Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanelle Hope.
Hi Shanelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I hate for it to sound cliche, but it really all started back in middle school when our (me and my twin sister) parents bought us our first camera and the rest is literally history. Photography is something I’ve enjoyed doing for many years and was never something I would consider doing as a job. It’s not something I took seriously until college and I started shooting outside of my sister and friend group. It was very nerve wrecking to actually charge people for something that came so naturally to me!
But in doing so, I learned more about the craft and I started unlocking skills I didn’t know had to be unlocked. I moved from Mobile, AL to Dallas, TX at the end of 2016 and I knew ONE person, a best friend from back home. I had no idea how “saturated” the photography industry was in Dallas. I’m sure like every entrepreneur, I convinced myself that the photography realm was “too saturated” and I really didn’t showcase that I was a photographer with the fear that “no one would notice me and my work anyways”. After many connections and putting myself out of my comfort zone, I’ve been able to build clientele from word of mouth and social media! Which is still crazy to me! And I don’t think I’ve done anything special but be myself and believe in the gift God has given me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One could only wish that it was a smooth road! If you heard of someone’s road being smooth, I probably wouldn’t believe a word they said! Lol I definitely struggled with a lot of negative self-talk and the comparison trap. I saw how other photographers had AMAZING work and they had AMAZING clients and in my head, I was like “well why would someone want to work with me? there’s so many talented photographers already here.” “I’m just a new girl in town from Mobile, AL, there is no way someone would even notice me.” I had to really get out of my own head and BELIEVE that if God gave me this gift, then it’s meant to be shared with the world. I didn’t need to worry about the how, I just needed to believe in a who and that He would literally work out the rest. I started to be more comfortable with reaching out to people for photoshoots, networking with different people and mention that I am a photographer!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in bloggers/lifestyle/content creator photography, but definitely still love shooting my families/couples! I started out shooting a lot of different types of shoots to see what I liked, what I didn’t like, what was easy for me to shoot, what was challenging, etc., so that I can know what to focus on the most. My sister and best friend are bloggers/content creators and I always shot them the most before shooting other people and it always felt the easiest to do. Not that I don’t like a creative challenge, but those type of photoshoots are the easiest ones to direct because, I myself, have worked with brands and I know what they like and don’t like so naturally, I gravitate towards bloggers/content creators!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I would say knowing how to stay in your lane. It is very easy to see what everyone else is doing or how fast someone else is growing, but just like when you’re driving in a car, the second you stop focusing on the road ahead of you is the same second you’re off track and swerving trying to get back in your lane. It’s the same way with your own personal journey. The moment you focus on someone else’s journey/growth/success is the same moment you lose yourself and sometimes it’s even harder to get back on track because you’ve picked up insecurities/doubt/fear on the way. Your only focus should be YOUR success. Don’t let the outside noise or even someone else’s success change the definition of what success means to you.
Pricing:
- $75/15 mins (mini session)
- $250/hour (portraits/couples/families)
- $300/hour (content creators/bloggers)
- $600/month (content creators/bloggers)
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.alwayshavehopephotography.com
- Instagram: have.hopephotography or shanellehope
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alwayshavehopephotography
