On The Road Again...Kansas City Area Photographer
- belovedcaptures
- Jul 21, 2018
- 4 min read
As a military family moving can become a normal part of life. You settle one place for a few years and then it is off to the next duty station. You pack, say goodbyes, shut off utilities, turn on new utilities, find a new home, enroll your kids in new schools, find new health care providers, unpack, etc. Until I started my own small photography business I never knew how much more complicated this process could get, let's face it, it was already complicated enough.
I started my photography business at Fort Hood, Texas. We didn't know it, but this was going to be our last duty station with the Army. My husband shattered his ankle and after several surgeries and attempted treatments, his ankle was just never going to be the same again. Fort Hood was our home for 8 almost 9 years. Our two sons were born there and I continued my teaching career in a nearby town.
I had always loved photography. I felt like as long as I could remember, I just saw things in a photographic way. When I was in high school (yeah a long time ago lol) I started my actual photography journey. Back then it was all film photography and we developed in a darkroom. When I went to college I took additional photography classes just to continue my love and add an elective. When my husband was in the process of medically retiring and I was staying home with our sons, I thought it was the right time to pick up a camera again. I dove into additional trainings and education on digital photography, editing, all of it. I slowly started taking on paid clients and Beloved Captures Photography was born.
To be honest it took the better part of a year, and long hours, before I started to feel like I had a small client base and a growing business. I was starting to get word of mouth client referrals and returning clients, and things were starting to move in the right direction. I can't tell you how rewarding this felt after putting in so much blood, sweat, and tears. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our lives was leading us to other places and I would soon have to leave all that progress behind to start fresh in a completely new town. We were on our way to Corpus Christi, Texas.
Every time you move with a small business there is SO much work that goes into re-establishing it. You have to reapply for all of your business license and tax "stuff". Every state, county, and city has different requirements and fees. You have to try to re-establish your client base which involves getting your name out in the community, sometimes doing free sessions to get your name out, re-establishing your internet presence which takes hours upon hours, scouting out new locations for your sessions, and if you are lucky networking with fellow photographers in your new area. I cannot being to tell you how lucky I was to fall into a community of amazing female photographers when I landed in Corpus. Their support was amazing and still is!
My work started paying off in Corpus Christi, and I started to get a steady flow of clients, even an increase in number than I had previously had in the Fort Hood area. I spent the year learning ( I truly believe photography is an art that is ever evolving and that you can never learn too much about), expanding my in-home studio to incorporate newborn studio sessions, and learning how to shoot without shade in direct sunlight. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I started to feel semi-successful and on the right path in Coprus the opportunity that led us there vanished. Along with our personal struggles in the area my family had a sudden and devastating loss of my brother-in-law just a few days before Christmas. This left my youngest sister alone, pregnant, and with two small children. We had been away from family for so long, and this just drove home that we needed to return home to the mid-west. Again, Beloved Captures Photography was leaving everything behind and would be re-establishing not only in a new town, but an entirely new state this time.
We landed in the Kansas City area (#kcmo, Belton, MO) in mid-June. I have been working on re-establishing all the things that are required so that Beloved Captures can settle into its new and permanent home. I have spent hours on my website and SEO, scouting locations in an area that I am not familiar with, and shooting and editing what I can between unpacking a house and chasing after two toddlers. It is a work in progress. I truly believe in #communityovercompetition, and I look forward to meeting some fellow photographers and creatives in the area. I cannot wait to build my clientele and start working with amazing folks around the Kansas City and Joplin, MO areas. Since my family lives in the Joplin area, I do sessions there by appointment. If you know anyone who has a small business, or any business, please support them. You may think it doesn't really matter, but it SO does. Like their pages, comment on their post, leave them reviews, check out their blogs, and refer them to people you know. I know with the support of my small business through word of mouth and social media following that I will be able to build upon what I have started and create a great future for Beloved Captures Photography.
Beloved Captures, Photography by Stephanie Davis, is now booking sessions in the Kansas City area, Belton, MO, Joplin, MO, Lee's Summit, Overland Park, and surrounding areas. I would love to connect with you so feel free to reach out! BelovedCaptures@gmail.com
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