November 2022 Q&A

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Q: How do you balance being an entrepreneur with family life?

A: I’m not sure I’m great at this, because I end up working a lot of hours. Currently, I schedule time off (hours out of the day) and days off (vacations) to focus on family. Many times, I end up trying my best to blend the two together. My husband works with me a lot, and sometimes we bring my daughter along on “work trips”.

Q: What are your biggest concerns as a business owner today?

A: Soli Deo gloria… My chief concern is glorifying God. Am I being obedient to Him? Am I honoring Him? As a business owner, I try to stay focused on two things: how can I love people better and how can I add value to people’s lives. I try to not let outside influences like the economy, media concerns, or news headlines upset my business plan. I want to focus on what I can control and execute that to the best of my ability. The rest I gotta pray over because that is in Jesus’ hands, not mine.

Q: What do you think is next for KMP?

A: At the moment, I’m doing my best to serve my portrait clients well. I do about 100-125 sessions per year and the lion’s share of that is portraiture. Each year I have been adding more commercial work, which I love, but I try to keep that limited. I am also exploring more brand collaborations with affiliate partnerships.

On the education front, there are a few more topics I would love to create courses for! It has been in my heart to do group mentoring for several years, but the timing hasn’t presented itself quite yet.

Q: Have you ever considered leaving Texas permanently?

A: Not seriously. I can’t imagine loving anywhere more than I love living in Texas. I travel a significant amount for work and I’m always anxious to get back home! Although, I hope that if I feel the Lord leading me away from Texas I would respond with a resounding “YES!”

Q: How often do you travel for work?

A: I try to limit my travel to 1 flying trip and 1 driving trip per month, but I’m not great at staying within that boundary. I would say I average 2 flying trips per month. In my busy seasons, I’ve been known to take 5-6 trips in a month.

Q: If you couldn’t be a photographer anymore tomorrow, what would you do with your life?

A: Before photography, I worked in finance and I deeply loved my career in asset management. I always felt that if the “photography thing” didn’t pan out, I wanted to return to my former role in investor relations. The Lord prompted my move from finance to photography and I know that the Lord has me staying in my photography business for the foreseeable future. But again, no matter what direction He takes me next I pray that my heart’s response is an unfettered “YES!”.

Q: What’s the first compliment that comes to mind when you think about the best compliments you’ve ever received as a photographer?

A: I’ve had women who struggle with body dysmorphia and self-image issues open up with me about how much their portraits have changed their lives. I’ve also had a number of clients sadly lose their horses and come back to me to share how much the meaning of their images has changed. Those types of life-changing instances reaffirm my passion for what I do. It is important work.

Q: When do you think you’ll “retire” from photography?

A: I started this business when I felt the Lord tell me to, I went full time when I felt the Lord tell me to, and I plan to shut it down as soon as the Lord tells me to! At this time, He hasn’t told me when that will be.

Q: What’s one thing in your business you will never outsource and why?

A: I am going to “never say never” here. I don’t count anything off-limits when it comes to outsourcing. I don’t want to be so deeply committed or attached to a role that it becomes an identity I refuse to give up. In order to scale, there could be a time when I outsource more of my work and I want to make sure that I’m wise enough and humble enough to let go of what I need to when I need to!

Q: What are you most proud of in your business?

A: I am proud that this business brought horses back into my life. I started photography during a horseless phase of my life as a way to vicariously live through my clients. Photo sessions were the only time I got to see horses and pet them. Some clients even let me ride their horses after the shoot was over! By the grace of God, the profit from this business has allowed my family to purchase several horses and be able to show them, too.

Q: What lens do you have on your camera?

A: Sigma Art 135m. You can see what’s in my bag here.

Q: I noticed that you do not use watermarks on your images, especially when you post online. Do you think they are not needed? Did you use a watermark when you first started? How do you make sure that people realize the images are yours?

A: Marking images is a very personal decision. There is no right or wrong way to go about this! When I did photography as a hobby, I put my name on them. However, I noticed that all of my favorite photographers let their aesthetic be their signature and as soon as I became a business I left my mark off of my work simply because I didn’t like the look of a mark.

If you have concerns about theft, you can watermark your images (although these days anyone can easily remove a watermark). If you want more brand recognition, I think you should mark your images. I know I’ve fallen in love with images I’ve seen on social media (like Pinterest) and if credit isn’t given in the caption, I can google them using the name on their watermark. In those instances, it is very helpful. 

Q: How to approach barns with your photography services (preferably via email!)

A: I don’t do this. In my marketing courses, I discuss how my business plan is more passive marketing rather than directly and overtly selling to people. My reason for that is simply that I don’t like to be sold to. Therefore, instead of cold-calling or cold-emailing a boarding facility, I would rather hang a poster at a nearby tack or feed store, attend horse shows where I know they will be attending, direct social media ads to their demographic, suggest they respond to a model call of mine or be sure to photograph friends and nearby barns of theirs. I like warm leads, which means that my marketing takes time.

Q: Have you considered offering a multi-day workshop for photographers? Do you prefer to stick to 1-1 mentorships?

A: At this time, I am only offering 1-1 mentoring sessions. In the future, I may offer a multi-day in-person workshop and/or virtual group mentoring programs.

Q: Would it be possible to see the improvement of your photos from the beginning to the masterpieces you create today?

A: Absolutely! I made a reel about this here, and I also shared my work over the years on this blog post… but this could be a blog post all on its own! I’ll work on that next.

Q: I need to learn to take advantage of my camera’s(R6) video capabilities to offer my clients- any tutorials you suggest?

A: I have never taken these courses myself, but I definitely trust Katie Lamb’s (click here). And Shelley Paulson now has a course, too.

Q: How do you keep the blown-out sunny look, and not lose focus? 

A: My camera, the D850, handles focus in backlit situations very well. However, sometimes there isn’t enough contrast and I need to move my camera, focus, and then re-compose my shot to let the sun back in. Other times, “clipping” or shading my lens from the sun using my hand is enough for my lens to find the focus, and then I can let my hand back down.

Q: What is your favorite lens to work with? Most versatile in your opinion?

A: I pretty much exclusively shoot with my 135m.

Q: What is your favorite time of day to take photos?

A: Just before sunset!

Q: Tips for shooting a horse that won’t stand still?

A: First, I try to figure out the source of the problem and get the horse back under control. Does he have too much energy? Maybe 10 minutes to lunge would help. Is he hungry and agitated? Maybe a quick break in his stall would help. Is he antsy because we ventured too far away? Maybe I need to stay closer to the barn. Is he spooking because he is all alone? Maybe we could bring a horse friend along to keep him company. Does he completely lack ground manners? I might need to distract him to get him still enough.

I have an assistant to get the attention of the horse. If the horse is very wiggly, I will have multiple people stand around it (just out of the frame, but only an arm’s length away) to try to keep the horse in place. Sometimes, I try to use fences or walls to pin the horse against and keep him still.

I assure my client that every horse is like this and I start telling stories of every horse that has been worse. If he is acting poorly, it is likely frustrating my client who starts to worry. I will do my best to keep the horse comfortable and all parties safe while confidently expressing that the images will be perfect despite the naughty antics!

Naughty horses come with the territory of being an equine photographer. Please make sure you are adequately covered with an equine-specific contract.

Q: Where should I promote myself to get customers? Instagram and Facebook are enough?

A: Personally, I wouldn’t build my business on Meta. I don’t want to be at the mercy of their algorithms (and outages… and antics!). I have a free download that discusses the 8 ways I market my business. But if you need more help than that, I also offer two courses on exactly how I promote myself to get customers! I suggest starting with the Marketing Basics course so that you can fully understand what you are offering, how it fits into the market, and who you need to reach, as well as how to articulate your message to your intended audience.

Q: What lens do you recommend for show photography/videography?

A: I don’t do much show photography, but when I cover events as media I use my 135m. I know the majority of show photographers use a 70-200m or 300m lens.

Q: Camera recommendations for sports and portrait photography?

A: I really love my D850!