Meet Shelby Smelser of Shelby Lea in Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Smelser.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Shelby. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up on the farmlands in Central Oklahoma. I lived outside on my family’s land. I explored, rode horses, the four-wheeler, and fished. I could go out to that old fishing dock and sit and all my worries seemed to fade. That’s when this whole photography journey began. As I wondered around the land I wanted to capture it. I wanted to be able to share the beauty I saw in the land. I wanted to share the trees and the butterflies and the sight of the breath coming out of our livestock noses during the cold winter. After a while of that one of my sweet friends asked if I could take photos of her, from that point on I never stopped sharing the beauty I see in people. In my sweet clients, in their love, their families, and in their stories.

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?
Every small business owner has struggles. One of my biggest struggles was moving to Arizona right after high school. I started my photography journey in Oklahoma and had built a good sized clientele there. It’s where I grew up so everybody knew when I started to take pictures. When we moved to Arizona I felt like I was starting from the bottom again. I was a face that nobody had seen before and now they are trusting me to take their photos. It was a challenge but I am so grateful for it. Not only did it teach me hard work, it also taught me to be confident in my work and who I am.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Shelby Lea – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My husband, Colbe, and I work together as a husband and wife photography team. We believe that photos are one of the most important parts of the wedding day. When all of it is said and done, our clients are left with the sweet memories and the photos! We love this responsibility. Our client’s wedding days will be one of the happiest days of their lives and we make sure our photos of it reflect that. We keep our images light, airy, and timeless. We want our clients family and friends to be in awe while looking at them for years and years to follow.

Aside from the actual images we take, we love the relationships we get to build with our clients. It’s important to us that we get to know them so we can capture their day exactly how they want it done! We also make sure our clients feel extremely comfortable in front of the camera! That’s what I love so much about working with my husband! Colbe is a “people person”, he becomes friends with almost everyone he meets! On the wedding day I stay with the bride and her bridesmaids and he hangs out and shoots the groom and his groomsmen while they are getting ready! It makes everything flow smoothly and helps everyone feel more comfortable!

We also take pride in our turn around time. We don’t want our clients to be waiting for their wedding images for months and months. Our favorite thing to do is surprise our clients with their images quicker than they expect. We also take pride in genuinely caring about and serving our clients. We have found our jobs to be much more rewarding when we truly put our full hearts into it.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to keep steadily growing and working hard. We love where we are at right now and we hope for things to continue in the direction they are going!

We are looking forward to a new personal change in our life coming soon! We are expecting our first child, a baby girl due at the end of May! We are looking forward to how this strengthens our business and changes our lives to be more present as a family. I have so many photographer friends who are parents and they have told us about how it has strengthened their businesses. I am looking forward to those happy changes!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shelbylea.com
• Email: shelbyleaphoto@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelbyleaphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShelbyLeaPhotography/

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