Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Knight.
Hi Hannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My name is Hannah Knight. I am a 22-year-old Georgia-based photographer, and I am the owner of HannahK Photography. This business was established in 2015. I currently shoot weddings/couples, families, and seniors. My main goal in my business, no matter what I’m shooting, is to provide my clients with timeless memories to keep & cherish forever. After all, none of us are on this Earth forever.
As I mentioned above, I have been doing photography for about 6.5 years now. I purchased my first camera in my sophomore year of high school, all because my high school’s athletic director asked me to be our sports photographer. I had some previous experience shooting sports, but it was not with my own camera. I still shoot sports today, but I am so glad that my business has expanded to bigger and better niches since this journey began.
I would say that the turning point of my business was the start of Covid. Photography is not my only job, currently, but I am really hoping, praying, dreaming, and believing that I will be a full-time senior photographer and educator one day in the near future. Anyways, back to the turning point of my business. My other job is a cafe assistant, and I have been there for 3 years at the end of this month. I was furloughed from here from mid-March to the 2nd week of June. I really did not want to spend 3 months sitting at home doing nothing. It was during this time that I decided that I wanted to level up my photography game, so I invested in courses about a whole lot of photography things! I had a few friends come over to the house so I could take photos of them at sunset. During these shoots, I implemented what I learned from the courses, put those photos on social media, and people actually noticed how much my work was improving! I believe these three months in my business were the turning point because HannahK Photography has gained a lot of clienteles since Covid since this business started in 2015. That will also lead me to say that investing in education for you and your business is my #1 tip for any type of photographer, no matter where you are in your journey. You will not regret it. Everyone starts somewhere, and you are always learning and growing in this industry 🙂
I will close by saying that a fun fact about me is that I am a photographer in a wheelchair. Not a lot of people know photographers in a wheelchair, I am beyond thankful and blessed that I am able to live out this huge passion of mine, nonetheless. Is my photography journey always easy? No. Success never comes easy, but I am so thankful for all my wonderful clients who trust and allow me to use my God-given talents and abilities to capture everlasting memories for them. This business wouldn’t exist without y’all, and I do not take this job of mine for granted.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As I mentioned in the previous question, it has not been easy. There have been so many highs and lows in my journey so far, but I will not let those get in the way of doing what I love. Community over competition and mindset. Those 2 ideas were hard for me to comprehend at the beginning of my journey. It can still be hard today. It is so hard to compare you and your work to that of others. Your mind tells you the lie of “oh, my work is not near as good as this person’s.” Any of those lies that your mind tells you is straight from the devil. You can NOT listen to it. You can NOT compare yourself and your work to someone else’s. Why? Because they may be further along in photography than you are, and THAT IS OKAY. As long as you are putting in the work and effort to better yourself, that’s really all that matters. Baby steps are still baby steps, and little progress is better than no progress at all.
You cannot compare your step 1 to someone else’s step 10. I believe it is super important to you a group of like-minded photographers who are able to be there for you, encourage you, ask questions, and just grow with, no matter if that’s virtually or in person. Find you a person/small group who will hold you accountable and help you reach your goals in life. Community over competition. Always.
Location Scouting. I do not drive yet, but I hope to do so very soon. Many photographers go out and look for locations to shoot at a few days before a session is held there. I can’t do that unless I just happen to be with family and see a place. Going out on my own to find various places to shoot at, if client desires a unique location, is hard, but of course, I will always have local location suggestions in mind that have very good light, and good light is the number one thing I look for when location scouting or already at a session.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about HannahK Photography?
As previously mentioned, I shoot weddings/couples, families, and seniors. Even though I love capturing everything, I will admit that graduation season is my busiest and most favorite time of the year. I love having that one-on-one connection with my seniors and being able to hear what their vision is for the session and help them make it come to life makes my heart so joyful. I will also say that shooting seniors is what I am known for, and I would love for my primary niche to one day be seniors. In the 2020-2021 school year, I photographed 18+ seniors. That is a lot! I was so busy during that school year, but during that time is when I truly realized that that is what I want to do and do it full time. I love my seniors, both high school and college, and being there to capture them closing a huge chapter of life and starting a new one is beyond anything I could ever imagine!
I will say what I believe sets me apart from others are the fact that I’m in a wheelchair. People still choose me to capture special memories for them. They don’t let my disability (Spina Bifida) keep me from doing what I love, so why should I? I am so grateful for any and all who choose to work with me.
A few adjectives to describe my brand is bright, vibrant, positive, happy, energetic, and joyous. When people enter my business, they become more than just clients to me, & that’s all because of God. He develops so many important, valuable friendships between me and all my clients that will last a lifetime. That is what I love most about my business, and it is my goal for my clients, and everyone else for that matter, to see Jesus shine through me, always. This business is for Him and because of Him.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Yes, I sure have! Covid has actually been a blessing in disguise for my business, as I believe it was a turning point for me. I think the important lesson I have learned during this pandemic is to work hard for what you want. Nobody else will do the work for you. It is important to have the right people in life to support you and your goals and dreams. No matter how long it takes you to reach your goals and dreams, don’t give up. Be determined. I am thankful for the many life and business lessons that this pandemic has taught me so far.
Pricing:
- The Lifestyle Experience: $125, 30 minutes, 20 edited images. This is perfect for families (up to 6 people), couples, and maternity photos
- The Lifestyle Experience: $250 60 minutes, 40 edited images. This is perfect for families (up to 6 people), couples, and maternity photos
- The Classic Senior Experience: $250, 60 minutes, 40 images, 1 location, 2 outfit changes, style guide
- The Petite Senior Experience: $125, 30 minutes, 20 edited images, 1 location, 1 outfit change, style guide
Contact Info:
- Email: hannahkphoto.ga@gmail.com
- Website: https://hannahkphotography94.pixieset.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com/hannahk_photographyyy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahKnightPhotos/
Image Credits
Brittany Bruce Photography
HannahK Photography
Holly Jean Russell
Classic City Photography
