Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor O’Kelley.
Taylor, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my photography journey much like everyone else: I enjoyed looking at photos and going to museums, and I wanted to try my hand at it. I started with a very entry level camera and worked my way up to the full frame equipment I have now, but the most important part of my journey has been stepping outside of the box to meet and connect with people. My love of images blossomed into a love of storytelling in particular. I like to combine my degree in writing with my passion for imagery to tell stories that come to life in more than one medium. I’ve been taking photographs since 2012 when I picked up my first Nikon, but I took a break for a few years when I went through some personal trials and felt like my creativity evaporated in thin air. I turned off images and lived in words for a while until slowly my spark returned and I came at my passion full force again in 2017. It has been like night and day, now that I photograph what gives me joy and I stand up for the people and the things that I believe in. Ultimately, photography has become a passion project to help tell the stories of the marginalized or the adventurous or wildly in love–so much more for me now than before. I used to hide behind my lens in the forests capturing simple beauty and now I seek raw moments in people and strangers and push my own shy bounds to get to know them and their stories so that I can tell their stories with everything that I have. It has been a true honor to learn these stories and to be given the privilege to share them in the midst of such a saturated market of talented individuals whom I respect and admire. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My life’s road, in general, has always been bumpy. I am the child of drug addicts who struggled against their own addictions but failed time and again. I watched them and their life and slowly worked my way to my own life in adulthood and have found great peace and creativity in storytelling, which I like to do with my photography. It has not always been easy for me, though. I quit high school to be a young bride and it was my then-husband who bought my first camera when it became evident that I would struggle with infertility. I needed something to do because I couldn’t go to college and I couldn’t have kids. I would, in fact, return to school and have an incredibly successful academic experience and even work toward a Master’s, but the road was rough. My divorce brought with it a breath of fresh air and crippling debt, and I had to sell that first camera to pay rent and stay in college. It was like shutting off the light. So, I took an artistic leave of absence, so to say, and embraced my writing degree and dealt with my personal issues during that time, and I don’t regret it. It prepared me for when I purchased my next few cameras as I grew and upgraded, and it taught me to appreciate the technology but to know that my creativity was not contingent upon what I could hold in my hand. I was the master of my own artistry. No one took it away from me, and I could not give it away. It was mine, and in me, and always me. My advice for other people–women, men, and whatever you identify as–is to embrace the hardship and go easy on yourself. The journey is not straight. The “end” is not always what you imagined, and that end is sometimes just another bend in the ever bending road. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t put your creativity in a box and then ask magic from it. Let it explode in and outside of you, let it touch the lives of the people around you instead of closing it and yourself off when your journey gets dark. Follow that creativity like the light that it is and take one step at a time toward your goals.
What should we know about Taylor O’Kelley Photography? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I consider myself a lifestyle photographer and visual storyteller. I’m honestly still coming into my skill-set and passion and am always learning new things that I enjoy that I never would have thought about before, and areas that were not my original interest have become great loves to me now too! I primarily photograph couples and those in love from engagement sessions to weddings, and I bring to the table a hunger to capture the special moments in a candid, genuine way. I’m not super unique in this and am constantly inspired by dozens of other photographers, but my work brings a certain pride to me in knowing that someone trusted me to capture their day and then I did, and my work is now our work and something that we created together. I’ve had the great honor of remaining friends with nearly everyone I have photographed since 2017 when I stepped up my brand and initiative. I do a lot of pro bono sessions to the marginalized who are often discriminated against in the community for their sexual identity or physical or monetary limitations. So, offering an empowerment session to someone in need is a small way that I try to give back in my community and is definitely something I want to continue doing.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
As a former English teacher, I naturally could list a dozen books that have impacted my life in some way, but a few notable mentions would be Option B by Sandberg and Grant; Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert; and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In order for me to live my best life at work or otherwise, I strive to not be the one standing in the way of my own magic and potential. These books remind me of that. When I’m down and the books aren’t quite cutting it, I enjoy watching live cams from zoos and around the world because sometimes I just need a reminder that I’m thinking too small when I’m concerned with my small presence in the huge world we are fortunate to have. I’m a huge science and anthropology nerd, so I enjoy watching Planet Earth and similar shows, definitely more of a visual person than someone who listens to podcasts, though I do enjoy them when I’m weaving or editing!
Pricing:
- Portrait sessions begin at $150 per hour
- Wedding photography begins at $250 per hour
Contact Info:
- Address: Metro and West Atlanta
- Website: www.taylorokelley.com
- Email: taylorokelleyphoto@gmail.com
- Instagram: @taylorokelleyphotography
- Facebook: @mytophotography
Image Credit:
Taylor O’Kelley Photography
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