Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikal Kelaidis.
Hi Mikal, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always been creative. When I was a kid, I used to fill up notebook after notebook drawing. I mostly drew guys skateboarding or in epic landscape settings. My favorite part was designing their t-shirt and outfits. I always dreamed of owning my own brand and getting to sponsor extreme athletes.
In 2016 I started my own clothing company as a way of learning the ins and outs of e-commerce, ordering blanks, finding a manufacturer, etc. It was the most exciting and fulfilling thing I had done to date. But I needed photos of my products.
Now until now, I’ve always been the “picture guy.” However, for whatever reason, I never took it as far as deciding I wanted to own a camera. I was simply always the one with their phone out snapping pictures to make sure memories were captured or if someone did have a camera, insisting on being in charge of photos.
In 2017, my partner bought me my first camera. I used it to snap the first photos for my clothing company and didn’t stop there. I had always done my best to curate an aesthetic Instagram feed and was always intentional about how I presented photos of my life. I saw people on Instagram like Shortstache, Aaron Brimhall, Peter McKinnon, Lostcoordinates and couldn’t figure out why my photos didn’t look like theirs. I let this discourage me for about a year or more.
In fall of 2019, I decided that I was done letting being bad at it stop me from doing something that really made me happy. So, I started asking every couple I knew if I could take free couples’ photos of them. I just wanted to practice. I figured that if I took 10,000 photos, I’d eventually get a little better, then a little better, and I’d just keep going forever. A good friend of mine knew that I was trying to become a full-time photographer and asked me to take pictures of him and his new little family. We went into the mountains and did our best to do a REAL photoshoot, like the legitimate photographer I wanted to be. Truthfully, I rather enjoyed myself and am still proud of the photos I captured. When I got home, I saw that he had sent me $60 bucks. I was hooked. This gave me the credibility and validation I needed to start charging for photoshoots. If nothing else, even if they were amateur, my time was worth something.
I then found more and more full-time photographers living the life I wanted to live. I reached out to them via DM’s and Contact Us pages just trying to insert myself into this world I wanted to be a part of. Then, a big break. A local creator that I admired a lot reached out to me. I had been DM’ing him for over a year and it just never worked out that we were able to connect. But, he DM’d me and said he had a gig… on a yacht… in Lake Powell… in 2 weeks. *Excited panic*
I had been working in Sales since I graduated college and wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to take the time off. Things at work hadn’t been going well. I could feel it in my gut though that if I said no, or I missed this opportunity, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. So, without ever meeting this guy in person I agreed to drive to Page, Arizona, and stay on a boat without cell service for a week shooting video & photos. It was the one of the biggest turning points of my entire life. It was an executive retreat where I listed to insanely successful people talk about their fears, limiting beliefs, strategies, successes, and failures. I’m not one to say stuff like this, but it felt like everything had happened for a reason. This week set me on a path I never looked back from.
After that week I identified as a photographer. My rates when up, I kept getting booked, and I felt like I was becoming a person I wanted to be. That was 4 years ago. I have since taken on commercial photography, shooting for some incredible photographers, shooting fun events, traveling… all of the things I saw other people on the internet doing and couldn’t ever imagine myself being one of them. Now, while I can nitpick and always compare myself to others, I won’t. I’m one of them.
The story gets more complicated with highs and lows through the pandemic as I’m sure most people can relate. But, that’s my origin story.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the most significant challenges have been: self-doubt, comparison to others, limiting beliefs, time management, and discipline.
That last one hits really hard. I was a full-time freelance photographer for almost a year and there are definitely good and bad things about it all being up to you. If I was being successful, it felt better that anything I’ve ever felt because I did that. I built that business on my own. But, if things were slow, I wasn’t booking gigs, or I wasn’t growing my following on social media, it’s because I wasn’t doing the work. I wasn’t reaching out to businesses; I wasn’t putting myself in a position to be noticed or get work… and that feels bad. Letting yourself down sucks.
But as far as support, I couldn’t ask for more. The main thing I’ve learned since going down this path is the more, I listen to myself, and do things for me, regardless of others’ opinions, the happier I am.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While I got my start shooting portraits (couples, engagements, etc.) I have been finding the most joy in shooting commercial photography. Helping brands tell their story, delivering a feeling with my images.
So, most of my professional work is lifestyle, product, or editorial photography. I have also started dipping my toe into videography.
It’s kind of cliche or basic to say it like this, but I’d say I’m known for moody, authentic, emotional shots. I really do my best to make it so that when you look at an image I’ve taken, you don’t imagine the person holding a camera when they took it. I really like shooting in low light and working with light rays and light leaks creatively. Despite what they tell you I love shooting directly into the sun haha.
I’d say what sets me apart from others is the experience of shooting with me. I bring really great energy that I feel fosters a really creative, fun, authentic atmosphere.
What does success mean to you?
I would define success as freedom. Freedom to spend your time however you want, freedom to say no to projects that don’t inspire you, freedom to share experiences with those closest to you. Success is the freedom to live life on purpose. Choose to spend your time intentionally instead of going through the motions every day doing what needs to be done.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mikalkelaidis.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/miikkaall
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/miikkaall
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/mikalkelaidis
- Other: www.fervencymedia.com
Image Credits
Athena Pilato
Ethan Kartchner
Jentry Larsen
Spencer Cannon
DVDDY Music
Zachary Salter
