Meet Kelli Price - CanvasRebel | Woman Owned Business - Kelli Price Photography

I have several “Kelli stories” within my blog….like this one with Peter or this Podcast with David Carr. But can you have too many stories? I chatted with CanvasRebel about my photography business and what has made me successful!

Thank you to my friend Jonathan at Select Shades that recommended me to CanvasRebel! You can read Jonathan’s article here.

Read to the bottom to learn more about CanvasRebel and how YOU can submit your story!

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelli Price. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Kelli thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think there are several things that make you successful. Some of it may come natural while others are outside of your comfort zone. There are some things that I did naturally that I never thought about until somebody else pointed it out.

– Everybody says this but its always good to have a reminder – Let your personality shine through. For the most part, people are hiring YOU. If you want to attract customers that will value the service you provide, then you want to be your most authentic self.
– Say yes and figure it out later. Maybe not with ALL projects, but there will always be projects outside of your comfort zone that will grow your business (or maybe you figure out that is NOT a direction you want to go). Give it a whirl, we all know the phrase “Fake it till you make it!”
– Don’t be afraid to network and put yourself out there. If somebody asks what you do, hand them a business card. I will never forget the times I asked a mutual friend what she did (several times) and it wasn’t until she gave me a card that I finally scheduled an appointment with her.
– When you are given an opportunity don’t let it slip away. Get an organization system that manages your opportunities so that you follow up with them.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began my career as an Account Manager at USMotivation in Atlanta. USM was a full-service rewards, recognition and incentive company with a focus on Incentive Awards and Travel Meetings . As a Senior Account Manager in the Awards Department (think: using your sky mile points for fun stuff…I managed those programs), I learned so much about project planning, software testing, email blasts, customer service and other skills that have helped me have a successful photography business! But most of all, I met some of my best friends and contacts in the industry that supported me in my event photography journey (you know who you are)!

When I switched paths and ventured into photography, it was natural to fall in love with event photography. I saw a great opportunity to combine a few things I really loved… my previous experience with incentive programs, travel, having cocktails with friends and telling the story of amazing events through photography. In 2016 I moved to California to “shake things up”. I call the Reno/Tahoe area home, but the South (hey y’all!) will always have my heart…and most of my clients!!!

I’m often asked, “What is your favorite subject to photograph?” Most people assume its landscape photography since I live in such a beautiful area. But I would say photographing so many networking events has made me realize my favorite is working with individuals on their headshots and hear them say, “This is my favorite photo, and I hate getting my picture taken!” I also seem to be earning a reputation for capturing great candids of couples at the events which gives them a special memory from the evening!

A few years ago, I saw the comment below on a Facebook post after a client posted their headshot. The comment said, “That must be a Kelli Price original!!” ….it totally made my day to have my photography style recognized. As I said before, working with client on their individual portraits is one of my favorite things to photograph. Because, let’s be honest….most people over the age of 22 don’t enjoy the direct attention of a camera.

I love seeing all the headshots on social media I have taken over the years. Between networking events, which I can average about 75-100 lifestyle headshots, small business branding photography sessions and individual portraits, there are a LOT out there! So, I decided to start hashtag: #kelligivesgoodheadshots Did it make you laugh? Good!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have really struggled with finding the balance in marketing my business. Should I spend more money on my website? Should I try paid ads on Google? How much time should I spend on social media? Should I try video or get a drone? At the end of the day, what has grown my clientele and BOOKED business is RELATIONSHIPS with my clients. Over the years, I have allocated funds and time in my schedule to make sure that I can attend important networking events.

There are a lot of great industry events out there and it isn’t possible to get involved with all of them. I focus on SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) and Retreats Resources. Even though I live on the west coast, I am on the board for our SITE Southeast chapter because that is the group of people I know the best, “my industry family.”

I can track my business back to the source of the referrals and I would say 90% of my business is through building relationships. There are a lot of amazing event photographers out there. What sets me apart from them? People hire me because they have met me in person, they feel comfortable with me, or a peer referred me to them.

Don’t be afraid to hand out those business cards and introduce your self at any opportunity!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Even though its “work” and can be tiring & annoying like any job, it is also is a part of what makes me ME! It gives me my confidence, my purpose, and energizes me. When people ask, “What are you traveling for?” or “What do you do?” and I say, “I’m an event photographer” I love people’s reaction, oh that’s cool!

I love making people happy with a great photo of themselves, with their family or a special moment at a meeting. After the past 2 years, I think people realize it’s even more special to capture those moments with professional photography. One of my long-time clients had their annual conference in May 2022 after 2.5 years apart. They opened the general session with a video montage of their beloved MC & colleague that they lost to Covid. The montage was created from video clips and my photographs. This isn’t to brag, but actually brings tears to my eyes. It’s a little reminder that what I do really does have meaning. My photos may capture the last time somebody is photographed with their loved ones or a favorite co-worker.

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Your story matters. Your viewpoint and insights matter. In our view, there is far too much coverage of the trends that ivory tower professors and billionaire fund managers are seeing. What’s the edge in hearing the billionaire consensus view over and over again?

The edge comes from hearing new perspectives and new information like from the wedding planner who has worked with hundreds of couples during the pandemic and has noticed that couples are allocating significantly more of their wedding budgets on “small details” like personalized neon signs or the accountant seeing how there’s a huge uptick in ecommerce clients generating revenue from in person popups.

The small business owners, artists and creatives in our communities are brilliant and deserve more coverage, more platforms and more opportunities to share their stories and insights and we’re excited to play a small role in getting those insights out into the world through our CanvasRebel features.

Our mission is to create a space for artists, creatives and entrepreneurs to be able to learn from their peers through the magic and power of storytelling.  Our love of the storytelling format comes from our founding of VoyageLA almost a decade ago, where we ask folks to share the story of their lives and how they got to where they are today. We’ve been fortunate to expand across dozens of cities nationwide. Through our conversations with thousands of small business owners, artists and creatives we noticed that there was a need for even more storytelling – stories about our business or career that we might share at dinner or over coffee, but that wouldn’t necessarily make it into our memoir at the end of our lives; stories that illustrate the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to be successful day to day, how to build and grow a client base, recruit, train and manage a team or generate a living from your art. 

From the soap you use, the clothes you wear, the coffee you drink to the gym you frequent and art you hang on your walls – there are an infinite number of ways to support the independent artists, makers and small business owners who make our communities amazing places to live and work.

There is so much we can learn from each other and we hope these stories inspire you to pursue your passion and support those who are doing doing so themselves.

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