Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Chang.
Kelsey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
At a very young age, my favorite thing to do was to combine interior designing, styling, script-writing, and photography during playtime. I would set the whole scene up, pose the dolls, act out the story, and take pictures of different scenes. Fast forward to high school, and I graduated from hand-me-down digital cameras to my first DSLR. I fell in love with portrait photography, capturing candid moments of pure happiness with friends and family. Next thing I knew, people were hiring me to take their photos.
In 2014, I decided to establish Kelsey C. Photography. I had zero training and knowledge of the industry, but I had the passion and determination to learn how to elevate my skills and create my own business. That same year, I went on my first overseas mission trip to Myanmar, where I got to use my craft to bring awareness to the refugees and orphans in the IDP camps. That spurred on ongoing trips all over the world – Cambodia, Northern Iraq, and Nepal – to celebrate diversity, spread empowerment and hope, and advocate for the marginalized. I love how photography is so malleable where I can capture weddings in SoCal one day and then take it to the most neglected parts of this world to people who have never gotten their picture taken.
Has it been a smooth road?
For me, the hardest part of building a business was, well, the whole business part of it. I had the passion, the people skills, and the portfolio, but when it came to designing a website, creating contracts, setting prices, advertising, branding, etc., I was totally clueless. My degrees are in Psychology, Leadership, and Social Work – not Business and Marketing. In the beginning (and admittedly several years in,) I found myself under-valuing my work, under-selling my services, giving things away for free, and constantly questioning myself. I thought someone hiring me was doing me a favor. I was non-confrontational, conflict-avoidant, and struggled with people-pleasing. My advice for other women just starting out in this industry is to draw your own professional and personal boundaries according to where you’re at in your journey.
Naturally, when you’re just starting out, you usually want to build your portfolio, and you’ll take on any gig you can get (and usually set a low price or simply shoot for free.) But at a certain point, you will need to decide when to finally raise your prices. At a certain point, you want to narrow down the kinds of shoots you want to be hired for. Do some research on what other professional photographers are charging for what you want to do, and start building competitive packages. Having a business plan and structure can help you avoid getting stuck in an under-paid rut taking on gigs that you don’t even like. In the beginning, my thing was doing prom shoots for dirt cheap, and once other opportunities steadily came my way, I stopped working with high-schoolers. Know your worth, hold your ground, and don’t be afraid to trust the process even if it’s a bit messy.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Kelsey C. Photography is a professional photography business specializing in weddings, engagements, and other portraits in Southern California. My focus is to create comfortable and light-hearted photo sessions that feel organic and true to each unique relationship. Clients describe photoshoots as comfortable, natural, and fun! I am most proud of capturing the essence of relationships in their most genuine forms, bringing smiles to people’s faces! More than a vendor providing a service, Kelsey C. Photography seeks to build lifelong relationships with clients. I deeply value the connection I create with all of my clients and find the greatest satisfaction in those continued relationships!
Some testimonials: “My husband and I are very impressed by how Kelsey took her time to get to know us and our love story on the first meeting. She really listens to what we want and what we like. We are very pleased with her photos.”
“Kelsey was an amazing photographer to work with! She was so professional and made us feel so comfortable! We had so much fun during our shoot and we were so happy to have her at our party taking pictures of our family (which also came out phenomenal). We would love to have Kelsey at all of our future events!”
“We always feel awkward with photos, but she guided us through different poses and actions to where it felt natural! She was very responsive, professional, prompt, and her shots & editing are beyond amazing. Book with Kelsey because she will knock out and exceed your hopes & expectations! Not to mention, she has such a generous, deep heart. You won’t regret booking with her!”
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I highly suggest reaching out to more experienced photographers who you admire! You’d be surprised at how friendly and approachable our creative community is. Whenever I have questions, I’ll DM a few photographers and see what responses I get. They offer advice based on their wins and losses, which helps me make sound choices for my business. When first starting out, ask to shadow or second-shoot for free for a professional photographer. Examine and observe their process and build rapport- who knows, they might hire you as a second shooter one day! In terms of networking, it’s helped a ton to reach out to my friends who have backgrounds in Business and Marketing. They’ve offered guidance and gift their time out of the goodness of their hearts. Your friends are there to support you, just like you would support them! Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Pricing:
- Weddings starting from $1500
- Engagements starting from $300
- Proposals starting from $350
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kelseycphotography.com
- Email: info@kelseycphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram/kelseycphotography/
- Other: www.instagram/kuhchang/
Image Credit:
Kelsey C. Photography
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
