Meet Ivy Motes of Ivy Lynn Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivy Motes.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I can remember my parents buying a DSLR camera, which was the same camera I started my business with, I would beg my siblings to model for me when they brought the camera home. In high school, I was in theatre and we did a lot of film work which just made me love this industry even more. After I graduated high school I moved to a new town and started to do model calls to get my name out there. I did anything from babies to weddings. I’ve worked with so many amazing people over the past four years. Building my business did not happen overnight like some, but I feel like I’m now getting to where I feel like I have a brand for my business. I now have a studio where I offer maternity, newborns, milestones, and cake smash sessions. I love being able to capture how fast your child changes throughout their first year.

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?
Has it been smooth??? Absolutely not! I moved to a town where I didn’t know a single person so just starting a business was not easy. I also didn’t really have anyone to really look up to when I started photography, but as time went on I did online mentorships, in person workshops, and hours of practice to get where I am now. I still feel like I have so much growing to do, but honestly do we ever stop growing as an artist? I did my first few newborn sessions in my living room because I didn’t have a studio or really any props to do them with. Now I have a studio that my husband and I built just for my newborn sessions. I’ve built my luxury prop collection up over the past four years and I can offer a wide variety of stuff to my clients. When I started to narrow down to just my newborn sessions I had to rebrand my work which was not easy either and I thought about throwing in the towel, but thankfully I had Jessica Hodge with Elegant Jayde Photography and Nicole DeHoff with Nicole DeHoff Photography keep pushing me to really go after what I really wanted.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a specialized newborn photographer in the North Georgia Area. I offer maternity, newborn, milestone, and cake smash sessions for my clients. My studio is located in Toccoa, Georgia and I have clients drive all over Georgia to come to me. I offer everything for my newborn clients. You literally get to come and relax while I work my magic to build a gallery you will love. I am mostly known or my newborn sessions, but I love being able to watch all my little newborn clients grow throughout their first year here on this earth. I’m most definitely proud of landing this interview with you guys! This is a push I needed to really push to keep growing my business. I want everyone reading this to know if you have a dream or vision please go after it! You’ll never know if it’s possible until you try. I started this business not knowing where it would take me. Now I’m a full-time photographer and I get to provide for my family. If you’re looking for a newborn photographer definitely reach out to me. Even if I’m not your cup of tea I have so many photographer friends who would love to work with you!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me isn’t always about how much money I bring home. Don’t get me wrong I love being able to provide for my family and be there for all their milestones. Success to me is when I meet a new Mom or a Mom to six kids and making them feel beautiful when it’s time for their family portraits. Getting that email or text about how much they love their gallery. I never really feel like I go to work when I’m in my studio or editing. I feel like I’m living a dream and I get to meet new friends every day. I have had several parents walk through my studio door and just knowing I got to photograph their precious newborn and bring their vision to life is a success to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Ivylynnphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instgram.com/ivylynnphotographyllc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ivylynnphotographyllc