Meet Stephanie Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Smith.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Stephanie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m an interior designer turned interior photographer. I’ve always been interested in photography but realized I had an eye for interior photography when my friend Cody Brown of Cody Brown Designs needed photos taken for his website. I took my little Canon Rebel camera and dove headfirst into interior photography. From there, I learned more about what type of camera and gear I would need to really make a go at interior photography full time. Three years later…I was still at my 9-5 working in a windowless warehouse style set up and not doing what I loved. Looking back the environment we were working in was making me sick. So, I gave myself a year after having my daughter to really figure out how to go full time so that I could leave my 9-5 and do what I was really passionate about. I also was looking for a happier work-life balance after becoming a mom because I was commuting an hour both ways. It all was really taking a toll on me.

We then got pregnant a second time, so I stuck it out at my 9-5 until I had my son. I’m six months of being a full-time entrepreneur. I would love to say it’s been an easy ride but you really don’t understand what all it entails until you do it on your own. With the connections I have in the industry, I’ve been able to build a business quickly but it’s all the other manutia that I’m not good at. Like building a website and accounting. I know many entrepreneurs have that same story. You have to do it all yourself so you’re never really off work. In the end, I’m getting everything I want because I do have that work/life balance that I was looking for. The thing that I also love is I get to choose how busy or how not busy I want to be.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s not been a smooth road. If anyone has said yes to this, I would love to meet with them and pick their brain. They have to be a unicorn or something. You learn from it obstacles though. The great thing about becoming your own boss is that you don’t have someone breathing down your neck, for lack of better words, telling you what you did wrong or what you could have done better. I knew proving that I am a photographer (without a formal education) would be easy because I know my work is good. When I first started one month postpartum, call me crazy, I thought I lost all my files on a drive that I dropped during a move. My computer was on the outs and I didn’t have an IT person on hand. I’ve had to market myself to people I know personally in the business and see they went with a different photographer. My website got hacked so I had to scratch it all together and am currently in the process of recreating it. All in all though, you learn so much about yourself, what your capable of and you grow from it. As long as you are a self-aware individual, you’ll survive and I have.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am an Interior and Architectural Photography business. We specialize in working with interior designers, architects, trades people, artists, and anyone focused on branding and documenting the heart of their creativity. We’re known for photos taken in natural light. I rarely use my lighting kits but when necessary, I have them.

I’m proud of the fact I’m taking on an industry that is mostly men. If you look in any design magazine, you’ll see majority of the projects that get published are photographed by men. As a women and having a background in interior design, I’m going to have a different eye. It’s one of the things that sets me apart and the fact I’m really trying to focus on professionals that are trying to make a digital presence. Whether it’s on social media or through their websites, I want to photograph for those who are interested in creating a strong digital brand.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is such a great city to start any business. There are so many like-minded people so there is a lot of support. Our economy is really good so this is a great place for interior designers, trades people, and any creatives. That’s good for me! When their business is booming, so will mine.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephaniesmithphotos.com
• Phone: 2147344728
• Email: stephanie@stephaniesmithphotos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniesmith_interior_photos/

Image Credit:
Cody Brown Designs, RN Inteiror Design, Jessica Hasten Design and Emory Mckim Design

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