Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea White.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chelsea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Like many photographers, I was always the girl with the camera. I remember organizing “photo shoots” with friends in my back yard growing up. I had boxes and boxes of photos and film negatives (remember those?!) collecting in my closet.
I’ve known since I was about nine years old that all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life was write stories and take photos — plain and simple. That’s taken a lot of different forms over the course the past decade: from a crime reporter at a newspaper in grad school to a nonprofit editor/writer/photographer and now to owning my own wedding and portrait photography business.
My love for weddings started long before I was even dating my now-husband but once we got engaged and I planned my own wedding, I fell in love with all it entails! (Minus the drama, of course). I started taking photography more seriously after we got married in 2013 and honestly, most of my first clients fell into my lap. I shot anything and everything but when I did my first wedding (a 12-hour day with very little pay), I was hooked. I loved the intensity, the emotion, the details, and the party to end it all.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course not! I worked a very hectic full-time job when I started and grew my business. Oh, and I was a newlywed! There were a lot of late nights, early mornings, and weekends away as I pushed myself to learn more and be better.
Once I finally went out on my own, there was so much fear: Was this the right choice? What if no one booked me? What if I fell flat on my face?
And now that I have a new baby at home, a lot of those things are coming up again: What will my business look like now? How do I balance working and taking care of my son? What types of projects do I want to be doing?
The road is never easy but it’s so worth it! I know my business and my focus may take different shapes throughout the years but there’s nothing else I’d rather do — and no one else I’d rather work for!
Please tell us about Chelsea Q. White Photography.
I’m a wedding and portrait photographer. I love working with engaged couples and truly holding their hand through the whole wedding-planning process. I always say I’m a creative with a planner’s heart so providing guides and checklists is my jam!
Now that I’m a mom, I really am drawn to documenting motherhood and family. I plan to explore that more in the coming year and the best part is, a lot of my past brides are entering that season of life, too! I love that now I can walk from engagement to marriage to parenthood with all these sweet couples.
I’m super proud of my website that launched back in the fall. I think my copywriting skills set me apart from a lot of others (thank you, journalism master’s degree!) and it helps me communicate effectively and professionally with my couples. Copywriting was a huge piece of the new site and I honestly think it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful had I not spent so much time writing my site. It allows me to be more thoughtful when I speak on social media or via my blog and that in turn helps me attract exactly who would be a good fit for me and vice versa.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Hmm, that’s a tough question. I think I would have taken more deep breaths and not tried to keep up with others around me — or do things because I thought I HAD to, not because I wanted to. I wasted a lot of money on things that never ended up benefitting me in the long run.
Oh, and I would’ve paid attention to my business finances way sooner, too…
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chelseaqwhite.com
- Email: chelsea@chelseaqwhite.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/chelseaqwhite
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/chelseaqwhitephotography
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