Today we’d like to introduce you to Bri Powell.
Hi Bri, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Well I grew up in Southern California. I am from a poor family, and a poor area in California. I was born in Riverside, and lived in Moreno Valley with my mom until I was 7. She went to prison, (not the first time) and my grandma convinced her to send me to live with my dad while she was gone. So I moved to the high desert with him in a little city called “Adelanto” I never went back to live with my mom. When I was 15 years old I met my husband.
When I was 16 he left home to join the Marines. He went to bootcamp and his school and then was stationed at Camp Lejeune. We dated until I turned 18. We were engaged on my 18th birthday (APRIL 25TH) and married on July 2nd 2004 while he was on a 96 for the holiday.
We soon started having babies. WE have 5 children. 3 girls and 2 boys. I wanted to capture every moment with them. But, funds were tight with my husband being in the military,us being so young and him not being in the Marine Corps for very long. We would take family photos and photos of the children as much as possible, but we had to find deals and cheap places. I often found myself on the other side of the camera WITH the photographer, helping them pose and such. So my husband decided to buy me a camera. He got me my first Canon Rebel, and I fell in love. I had always loved photography, but now I was doing all of our photos.
Soon we had friends and family and people at church asking me to take their photos. I kept learning and getting better. But with life being so busy, my 5 children being so young, my husband deploying and us living a military life and experiencing tragedies such as losing family members and being homeless, I just didn’t have the time, drive , money or confidence to really run a business. So it never really flourished. Then years later in 2016 my husband got out of the marines unexpectedly. We found ourselves in Arizona, close to family and starting all over. My husband was working at a prison. We were struggling more than ever before. He is a hard worker and dedicated to taking care of his family so he worked up from that (making $13 an hour ) to becoming a sheriffs deputy. Which brought ANOTHER move. It wasn’t as far as our other moves from California to North Carolina and back a couple of times, or from NC to CO or back again to go to OR and then finally AZ, but it was still another move and another start.
We moved from Golden Valley AZ, to Mojave Valley AZ. Which is right along the Colorado river and across the River from Laughlin NV. We started attending church and going to Taekwondo class as a family. We made friends there with other families. The class had testing coming up and it was the first year that the class didn’t have their normal photographer to take the testing photos. My friend Erin suggested me. I was super nervous and hesitant at the time, but she kept gently urging me. So I agreed and ended up doing the karate photos. I feel like it ignited a spark in me that I didn’t have before. My children were a little older, so I had more time. We are a homeschool family, so I was used to most of my time being consumed.
I told my husband of my interest in starting to really run a real business. But I wanted to take some online classes. Learn more and gain some confidence. It was so hard to come from a background of extreme abuse, neglect and poverty and believe that I could do things I had really never seen anyone around me do. And that I had been told my whole life wasn’t something I COULD do. Of course he was supportive. I started taking classes. I also had access to private groups where the teachers interacted with us all. We got to share ideas, photos, get critiqued ( in a positive supportive manner) and just build up and encourage one another. It taught me about business, boundaries, and how so many things are done. But I was still struggling to actually push myself to put myself out there.
Then our home got hit by microburst. It’s kind of like a mini tornado. It ripped part of our roof off and picked up our trampoline and threw it through the desert. My daughter was just about to climb onto it when the wind suddenly came and I told my oldest daughter to call her in. Immediately following that a heavy monsoon type storm hit and flooded our home. It destroyed most of our stuff and the house got infested with mold. It was raining in our home and then 120 degrees after. So we ended u having to sell all our farm animals and move into an rv. All 7 of us, our dogs, cats, and a mini pig.
We moved the Rv to a place called Davis Camp and lived on the Colorado River. We spent as much time outside as we could. But trust me it was tough. But it’s also what I needed to push me to step outside of my comfort zone and put myself out there. I started out by running model calls. I learned how to do it properly through my online classes. I gave extremely discounted sessions, got photos for my portfolio and got to learn learn learn. Soon my business took off pretty good. I was published in about 15 magazines for photographers and I was making money. But we were still having trouble finding a house and were still in the RV. We missed “home” What was home to us,North Carolina. We kept praying about it and my husband and I took a walk one night wanting to talk to each other. We both felt the Lord was telling us to leave everything behind and go back to NC.
So we decided to do that. We sold off everthing we could and used the money I had made from my photography and we packed up and moved back to North Carolina. It was about $8000 for everthing. Including deposits and such. My husband got offered a position at Fayetteville PD. Once we got to NC we definitely struggled for a minute. We stayed in a motel 6 on Bragg blvd for a little bit. But we had so many people in the community step up and help us. Especially within the church and military community. We rented a house in a nice neighborhood through a military friend. And I started trying to build my business again. The job my husband got fell through and he ended up working at a few places like amazon, Smithfield’s and security companies. Then he got a job at a prison. The job at the prison was different than the west coast. It paid more and was so much better in many ways. But he was commuting over and hour everyday. So we needed to move -AGAIN. Closer to the prison.
I didn’t think we would be able to buy a house, but we found the perfect place and we got approved quickly and easily in Whiteville, NC. We have our own little homestead with horses, goats, chickens, pigs and more. That is about an hour from Myrtle Beach (where we spend a lot of time) an hour from Wilmington and an hour from Fayetteville. I’ve had to re-adjust and learn new ways here in Whiteville on how to build my business. In a small town things are more personal here. But after being here for 3 years and taking a small break, we are really starting to take off again. My husband also has stepped more into roles with the business which has really been a game changer. The children are always helping and contributing in some way. They have all come to a shoot at one point as my assistant. We work together, with me running it, at festivals, marine balls, events, dances, private shoots, and more. We have even ventured out in some our real estate shoots with assisting with repairs. I still have clients from Fayetteville that I take photos of. I do travel and am always looking to branch out, grow and learn.
It seems as if every time a storm comes into our lives, I fall back into my photography. Recently we have had growing pains in our life. Adjusting to a new season with adult children, and my father passing. I think photography is my passion that I turn to when things are tough. It’s sometimes a stressful job, but it’s a job I love.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been smooth. I listed a bunch of challenges in the last question
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer and business owner.
I take photos of people, places, and things. I love it. I absolutely adore it when people love their photos. When I see the joy in their eyes. When the vision they had, or I had comes alive.
I am really most proud that I grew enough to even have the confidence to open a business and work with people.
I am proud of every baby step I take. Every growth. But being published in magazines is really cool too!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Have a drive to learn from your mistakes and do better. Never give up. It doesn’t matter where you came from. You are capable of anything you put your mind to. So start telling yourself you can do it. Even if it feels like a lie at first.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://express.adobe.com/page/lpM1m6ercChoU/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/appleofmyeyephotographybree/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AppleofmyEyePhotographyBree/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@appleofmyeyephotography8777
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/apple-of-my-eye-photography-fayetteville-4
