Meet Emily Reid | Wedding & Lifestyle Photographer – Business name: Emily Reid Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Reid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Learning the technical, creative and business side of photography has all come with practice and hard work. I’ve always loved interacting with clients because I enjoy hearing their stories and learning what makes each individual person special. Even when clients can be challenging or difficult, the most important thing I have learned so far is to show love and kindness to everyone. I try to treat each client as if they are no more different or important than anyone else. You never know what journey or walk of life people are going through, so it’s important to always show people love. This not only applies to my business, but should apply to how we treat others in life. When doing business, I aim to put the customer’s needs above my own.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I am most excited about seeing my business grow. I built my business while I was in college working full time in the summers (40 hour weeks) and part time during the school year (20 hours a week). To pay for my education I had a work-study scholarship called the Gate of Opportunity Scholarship at Berry College. It was a lot of hard work but a huge blessing to graduate debt-free. Since I was busy with work and school I spent a lot of weekends traveling and doing photo sessions. So I’m really proud of all the hard work I put in to get where I am today. It’s been a lot of hours and time consuming weekends but I’m so glad I put in that work. I’m now getting my Masters in Business and working as a graduate assistant at Berry to get my masters for free. So I’m spending more weekends and evenings doing my photo sessions and traveling, but I’m so glad I built the businesses and had to undergo the more challenging components in the beginning stages during my undergrad years. Now I have built a little bit of a client base and have more of a foundation to go off of while I’m in grad school.

This process wasn’t easy because I didn’t know where to begin. I had school, work, family and a social life. Adding another thing to the mix seemed impossible, but thanks to my mentors and professors, I was able to progress to where I am today. I’ve also found so many helpful resources for photographers and different communities where I can ask questions and not feel afraid to say something stupid or wrong!

The most important lesson I have learned is to be tough but not too hard on yourself. Life gets hard, things get in the way, people can knock you down, but you are your own worst critic. I’m very hard on myself and a perfectionist. I try to listen to every criticism and see how I can learn and grow from my mistakes, but also not let every single thing said affect me. But I think a lot of photographers get in their heads because they are not at the level of other photographers that they see on instagram with the thousands of followers. It’s easy to feel defeated, but I like to keep reminding myself of the progress I have made and that I’m growing and learning at my own pace, it’s not a race.

I’d like for people to recognize that my business is focused on the needs of the customer during whatever phase of growth they are in during their lives. Growth is a huge focus for my business since I am capturing clients during all different phases of their lives. We all grow and change, and it’s really special to capture when those moments are happening. I love telling the story of the client and showing the world what makes each person I capture special.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Rome, GA is full of a lot of fun places. In the summer you can paddle down the river and hike at Berry College to the reservoir. The best places to eat in Rome are Jerusalem Grill, Yummy Thai, Provinos, La Mexicana Restaurant & Bakery, and Blossom Hill BBQ. In the summers, downtown Rome has concerts and fun events, especially live concerts on Fridays. My favorite local band is Kindred Fire. They’re incredible and a town favorite. Ice cream is a big hit as well. Honeycream is a great gelato place and you can get great ice cream at Mountains Ice Cream and City Creamery in town.

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?
I never would have made it this far without the help of so many individuals along the way. I never dreamed of making my hobby into a business until I took photojournalism and entrepreneurship courses at Berry College with the best professors who encouraged me to take the next step. Dr. Paula Englis helped us to envision what our dream business could look like in her entrepreneurship classes through creating in-depth business plans and pitching our creative ideas to her and our classmates. I learned how to operate a camera to begin with from Kevin Kleine, a professor I took all of my digital storytelling communication classes, and photography classes with. The most beneficial hands-on experience I have received is through second shooting weddings with Cameron Flaisch, my main photography mentor. He took the time to work with me and answer any questions I had since I showed an eagerness to learn. Nothing beats valuable and hands-on experience from mentors who have built successful careers. I’m so grateful for that. I’m also thankful to my parents who have always told me I could do whatever I wanted. They never put down my dreams and encouraged me to put in the work and go after what I wanted to achieve in life. My friends have been huge encouragers as well and super supportive. And they LOVE getting free photos of themselves when I need practice!

Website: working on this now! but link will be emilyreidphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyreidphoto/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-reid-09b657171/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ereidphotography

Image Credits
All images taken by me. My lifestyle headshot was taken by a family member. Only images that needs credit is the one of the girl infront of the church. That was taken when second shooting with Cameron Flaisch Photography. I took the photo but he set it up. All the others are taken and posed by me.