Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Ratliff .
Thanks for sharing your story with us Taylor. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I purchased a Nikon 3100 for my wife as a birthday gift and it collected dust. I decided to teach myself how to use the camera after the box sat unopened for several months and fell in love with the art of photography. Initially, I started to shoot sneakers and the DTX streets to post on IG. Overtime, I had a consistent following and people began to reach out to me to take portraits and family pictures. I decided to give it a shot and after positive reviews and feedback, Shot by Marley & Co. was born. I often get called Marley, however, I did not name my company after myself, I named it for my family. Marley is my 12 year old pit bull and he runs our household along with my two daughters and my lucky wife. It was important to me that my business was recognized as a family run business, as without them, my passion would be suppressed.
Since dusting off the 3100, my clientele has grown to include: family, portrait, engagement, maternity and weddings. The clients I have met along the way have shaped who I am, as an artist as well as, have pushed me creatively. Although, Shot by Marley and Co. does offer a range of session options my passion is maternity and portraits. Capturing people as they are, is where the art really is.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With any new business comes challenges. One of the biggest challenges for Shot by Marley & Co. is that I still work a 9-5 in addition to running the photography business. This means editing late at night into the early hours of the morning after my family has gone to bed and working weekends, every weekend. It is important that we are giving our clients images timely, just as if this was my full time job. This is what motivates me to work harder, work the extra hours, miss out on soccer games and other family functions … my goal is for photography to be my full time job, because if you love what you do it isn’t really a job at all.
Please tell us about Shot by Marley & Co. Photography.
Shot by Marley & Co. is a family operated photography business. My wife runs communications and I am the photographer. Shot by Marley & Co. specializes in portrait, maternity and family photography. We are known for our not so traditional images and locations… this is what makes us stand out from other photographers. If you don’t want traditional basic images, then we are your photography company. One of the things I am most proud of as a company is that, almost all of our business is word of mouth. This is not limited to just a family session or a high school senior session referral but we have also shot editorial work. All by word of mouth.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I would not change anything. It has been hard and challenging however, working with my wife, we have created something that we created something special by working from the ground up. We have built a solid foundation for our company by what we have learned and gone through, thus far.
Pricing:
- Standard Portrait Session Pricing Starts at $250.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shotbymarleyandco.com
- Phone: 469-323-3687
- Email: taylor@shotbymarleyandco.com
- Instagram: themarleyandco
- Facebook: themarleyandco
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