Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Harris.
Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Taylor. I am twenty-five years old and married to the love of my life, Cameron. I have been taking photos for about 5 years. Although I work as a full time photographer, I enjoy graphic design, illustration, interior design, spending time with family, and playing with my sweet pup and kitten in my free time.
I was born in Plano, Texas and then raised in Huntsville, Alabama at the age of 2 with my two twin sisters. I graduated from The University of North Alabama with a BFA in Digital Media in December of 2019. I worked as a graphic designer/ videographer from 2019 – 2022 but am now achieving my dreams by working as a full time photographer, serving the North Alabama region and beyond.
My husband is a special needs teacher and about a year and a half after I got married to my husband he introduced me to a co-worker he had recently become friends with! It turned out that she worked as a wedding photographer part time alongside her teaching career. At the time her second shooter had just recently decided to start her own business so she was looking for someone to join her team. She asked if I would be interested and I of course said yes! I had taken tons of photography classes all the way through high school and college and loved photography but had never really thought about making it a business. I continued to work for her for about 2 years doing about 10- 20 weddings a year. I eventually started a social media account to showcase my work and then pretty quickly had friends and family reaching out to me to take their photos for various events/ reasons. After doing a few, I decided I should start my own business. This is when Taylor Harris Photography came to life.
I began talking to other photographer friends and listening to educational podcasts and videos trying to figure out how to market myself as a photographer. After a year, I really started to fall in love with my work and decided that this was something I wanted to do full time. After talking it over with my husband and working really hard to establish a client base and figure out all the logistical/financial pieces of owning your own business, I took the leap of faith by quitting my full time graphic design job to become a full time photographer.
Although I was very nervous about being able to match my previous salary, it flourished and grew faster than I could have ever imagined. Within the first month of quitting my job, I was able to match my previous salary plus some!
Where I really think my business grew quickly:
While in the process of resigning my previous position, a friend of mine (now soon-to-be brother-in-law) came to me with an idea. He wanted to fly him and I across the country to surprise my sister on her spring break trip and propose to her! I knew this would be coming soon but he surprised me with how soon he wanted to carry out this plan. We had about a month to plan the entire trip, get the tickets, get the ring, and make this all happen. After a lot of research between the two of us, he eventually decided to do the proposal in Utah. Although we had originally decided to do it in another area, it ended up happening in Snow Canyon on the Petrified Dunes. Following the proposal, we surprised her with a trip to Salt Lake City to do their engagement photos at the Bonneville Salt Flats. It all ended up working out perfectly and she was so surprised. It was her dream come true.
After returning home from this whirlwind of a trip, all the inquiries started flowing in. I had tons of people requesting couples photos, newborn sessions, family photos, weddings, and more!
The crazy thing was, I did that entire engagement and proposal session for free for my family and it turned out to bring me the most clients yet.
Since then I have booked several weddings, a couple of proposals, and tons of engagement sessions. I can’t wait to see my business continue to grow.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not really been a bumpy or difficult road, more so just a slow one. It’s taken a long time to build up years of experience and knowledge. However, I am always learning more things. The world of photography is ever-changing and each and every session is always different. I have been fortunate enough to have a long line of people cheering me on the entire way and I will forever be thankful for each and every one of those people.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Primarily I work as a lifestyle photographer. Some of the sessions I do are Couples, Branding, Newborn, Portraits, Family, Weddings, Event Coverage, and more. Although I would love to eventually just focus on portraits and couples/weddings.
My favorite session would have to be my sister’s proposal in Layton, Utah at the Petrified dunes in Snow Canyon State Park.
With years of training under my belt, I know how to pose and guide clients to make them feel relaxed while looking their very best. I use natural lighting as often as possible and make sure my sessions are intimate & fun! My goal during the session is not to make you look “posed.” I want to be able to capture genuine moments between you and the person you love most so that they can last forever.
How do you define success?
When thinking of my definition of success I often think of the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; … to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child or a garden patch … to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is success.” Success can be different for everyone. Although in my eyes success is knowing you’ve done your best at something and you’ve found enjoyment, happiness and beauty along the way.
Pricing:
- Couples Sessions begin at $275
- Family Sessions begin at $400
- Milestone Sessions begin at $275
- Portrait Sessions begin at $250
- Branding Sessions begin at $400
- Weddings & Elopements begin at $975
Contact Info:
- Email: taylor@taylorharrisphotography.com
- Website: https://www.taylorharrisphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorharrisphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylorharrisphoto/
Image Credits
Taylor Harris Photography LLC
