Life & Work with Chelsea Hickey of Boston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Hickey.

Hi Chelsea, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have always been artistic. Long before photography became my career, I was the person constantly drawing, painting, rearranging things, and finding some new creative project to take on.

I studied graphic design and digital imaging at Alfred University, with a concentration in oil painting. After graduating, I worked in several different design roles, but I never quite felt as though I had found the creative work I was meant to do.

Photography entered my life more seriously after my children were born. Like many new parents, I suddenly became deeply aware of how quickly everything was changing. I wanted to preserve the tiny details, the everyday moments, and the pieces of our life that I knew I would eventually miss. Somewhere between documenting my own children and creating images for other families, I realized I had found the perfect way to combine my artistic background with something that felt incredibly meaningful.

That was the beginning of Chelsea Hickey Photography.

More than a decade later, I specialize in documentary-style in-home newborn photography and storytelling family sessions throughout Greater Boston. I am drawn to photographs that feel honest and connected, especially the small moments families may not realize are worth remembering until years later. A child reaching for a parent’s hand, the way a newborn curls against someone’s chest, or the beautiful chaos of everyone piled together on the couch can tell far more of a family’s story than a perfectly posed photograph ever could.

I also have a studio in Canton, Massachusetts, where I photograph families as well as branding portraits and professional headshots, primarily for women. I especially love helping women create photographs that reflect who they are, whether they are launching a business, celebrating a professional milestone, stepping into a new chapter, or simply deciding it is finally time to be photographed.

As my business grew, I realized that taking the photographs was only one part of the experience I wanted to provide. Most people are already overwhelmed by the number of decisions they make every day. Handing them another online gallery filled with hundreds of images and a long list of things they are supposed to do with them did not feel like a finished service.

Today, Chelsea Hickey Photography offers a fully guided, luxury portrait experience. I help clients plan every part of their session, including the concept, location, wardrobe, hair and makeup, and the photographs they ultimately want to display in their homes. After the session, we meet for an ordering appointment where I help them narrow their images and design albums, framed artwork, and gallery walls. Clients never have to stare at 100 photographs wondering which ones are almost identical or whether a particular frame will look too small above the sofa. I help them make those decisions, and when needed, I even arrange professional installation.

Watching clients finally hold their photographs in their hands led me to recognize a much larger problem. People everywhere have invested in professional photography, especially wedding photography, only to let the images sit untouched on a computer for years. They want an album, but narrowing 800 or 1,200 photographs feels impossible. Choosing a size, cover, layout, and finishes becomes another project they keep promising themselves they will tackle “someday.”

That realization inspired my newest business, Heirloom Design Studio.

Heirloom Design Studio helps people turn their existing professional image galleries into finished albums and artwork. Clients upload their photographs, and then we work together during a guided virtual selection session. I act as a co-pilot through the sorting process, helping them move from hundreds of images to the ones that tell the story best. From there, I design their album, guide them through the available options, and manage the process through final approval and production.

It is a service built for people who care deeply about their photographs but feel paralyzed by the process of doing something with them. They do not need more files, more choices, or another project on their list. They need expert guidance and a clear path from files to finished.

Although Chelsea Hickey Photography and Heirloom Design Studio serve clients in different ways, the heart of both businesses is the same. I believe photographs become more meaningful when they are brought into our everyday lives. They should be held, displayed, passed around, and eventually handed down.

I began this journey because I wanted to preserve the fleeting moments of my own family. Today, I get to help other people do the same, whether I am creating the photographs myself or helping someone finally turn years of digital files into something real. Looking back, it feels as though every part of my creative background led me here. I am still designing, storytelling, and making art. I am simply doing it in a way that allows people to hold onto what matters most.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of my biggest challenges has been learning that being a photographer and running a photography business are two very different jobs.

I am a creative person at heart. What I want to spend my time doing is making something beautiful for my clients, whether that means creating the photographs themselves, designing an album, or helping someone choose artwork for their home. But taking beautiful photographs is only one small part of building a sustainable business.

Marketing, business development, administration, systems, sales, and client communication all require an entirely different set of skills. I have had to learn many of those skills on my own, often through trial and error, while also figuring out which responsibilities I should continue handling and which ones are better outsourced. It took time for me to understand that asking for help was not giving up control of my business. In many cases, it was what allowed me to serve my clients better and spend more of my time doing the work I am best at.

Another important goal has been building a business that supports my family rather than constantly pulling me away from it. I started my photography business after my children were born, and I never wanted its growth to come at the cost of missing their childhood. I have been intentional about creating a flexible schedule, limiting the number of clients I take, and structuring my services in a way that allows me to be fully present for both my clients and my family.

That balance is always a work in progress. There are times when being a business owner requires long days, late nights, and wearing far more hats than I ever expected. But those challenges have pushed me to build a more thoughtful business, develop skills I never imagined needing, and become much more intentional about what growth and success actually look like for me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Through Chelsea Hickey Photography, I specialize in documentary-style in-home newborn photography, storytelling family sessions, and studio portraiture throughout Greater Boston. I also photograph headshots and branding portraits, primarily for women who want to be represented in a way that feels polished, confident, and still genuinely like them.

I am probably best known my signature in-home newborn sessions. My approach is connection-focused and authentic. I am not looking for perfect poses or perfectly behaved children. I want people to feel comfortable enough to be themselves so I can capture the relationships, personalities, and small moments that actually make their photographs meaningful.

At the same time, I provide a very hands-on level of service. I guide my clients through the entire process, from planning and wardrobe to the session itself, and then help them decide how they want to preserve and display their photographs afterward. They do not have to arrive knowing what to wear, how to pose, what photographs they need, or what they are going to do with them when we are finished.

For newborn sessions especially, that means working around the baby rather than expecting the baby to work around us. There is room for feeding, soothing, siblings who need a break, and all of the unpredictability that comes with real family life. My goal is for the experience to feel easy and well cared for while creating photographs that are beautiful and refined, but still unmistakably theirs.

What sets my work apart is that the experience does not begin and end with the photo session. I offer a fully guided service that includes planning the concept, helping with wardrobe, arranging professional hair and makeup when appropriate, and creating a thoughtful plan for the photographs before the session even begins. Afterward, I help clients select their strongest images and turn them into albums, framed artwork, and gallery walls designed specifically for their homes. I can even coordinate professional installation. My clients are not left with an overwhelming gallery and another project to complete on their own.

That part of the process eventually inspired me to create Heirloom Design Studio. Through this business, I help people who already have professional photographs, particularly large wedding or family galleries, but have never turned them into an album. Many have been meaning to do it for years, but narrowing hundreds or even thousands of images and making all the design decisions can feel impossible. Through guided virtual selection sessions, I help clients sort through their galleries, identify the images that tell their story best, and design a finished album for them. It takes them from files to finished, without leaving them to manage the process alone.

I am most proud of building businesses that create something lasting. Photography is an artistic medium, but it is also deeply personal. These images become more valuable as the people in them grow and change. Knowing that I have helped a family preserve a piece of its history, whether I created the photographs or helped transform them into an album, is incredibly meaningful to me.

I am also proud that I have grown Chelsea Hickey Photography from something I began after my children were born into an established business that has served families for more than a decade. I have been able to continue evolving creatively, expand into my own studio space, and build a second business around a need I repeatedly saw going unmet. At the center of all of it is the same belief: photographs should not disappear into phones, computers, or forgotten online galleries. They should become part of a family’s everyday life and, eventually, part of its legacy.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I have learned that networking is crucial to building a successful business. It is not only about meeting potential clients directly. It is also about developing genuine relationships with people who understand who you are, what your business does, and why they can trust you. Those connections can lead to referrals, collaborations, education, support, and opportunities you may never have found on your own.

Many of my most valuable connections began online. I joined educational communities related to my industry, which introduced me to a much larger network of photographers and business owners. One community often led to another, and the relationships I developed there eventually created connections and opportunities in other areas of my business.

I have also participated in a business coaching and mentorship program for the past four years. I originally discovered it online, and it has completely changed the way I run my business. Before finding that guidance, I spent a great deal of time relying on trial and error and trying to reinvent the wheel. Having a mentor provide a clearer direction, proven strategies, and an outside perspective allowed me to make decisions more confidently and move forward much more efficiently.

My advice is to invest in education and actively seek a community that supports both you and your business. Look for mentors who have built something you respect, but also pay attention to whether their values and definition of success align with your own. Be willing to introduce yourself, ask questions, participate, and build real relationships rather than approaching networking as a series of transactions. The right guidance and connections can save you years of trying to figure everything out alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chelseahickeyphotography.com, www.heirloomphotodesigns.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/chelseahickeyphotography www.instagram.com/heirloomphotodesigns
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/chelseahickeyphotography www.facebook.com/heirloomphotodesigns
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseahickeyphotography
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chickeylittlephotography4126?si=XBUQKKcIorsOGD8j