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

Hi Hannah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
when my husband and i were engaged, his Christmas gift to me was a camera! he saw how much i loved taking artistic pictures on my own phone & completely took it upon himself to get me my first DSLR camera! I had no idea it would then lead to where I am today. at first it was definitely just a fun outlet i did for friends and family. and then one day i realized i no longer needed to continue at what was my current 9-5. I took a part time position and started pouring more of my time into photography. In 2021 i officially went full time, although i didn’t fully understand the blessing in the timing of this until later. for the next two years i put all of my energy into my photography business and i was able to grow it so much. In 2023 i had my first and only little girl & that’s when i realized what a huge blessing being able to work from home on my own terms truly was. i can be a stay at home mom with my almost two year old baby girl & still continue doing something i love for myself and my family! It’s not always easy at times and there’s been a huge learning curve. Some days are more successful than others but it’s the best thing i could’ve ever done for her. I’m still learning and growing as she learns and grows too.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I know that I am where i am today only because of Jesus. It was not an easy journey by any means. Growth is a long process! I’m still learning and growing today! Before i became a full time photographer i spent a few years working for my family company. I worked In the financial department in a tiny room with no windows, Monday through Friday and then drove home in the 5pm traffic with everyone else. It was exhausting and depressing at times. I knew there was more to life than this! I had a dream, i just needed to put in the work. When I went part time my co-workers weren’t as encouraging as my husband was & made their thoughts on my “hobby” known to me. I didn’t care what they thought, I was determined to do something better with my life.
i definitely struggled with anxiety & doubted myself plenty. but i learned to lean on the encouragement of my husband & to trust Gods plan for me. What i hope others take away from my story is that they can do it too. I’d love to encourage them as my husband did me and tell them not to give up, to keep pressing forward and to continuing growing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
fitness is a huge part of my life and if a close friend of mine was visiting we’d be going together! starting our day off right at Burn Boot Camp in Bethlehem Georgia with some of the most amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and call friend. since becoming a mom I struggled with a lot of insecurity in my physical appearance. I went from struggling to put the weight on to not being able to get rid of it. It was hard on my mental health and view of myself. in the six months I’ve been at Burn I’ve changed so much. Not just physically, but more important mentally and emotionally i am a better version of myself because of it. I’d be sure to introduce to you my trainer and friend Ashley who is the type of person that believes in you more than you believe in yourself. She pushes me & encourages me and for that i am so grateful. Everyone needs someone like Ashley in their life.
After that, I’d take you to our one and only hometown coffee shop, Night Sky Coffee! There we’ll both enjoy a brown sugar cinnamon latte. We’d get it to go because being a mom of a toddler means you’re always on the go! But while we wait I’d get to show you one of my paintings hanging up on the wall. painting has been a love of mine for a very long time & getting to share it with my hometown was a real dream come true. After picking up our order we’d walk right around the corner to the Thrift Store and possibly come up on some treasures. It’s my favorite place to shop because I could be leaving with 5 wooden frames, 3 cute baskets, a couple books and any other unique treasures I come upon and still leave only spending $5-10 bucks. By the time we’re done it might be lunch time, for which we’ll be having Smokey gringo! We’ll walk right back the way we came and a few doors down from Night Sky we’ll find the best tacos, nachos and burgers you can find. And we will definitely be ordering the dirty pillows for dessert because sweet things are our favorite. It’s all decorated to theme of Mexican wrestlers and the owners personal favorite movie, Nacho Libre will most likely be playing on the wall in the background. I’ll be sure to introduce you to our friend and owner of Smokey gringo David! He is so talented and creative! You can tell he really loves to create amazing food and flavors for his friends! If you come back in the summer for dinner at Smokey gringo sometime be sure it’s a Saturday and check the schedule for Andrew Payton on for live music. After that we’d probably head back to my place while my little one naps and watch Murder She Wrote or Hawaii 5-0. Before you leave you’ll want to visit Cast Iron Creamery, it’s perfect for the afternoon sweet treat!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my husband! He has been my biggest & loudest supporter since the very beginning. Without him purchasing & gifting me my very first camera back in 2017 then i wouldn’t be where i am today. He makes sacrifices everyday for our family, so that i can stay home & do what i love, follow my dreams & also be the stay at home mom I always dreamed of.

Instagram: @hannahpaytonphotos

Image Credits
the picture of me and my husband is by my very sweet friend Michele Zakeri with @michelezakeriphotography

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