It’s been over four months of being a full time photographer. Time has flown by and owning my own business has been my greatest adventure!

But would you believe me if I told you I almost let fear stop me from becoming a photographer? One of my biggest fears before going full time was actually just a little bit of imposter syndrome and worrying what people would think about me or how we would make ends meet with finances.

When I called my mom and dad on my last day of my corporate marketing job and said “I’m not going to look for another full time job, I’m going full time with my business”, I kind of cringed awaiting their response on the other end of the phone. 

Now don’t get me wrong, my parents have been my biggest cheerleaders my whole life. They have NEVER told me “you can’t”. Mom always jokes that the only thing she ever told her children they couldn’t be was tall, haha! It’s just not in our genes.

Mitchel, my husband, had already been telling me for months prior to this that he believed in me and our photo business so strongly. And when I wasn’t confident, he kept on telling me. And you know what? I finally started to believe him.

When I told the rest of my family that I wasn’t putting in job applications for other companies, I had the same feeling. What would they say/think? Would they think I was crazy?

But guys, without skipping a beat, my husband, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc. were all completely supportive! No one tried to talk me out of it or give me any contradicting advice. This really shouldn’t surprise me at all, because they have all been that way my whole life. They all saw my passion for people and for photography and believed in me to be successful and put in the hard work!

I was just looking at it all wrong and not believing in myself. I got in my own way. I thought I should take the safe way out. I saw all of the “what-ifs”. What if I fail? (SIDE NOTE: What the heck is failure, really? I mean if you try with all your heart and it doesn’t work out, what do you really lose?!) But questions like “What if I can’t build my client base? What if I’m not talented enough?” and so on and so on, kept running through my head.

Until I realized all of those “what ifs” weren’t real hurtles at all. I had just built them up in my mind and talked myself into all of the reasons I couldn’t be successful. And then I found my “why”. I think my family actually saw my “why” and passion before it was even clearly evident to me. 

KJP ‘s “WHY”:

Katie Jaynes Photography offers a unique photography experience for couples in love, by capturing their most cherished moments with care, thoughtfulness, and authenticity.

We believe in simplicity and elegance.

But we also believe in laughing until you cry and making jokes with your best buds. We also believe in grace. LOTS of grace. And we think that marriages should be filled to the brim with it!

We enjoy not only providing clients with beautiful images, but also forming friendships with them throughout the process! It brings us such joy to be involved in the special moments of your life and count it our greatest privilege as photographers!

We are here to be your advocates, your confidants, and your friends throughout your wedding journey and beyond!