Meet Katya Vilchyk | Personal Branding Photographer

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

Hi Katya, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My interest in photography didn’t start until my daughter was born in 2014. Before that I was a marketing and graphic design professional. But with the birth of my first child, I started getting drawn to the art of photography and capturing every moment of her life. I learned all about manual shooting, the exposure triangle and how to properly light my subject. It was truly an obsession. By the time she turned one, I started taking paid clients. My business was 100% focused on lifestyle and family work, with a few portrait shoots here and there.

Then, 2020 happened.

Everything stopped, we had to think on our feet to survive. Coming out of the lockdown a lot of the lifestyle work was gone. People were afraid to leave the house, afraid to interact with other humans, they were especially afraid to have someone over to their house for a lifestyle session. In all honesty, I was afraid too.

However there was this one trend I noticed, specifically with life coaches, where they were trying to be online more than ever. They were finding ways to still work, still put themselves out there, virtually. That’s when I started offering FaceTime photography. As funny as it sounds, it actually had a moment. And it got me thinking; how can I safely do portraits right now, to help small businesses show up online?

That’s when I decided to try offering headshots mini sessions. I found a local Pilates studio, right around the corner from my house, that had a very neutral looking courtyard. White wall, tall floor to ceiling glass windows, lots of flowers and pretty plants around. So everything was outdoors, safely at a distance, masked up, and most importantly quick. I figured out a very simple and effective flow of posing that I would take my clients through. It always looked good. Sessions where quick, editing was easy ( everyone came looking their best! ) and most clients upgraded their gallery to keep all the images. I was hooked.

By the end of the summer I was getting referrals from those clients, and also repeat sessions! That’s how the branding portion of my business grew and got established. It was very natural and organic. And in early 2021 I launched my new website targeted towards personal branding photography specifically, and an online course teaching other photographers how to supplement their income with commercial work and thrive in any economic situation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What I am most proud of in my work is my energy. I believe that the energy we bring to any situation is basically the determining factor of how things will go, how people perceive us and what the end result of our work will be. When I work with my clients, my goal is to put them at ease, make them feel like part of the family, get them familiar with the process and knowing what to expect which in turn puts them in a state of comfort. I am here to bring the JOY, celebrate their wins and the journey they are on, and cheer them along. I also feel like there’s something to be said about seeing the best in people, seeing their magic, their special light. Clients often tell me that what I do is magic, and I love that – I want them to feel like magic during the session and especially once they receive their gallery! And that is another point i am very proud of – delivering images quickly, even before the joy and high of the session had a chance to wear off, they will get their photos back and will be on an even higher wave of high!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live in suburbs and there a lot of cute areas to work and hang out at. Downtown Alpharetta is a vibrant, fun, walkable community with lots of shops and restaurants. We love our little town of Crabapple with it’s quaint streets and parks. It’s a great community to raise a family, or start a business!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We are nothing without our tribe. My clients are the most amazing people – they always push me to be better and do more. To be honest, if it wasn’t for one of them, my sweet client and friend Cristina D, who once hired me for a series of “lifestyle photos of me working, hanging out with the kids, doing everyday stuff” I would not know just how much fun this type of photography could be. She introduced me to the world of personal brand, and I am forever grateful to her to this gift.

I have a lot of amazing people in my corner too. If it wasn’t for Juliane S, who I would call my work bestie, even though we are in different states and met in person only twice, I would often do things spur of the moment, on a whim, rather than based on a strategy. She is my voice of reason and encouragement.

If it wasn’t for my side hustle with Monat hair care, I may have never discovered the value of branding photography for self made female bosses and their teams. When I was very active with Monat and led a team, we would get together for fun, food and photo shoots. It was one of the perks of joining my team – free photos! Little did I know I was actually building my portfolio, learning to hype women up and strategize based on the business need.

And then, I will never be more grateful then to my Thrive Co-Working tribe, a local company with offices all around the north Atlanta area, who welcomed me into their community and allowed me to shoot at their offices any time I wished, with as much grace and support as I have never felt before. I have been a member since March 2021 and I am moving into my own dedicated space in the Milton campus on September 1, 2021. I am extremely excited about it and so grateful for the amazing support, community, referrals and of course the most gorgeous spaces they design for people to work at and for me to shoot at.

Website: https://atlantabrandingphotographer.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katya-vilchyk-b15a432a/

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