Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Milano.
Kim, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My photography journey started when I was in my early teens, but at the time I had no idea that I was in love with this art. I remember being obsessed with disposable cameras and rushing to get them developed. I documented everything. Family, friends and every bit of summer vacations. I’d print all of my photos and tape them to the walls in my bedroom. By the time I graduated high school, every inch of my walls was covered in photographs.
Memories. Coming into my bedroom was like a walk down memory lane. When I went to college, I took every photo down and placed them in storage. It took me 11 years to really pick up a camera again. What prompted me to do that? My husband! Photography has always been a hobby of his, but he is drawn to photographing landscapes and architecture, which is fantastic. However, I wanted our family to be more present in these photographs. So, I hijacked his camera and never looked back. I felt alive and knew that this was quickly becoming much more than a hobby. I finally realized what my passion was. Documenting our family suddenly became my mission and I absolutely love every minute of it. Documenting other families is also so important to me. The people I’ve met are amazing and helping create a legacy for their children to see through photographs has shown me how important life is. How important every family’s story is.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Gosh no! In the beginning, I thought how hard could this be? I have a nice camera and people are willing to pay me for this, so sure let’s do this. Well, I was completely naive about the business side of things. I dove into business without really understanding PHOTOGRAPHY let alone business. Luckily, there are clients for every price range and every skill level, so yes, I did have people actually pay me in the beginning for pennies. I realized that I had to start pouring a lot more than just my heart into this business and I still struggle with the business side of things. It’s hard to put a price on your own art as well as consider the time you are taking away from your family to pursue this business. A lot of things go into a photography business that most don’t realize. Taxes, marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA (which I’m terrible at), equipment, insurance, etc… Are all things I didn’t even consider the day I told my husband “I think I’m going to start a photography business”. I don’t even remember what he told me. I’m sure his eyes were rolling so far back in his head, however, he has supported me all the way through and pushed me when I needed to be pushed. I’ll go out on a limb and say he’s probably pretty impressed that I’ve stuck with it (and LOVE it) for so long. 😉
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Kimberly Milano Photography – what should we know?
This is probably the most important question people ask me. I specialize in lifestyle family and newborn photography. “Lifestyle” has become a pretty popular term in the photography community, so I’ll explain what it means to me. I strive to capture authentic and emotional connections and I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help with this, but I start all my sessions with some more traditional “posed” portraits and then once everyone (kids and dad) seems to be loosening up a bit, I gently guide them into “unposed” moments. From there, I will capture everything I view as important from my point of view. Maybe its dad holding his daughter’s hand, maybe it’s the way dad is smiling at mom as she loves on her children, or maybe it’s the chaos between the littles. I capture it ALL. With newborns, I come to client’s homes and these sessions warm my heart EVERY time. The way mom and dad look at their new baby gives me all the feels. I’ll document their nursery, the little details, how little they are on mom & dad’s bed, etc. I don’t use props or anything. Mom and dad’s arms (and siblings too!) wrapped around their new little one is all I need. I want to capture all of the perfectly imperfect.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I LOVE this question! Being a photographer is a LONELY job. I am also a huge introvert, so meeting people is hard for me. It’s really hard for me because so many people are competitive in this industry and they can be really mean. My first real group of likeminded peers was through a Facebook group and I think I probably grew more in that first year we were a group than I have any other year. My second group is a group of local photographers that I don’t know how I ever lived without. It took everything for me to meet up with this local group of women who were strangers one night for dinner. My palms were sweating and my stomach was turning as I walked in. I thought about running back to my car multiple times. I didn’t. I walked in and met some of the best people ever. Having a close knit group of other photographers to cheer each other on has been the highlight of this journey. I always say I have the best “coworkers” ever.
Pricing:
- Lifestyle Sessions begin at $375
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kimberlymilanophotography.com
- Email: kim@kimberlymilanophotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kimberlymilano
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kimberlymilanophotography
Image Credit:
My headshot was taken by Katie Hill Photography
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