It’s Thanksgiving week.  I woke up this morning, got ready, and like any other Monday morning, I went to work.  Except my commute to work now consists of walking across the hall from the bedroom to our 2nd bedroom that’s been converted into the official office space of Kristen Vota Photography.  It’s been this way for 4 months now, and although I’ve been incredibly excited and appreciative, I’ve also been very busy (not complaining!).  As things wind down for the season, the last few sessions are scheduled, the editing is winding down, and the last wedding is delivered, I’m finally getting a chance to sit down and think about what the heck I actually accomplished this summer and how I got to this point.

For those of you who don’t know, I went full time with my photography business this past July.  This was a HUGE step for me and something that has been my goal since early 2011.  Back then, I had a wonderful, secure job working as a Project Manager for AlphaGraphics in the Cultural District.  I was in my mid-twenties, working in downtown Pittsburgh with good benefits, a solid 401k, and was making enough to be comfortably paying down my (ridiculously large) student loan debt.  I was exactly where I wanted to be in terms of what I thought success looked like when I graduated from Duquesne University 3 years earlier.  Life was good.

Duquesne Graduation, May 2008

So, naturally, in April 2011, I did what any budding young professional would do…

I quit.

Say what?!

Yeah, I quit.  See, after graduation I realized that I had a strong interest in photography.  But I didn’t really know what that meant in terms of career options, and I had a lot to learn anyways, so I chalked it up to a serious hobby and went out and got a “real” job.  In the meantime, I joined local photography organizations like Triangle Photographers Association, taking classes on studio lighting for portraits and mastering off camera flash.  Eventually I was introduced to After Dark Education, and my mind was blown with the wealth of information I was receiving on both the art and business sides of photography, not to mention the amazingly talented photographers I was meeting from all across the country.  I was hooked.

Taken at After Dark Vegas 2011

I remember it like it happened last week.  I was attending my first After Dark in Las Vegas in February 2011 and it hit me like an overwhelming wave of a-ha! moments that maybe just maybe I could make photography my career just like all of these hundreds of people who were surrounding me all week.  They all started somewhere, right?

I called my dad.  I called my boyfriend (who now happens to be my husband).  I told them about this crazy feeling I had that I could be a portrait photographer or a wedding photographer or something, I didn’t even know what yet.  I just wanted to be a photographer and I was learning all of these concepts and tools and ideas and I was so freaking excited!  But I worked full time, usually 50 hours a week, sometimes more, and my school loans were so high, and it just didn’t make sense and I knew it wasn’t realistic, but I was having so much fun!

Both of them, without skipping a beat, said, “Do it.”

I’m sorry, what?

They told me to go for it.  Both of them without hesitation told me not to worry about “real” jobs or money or other essentials of being a functioning adult….. Haha.  But seriously, 110% support, no questions asked.

I couldn’t believe it.  My mom (who was very much in the same mind-set I was in) had some questions about the reality of the whole thing, rightfully so, which were the same issues holding me up.  But within that same phone conversation, she had my back too.  The only thing holding me back was me.

I got home from Vegas, let a few weeks pass to make sure I really wanted this and wasn’t just riding the high of the contagious atmosphere of After Dark.  And although I was terrified at what I was doing, I finally put in my two-weeks notice.

I took a job at Starbucks so that I wasn’t totally going cold turkey.  This was my first major step in the whole process.  I still had excellent benefits, an excellent 401k, all the other perks of working at Starbucks (free coffee, anyone?), and was now only working 40 VERY flexible hours each week (this was huge).  Believe it or not, you actually get used to waking up at 3am… And although the pay cut was a bit painful at first, I learned quickly that it’s amazing how much you actually need to get by.  I was fine :)

Coffee with Oprah!

Over the 4 years I spent at Starbucks, I was lucky enough to work for and with some of the most supportive and genuine people I’ve ever had the chance to be around.  As my photography business slowly grew year after year, I went from working full time at Starbucks to working 4 days a week, then 3 days a week, then 3 days a week with extremely restricted availability (sorry Shawn…). And finally, in July 2015, something had to give.  I took a minute to pick my head up for some air and realized I’d done it.  I was ready to go full time!!!

So now here we are, four months later, and the whole reason for this long-winded backstory of my late twenties (and a couple months of the big 3-0), is to say Thank You.

Thank you to my parents and to my husband who believed I could do this WAY before I could believe it myself.
Thank you to everyone I met in TriCoast’s Off-Camera Flash course at Triangle back in 2010 who helped me truly learn and grow as a photographer for the first time.  I met many friends in this class.  I met my wedding photographer in this class!  And of course, I earned the nickname “Buttons” in this class :)
Thank you to every single mentor, assistant, attendee, and “bald guy” I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting at AfterDark (Vegas, Charlotte, St. Louis ’13, Intensive, & St. Louis ’14).  I would need an entire separate blog post to list you all individually.  Some of you may not even remember who I am or know the impact you had on me, but you did.  Thank you.
Thank you to my managers at Starbucks who from day 1 knew I wasn’t in it for the long haul but were so supportive of what I was doing and so accommodating of my schedule to make it happen.  Particularly Shawn who took the brunt of my high-maintenance needs!  Without Starbucks as a stepping stone, I literally wouldn’t be where I am.  Starbucks as a corporation and specifically Collier Starbucks as a local store hold so much weight as a reason I can call myself a photographer today.  And I miss you guys!!
Thank you to everyone who follows me and the work I post, whether you’ve been a client or not.  Your “likes” and “shares” do not go unnoticed!  I’m looking forward to finally blogging more sessions and weddings from this past season, along with photos from our trip to Tanzania back in May!  Stay tuned.
And finally, thank you to every single one of you who have allowed me to take your photo.  All of you who’ve allowed me to photograph your wedding day, your anniversary, your engagement, your proposal, your family, your senior portraits, your children, your toddler, your newborn.  Every single photo session is a pleasure for me to provide you with memories of your loved ones, and I am so thankful that you’ve all chosen me to provide that service to you.  Some of you trusted in me well before I was on my journey and was just some girl with a Canon Rebel (I’m talking to you, Gales/Kosarych/Ganley/Chambers, Payne, & Esposito families!)

And a huge, very special Thank You to my husband who knew I wouldn’t be contributing to the “household pot” for a few years once I got this crazy idea, but who let me move in anyways, married me, and continues to be so incredibly supportive of my journey every single day.  I am so lucky to finally be able to call myself a photographer, to be building a career growing a business that I love, and to have such a supportive husband and family supporting me every step of the way.

My cute husband :) –Sky’s The Limit Photography

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  You’re seriously the best :)