We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Koury recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Samantha, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
Wanting to leave this world better than the day before has been the motto as I’m getting older. I’ve learned that I have the ability to teach others about the importance of different causes that need help & watch how just one post, one share, one text can start a chain reaction and turn a bad situation into something better. My generosity comes down to the generosity shown by so many people who have supported my business as a client, friendship, family, etc. I’ve witnesses such strength and community to help raise funds, advocate for, and educate people about animal rescue – I currently foster rescue puppies from Aruba through an organization New Life For Paws Foundation.
As a business owner, I want to go beyond just “business.” Having a platform to share about a passion is something I’ll never take for created & I really love to create ways to get creative with donations – offering photo mini sessions and donating 50% of the proceeds to organizations, or using album sales profits to donate, etc. And every single time, people 👏🏻 show 👏🏻 up. Sometimes it is as simple as people just don’t know where to start or where to look when they want to do something good in the world, and I’ve always admired those who use their opportunities to lead for the better & tried to do the same.
I’m so so grateful at how kind humans can be & can’t wait to continue putting in the effort where there are no voices.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a wedding & elopement photographer based in the beautiful state of Massachusetts – located on Cape Cod near the ocean where I find the most peace after a long wedding weekend! While I specialize in photographing intimate and destination weddings (and love a good backyard celebration), I’m truly inspired by couples that want to plan untraditional weddings, and break the mold of what’s expected of them. This job lights me up as every weekend is a new couple, new wedding day, and new chance to tell a love story!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The ability to make mistakes – truly the best way I’ve learned how to be a good business owner is by screwing up here and there. From things they don’t teach you in business school, to small errors on the admin side, it’s bound to happen. But I know that the mistakes I have made are ones I’ll never make again and for that I’m very grateful to have learned.
Setting boundaries and saying no – for most people pleasers out there, we never want to disappoint people. But to keep your sanity and bandwidth from stretching too thin, learn how to kindly step away from a client or project that does not serve you! Just like you may not be the right service provider/product/business for someone, it’s a two way street and they might not be right for you too and that’s okay!
Separating business from personal life – I can’t stress enough the importance of being able to turn off/on one vs the other here. Just because you might operate one way in your personal world doesn’t mean you always need to be the same in your business world and vice versa. Go ahead and have different values, different communication, etc. it’s what sets you apart!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I would LOVE to connect with more couples that have already planned and had their weddings to join a podcast series I’d like to launch and talk about all things wedding expectations. I’ve seen the industry shift dramatically (mainly due to TikTok here) about what brides and grooms expect their wedding to look like and to feel like, the disappointment, the obstacles, etc. People totally glamorize one very perfect side of wedding planning but there’s a huge lack of communication of the reality of it. I’d like to talk through these topics with couples that have been through the process and are willing to share their experiences to help other brides & grooms plan their upcoming celebrations with intent!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://samanthamphoto.com/
- Instagram: @samanthamphoto
