Life and Work with Kylee Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylee Jones.

Kylee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always had a love for photography and a passion for wanting to make a difference in people’s lives but I wasn’t always sure exactly the path I wanted to take.

I was raised in a non-traditional family setting, as my parents were divorced, living in different states and both ended up forming blended families. I grew up living with my grandparents, and as far back as I can remember, I was always encouraged to explore my creative side. I tried out lots of different things (I mean what young child doesn’t?) from sewing, cooking, dancing, singing, violin, drawing, painting and photography; but in the end, I knew that none of those things could be a ‘real’ career because my grandfather always told me that I needed to go to college and get my degree. So naturally, as I got older and busier I began to shift my focus away from my creative side and start dedicating all my time to my studies. But it was always in the back of my mind that I wanted something more.

Fast forward to when I moved away to go to college, I really began to miss having a creative outlet. I tried taking classes like yoga and dance during my undergraduate career but it wasn’t until I received my Canon Rebel T5 camera that I remembered how much I missed being behind the camera. I started to offer taking photos of all my sorority sisters, family members, and friends and I loved being able to take photos of someone and share what I saw through my lens with them. I never really spent too much time on photography during my undergraduate career as I had to work three jobs to support myself financially and there is only so much time in the day.

After graduation, I went through a really rough time in my life and spent a lot of my days depressed and in bed. I had no idea what I wanted to do in my life and I felt like a failure because I had spent all this time getting a college degree in Microbiology (which wasn’t easy might I add) and I didn’t want to use it. My parents were constantly pestering me about jobs and grad school and what I was going to do with my life and I began to be crippled with anxiety. I felt like a waste of space and that no matter what I did I would never be enough. It wasn’t until my mother, whom I was living with at the time, kicked me out that I dawned on me that I shouldn’t be living my life on anyone else’s terms but my own! And I knew that I wanted to be able to share my passion with others because I never wanted someone to feel worthless or like they were not enough.

I began begging to take photos of many friends and family even if they hated having their pictures taken because I knew that I would be able to capture their beauty on camera if they just gave me the chance to show them what I saw. And that is perhaps my favorite thing overall about photography, you are able to capture moments and freeze them in time to remember the amazing moments you have experienced throughout a lifetime. After so many people loved the photos, I knew for sure that this was something I wanted to do for other people too.

And since my boyfriend has also always loved photography, he and I have been working to build our portfolio and spread our passion together. We have started this photography business together, I learned how to build a website and spread our message through Instagram. Through family and friends, we got our first booking and then from there, the word keeps spreading and we cannot wait to see where this takes us.

I am currently working on my Doctorate Degree in Microbiology and working our photography business on the side. It is my dream to be able to use this expression of my own passion to inspire other women to live a life of passion and to follow their dreams because anything in this entire world is possible if you just follow your heart. If something keeps pulling you back towards it, don’t ignore it -> that is your calling. Embrace it!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road at all, and I still have a long ways to go.

It definitely is hard to run your own business (and I am still learning) because you are like the one man band. You are the CEO, the CFO, the social media marketer, the photographer, the editor, the customer service and the website builder and it can be a lot to juggle! And being a perfectionist, it was really hard for me at first because I wanted everything to be perfect all the time. While I realize that is not possible, and I do not run my business that way today, I just wanted to point out that it is okay. We are all human and we have to have grace for ourselves and believe in our hopes and dreams even when no one else does.

On top of always believing in yourself and having grace for yourself, I would also strongly advise other women to just go for it! You could spend an eternity planning out all the details, and waiting for everything to be perfect, but in reality, it will never be perfect. And the biggest regrets in life will be from those chances that you never take.

So, just go for it!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tobinspired Photography – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am a lifestyle and portrait photographer that specializes in couples photography. As a brand, we are most proud of our interactions with our clients and strive to provide a stress-free photography experience from beginning to end. We really take the time to learn about our clients to ensure that their expectations for their photographs can be met and exceeded.

A lot of people don’t enjoy being in front of the camera, and I like to start off sessions by easing their worries and ensuring that I have addressed all of their concerns. It is so important to realize that any time you are providing a service for someone that they want to be heard and acknowledged. With a strong background in hospitality and customer service, we pride ourselves on being very personable and relatable to our clients.

Not only are we proud of our interactions with clients, but we are also here to inspire our clients. And our sessions are filled with positivity and excitement and (at least in our opinion) are so fun! We love trying new styles and fun props and are always willing to take the lead on ideas if the clients are unsure of what they want and/or help guide them to narrowing down the look they are going for.

We also are such fun-loving and positive people and believe that positivity is infectious and I think this is also what sets us apart from others!

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I feel that the biggest barriers to female leadership are those that are ingrained in society today, being a female scientist and working in academia this is so apparent in everyday life. Women, for centuries, have been portrayed as being the homemakers, the caretakers and inferior to our male counterparts. We were expected to mind our P’s and Q’s and do what we were told, but the world is evolving and women everywhere decided they wanted to change the world too.

But what we fail to realize is those beliefs that we have had all our lives about female vs. male still exists in our subconscious and portrays situations to us as if we still believed them. Sometimes, it is not always on purpose, but I feel that being aware of the way that we react and act towards females is the most important step.

Pricing:

• Portrait Session (1-2 people) – $150
• Senior Session (1-2 outfits) – $100

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tobinspired.com
• Phone: 623-209-9151
• Email: photo@tobinspired.com
• Instagram: @tobinspired_photo

    Image Credit:
@tobinspiredphoto

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