all need to hear once in a while. It’s funny how things usually seem to work out just fine in the end. We are all human and living this life for the very first time.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My company is Studio 860 Photography, I used to live in Connecticut and 860 is the area code. My favorite people to photograph are high school and college seniors as they are about to start a new journey. I’ve always been a portrait photographer and think that is what I will stay with until I decide to retire from photography. I am thinking of spending more time with headshot photography as I think a good headshot can make someone feel confident when looking for a new job or to help promote their own brand. I like the connection I can have when shooting one person at a time vs a family.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Spending the time to really learn a skill I feel is very important. Truly having an understanding of what you want to do or accomplish ahead of time will save lots of time trying to fix mistakes in the future.

2. Writing things down when brainstorming new ideas. I always say if you are trying something new or trying to come up with a new idea to write everything down, even the ideas that seem dumb. It’s easier to look at things on paper than to try to sort through them all in your head.

3. Have confidence, even if you are faking it. Listen to podcasts and read books on how to be confident if needed, confidence will always help you get ahead in life.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I would have to say my husband, Steve has been the person who has helped me overcome challenges and has taught me skills to help me be successful. He is in a sales role and works from home, I often overhear him on the phone with clients and I am always amazed at how good he is at developing relationships and not just being the “sales” guy. It has shown me how important relationships are in someone’s career and you never know if someone you talked to at a party 5 years ago will become your newest client this year. Listening to people and not always be about the job is a great quality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studio860photography.com
• Instagram: Studio860Photography

Image Credits

Studio 860 Photography