May 1, 2017

Meet Christy Lee of Christy Lee Photography in Alpharetta

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Lee.

Christy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been into photography since I was a teenager, always the one with a camera! Arts and Communications were my interest through school, and once I graduated with my Master’s Degree, I worked for Turner Broadcasting at TNT/TBS and then moved on to Time, Inc. with Parenting, This Old House and Popular Science magazines with their advertising sales department.

After having my son in 2007, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom for a while. As he got a little older, I wanted to get back to work, but I didn’t want to leave him. As I made friends with other new moms, I met one who was starting a photography business, and another whose husband was a photographer. They, along with my husband, inspired me to get into photography again and start my own business as well. I began taking classes and workshops, studying everything I could, and purchasing professional camera equipment. By 2010, I had a large portfolio and began building my web site and feeling confident enough to charge for my services. Christy Lee Photography was born! It has grown exponentially ever since.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Although it’s been a fairly smooth road- I’d say it’s been somewhat of a slow and winding road. Starting out as a stay-at-home mom running a business can have its perks and drawbacks. I’ve loved being able to do everything for my kids with no need for childcare, and to have the flexibility of working from home on my own schedule is great, but really, it’s basically having two jobs that together are 24/7!

I think the most difficult part has been separating personal time and work time. Now that both kids are in school, it’s getting easier to do that. Plus, photography is something that I love to do, so I’m always happy following this career path wherever it takes me.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Christy Lee Photography – what should we know?
I’m in business as a portrait photographer, specializing in families/children, maternity/newborns, high school seniors and corporate headshots and office teams. I work outdoors at several beautiful locations in the Alpharetta area, as well as in my home studio that I opened a little over 3 years ago for my newborn and headshot sessions. Over the last 7 years, I have built up a pretty large clientele, many of whom have come back every year for family and/or children’s photos.

It’s fun to see the children grow up and to talk to the parents about everything that’s been happening in their lives during the previous year. I like to think that I’m known for my professional photography skills and work ethic, as well as how comfortable and easy-going my sessions can be. I want to make them smile and laugh and have a laid-back photo session. I strive to have a good time and hope they do too.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I owe Danielle Bryson of Danielle Bryson Photography, now located in Greenville, SC, a big thank you for inspiring me to start down this road. She was the mom-friend that I met when my son was about 4 months old, and once she started her business, I decided that’s exactly what I wanted to do too. I also have to thank my husband, Brian, for pushing me to follow my dream and reach my goals- and for being my amazing web master and bookkeeper, I couldn’t have made it this far without his help and input.

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