Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Hymes.
Hi Kim, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A love of photography really started with my grandma who neatly preserved images with dates and names to be sure future generations would know who the people in the pictures were. I spent many weekends looking over old photos with her and listening to stories about the people in the images. There was always an attraction to beautiful imagery but I didn’t pick up a professional camera until my oldest daughter graduated high school. I came home after her senior photo session in a field of flowers and I told my husband that I really wished I would have learned more about photography when the children were younger. Life was pretty busy with four children and a husband that traveled, so I didn’t pursue photography until later in life. When I picked up the camera for the first time I was a teacher, and a hobby of taking pictures for friends, family and coworkers turned into a small business when I opened up my LLC in 2019. I quickly fell in love with weddings. Weddings bring so much joy and beauty to life and I feel so honored to be a small part of the day.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Photography and entrepreneurship are not easy. Honestly, I had no idea at just how hard it would be. While being creative and having some flexibility are perks, there are a lot of things that people underestimate when starting your own business from nothing. While this journey is an ever-evolving process, the things, I wish I would have known is that you work way more than a regular 9-5 job and you need to be an expert in social media, SEO, accounting, website design and so much more. Learning to be a great photographer seems to be just a small piece of the pie. To be sustainable and profitable, you need to really spend a ton of time on your business side which doesn’t always come as natural to the creative-minded people. It can be overwhelming at times to juggle everything. It’s that in between phase of getting started and becoming successful but also realizing you need to hire help while still maintaining a profit. I think a lot of people think it’s so fun, which it is but there is a whole behind the scenes business that is also going on that takes a ton of time along with actually going to events and editing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in wedding photography and styled shoots. I am most proud that I have started this business from nothing and have continued to grow it despite a global pandemic and having to homeschool my son last year. I am proud that couples walk away with beautiful images that generations will enjoy just like I did with my grandma! I think what sets me apart is that I have that life experience of being a mom of four and a teacher and I have done some pretty hard things and got thru them, so to be able to enjoy such a beautiful day celebrating love and life is almost like an escape from reality. I get to be a small part of someone’s love story. The one that captures those memories that will be cherished forever. The picture of a dad walking his daughter down the aisle that becomes a treasured image after he passes or maybe those wedding images are a reminder of happy times when things are a little not so happy. I put my heart and soul into making sure I not only capture those memories but they are beautifully captured in a way that brings joy and emotion when you look at them. I am the calm when there needs to be calm and the person that speaks up when someone needs to speak up. It’s a unique thing, spending ten plus hours with a couple, you feel invested in them and I think that’s why I am drawn to it.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I would say determination is at the forefront. It is not easy, there is no one to turn to when things break or don’t work properly. You have to figure it out. You have to wake up every morning determined to figure it out, get it done, improve yourself, your business, your creativity.
Contact Info:
- Email: kim@kimhymesphotography.com
- Website: https://www.kimhymesphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimhymesphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kimhymesphotography
Image Credits:
I took the photos – Kim Hymes photography
