Meet Akeyia Marie Johnson | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Akeyia Marie Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Akeyia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve worked in customer service for almost 15 years. Ive spoken numerous elderly people who were living on a fixed income of less than $1200 per month. I listened to how they pleaded and begged us for assistance to lower their bills, how it was hard for them to purchase the necessities to maintain and afford their now bare minimum lifestyles was heart wrenching. I heard stories about how their companies cheated them out of hundreds and thousands of dollars once they retired and how they had to return to work once they retired. What I learned is the majority of them did not have their own business; they worked for a corporation that did not take care of them once they retired. Having to return to work after retiring, just to work for another corporation part time just to afford health benefits, the utility bills, groceries etc., made me realize that this could be me one day and that I needed to come up with goals and accomplish them. This would enable me to enjoy my retirement and if I ever had to return to work it would be for myself. This is what sparked my process behind starting my own business.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from other photographers is my willingness to listen and allow my clients to direct. I love hearing my clients ideas of how they want to look in their photos. Sometimes they need a little assistance putting their narratives together, so we will create storyboards which are images they gather from other social media pages or websites… I can say it can be challenging sometimes when they are unsure about what they want, but the challenges are always overcome by brainstorming what their interest are and finding out the true reason they want to tell their narrative via photos. Ive most definitely learned to speak to my clients and make them feel comfortable and always have an outline (storyboard/examples of poses) before the shoot or most definitely a two hour session can easily turn into an all day affair!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a couple of people who I would like to give a shoutout to. First I would like to give a shoutout to DeAnthony Harris who is and has been my best friend for 20 years. He has always been a successful entrepreneur even in our early 20’s. He has always acknowledged my strengths and came up with innovative ideas for me to start my own business. To make a long story short, he is the reason I have a photography business today. I would like to shot out the owner of Hazadous LLC, Kal Williams owner of VII Luxury Collection, Cynthia Bailey owner of the Bailey Agency, and John Nalls owner of White Box Studios. These successful companies gave me a chance and hired me as an amateur photographer. They believed in my vision and taught me how to capture their vision in just one single shot. I would also like to shout out my close friends and family my mother Sheila McGee, sisters Shania McGee and Marcy Smith, best friends Kai Herron, Veolia Lattimore, Genesis Hunt, and Karla Perkins who are always behind me cheering me on.

Instagram: @atl_flytography_photography

Facebook: atl_flytography_photography

Image Credits
Shot Out to my friends and clients: Kal Williams @ VII Luxury Collection Realtor Angela Presley Jeremy Shephard @ J Shep Muzik J Adonis Sheneva Hicks