Today we’d like to introduce you to Mechelle Robinson.
Mechelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello! I am Mechelle Robinson and I am the mother of a wonderful 21-year old daughter that is graduating from College of Charleston in 2022 and I am also the owner of Excellence Photography LLC, the 1st Photography and Videography Agency in South Carolina and North Carolina,
First, I did not know I was the 1st Photography and Videography Agency in SC and NC until someone pointed it out to me and I researched it. The closest photography agency is in Tennessee. Being the 1st in two states is pretty exciting, but please know it was and is a lot of work. I also do want to mention I am a single mother that is a disabled veteran.
This is where I will start, around 2014-2015 I worked a job and started becoming ill and I tried 16 times to go back to work and could not do it. My job even tried to allow me to do part-time, however, I could not do that either. I was first put on short-term disability and then long-term disability from my job. I was devasted because again I am a single mom taking care of my daughter on long-term disability, which is only a portion of my income. I applied for SSDI and I prayed and got it. So, at around 34 years old I was without a job and legally disabled not getting enough to live on let alone take care of my daughter. I did have savings and a 401k but I knew I did not have enough because I was only 34. I had to think of another way to bring in money to take care of me and my child.
I was raised in the church and had started getting back into the Bible being that I was at home more. I sat in silence in my room and prayed to God for help because I couldn’t work part-time or full-time. After I prayed I looked around my room and realized I photograph most of the things in my place and wondered how much photographers made. I googled and called around and realized they make decent money and they do shoots for maybe 30 minutes to an hour. I said I can do that but realized to be a professional photographer you need to edit so I enrolled at my community college and got accommodations for my disabilities and learned how to not only take photos properly but also how to edit. I felt good about it but still had fears.
At this time it was time for my daughter’s senior photo shoot, so I called and tried to find out prices but they said you had to come in to get the price sheet which I found strange. I did go there and then I found out why I rarely see Senior photos anymore because it was so expensive. I then wondered can we go anywhere else because again I was living on a fixed income. I found out there was no other place so my fear honestly turned to concern because I know if I couldn’t afford this I knew others couldn’t either. That’s where another purpose came in for my business, to offer affordable graduation photography.
I did go to the senior photoshoot and cried as most parents do and ended up getting a package and putting it on my credit card. I thought to myself they can charge these rates because there is no competition but if they had competition they would have to be more competitive to stay an option. I had my work cut out for me, but I was determined and me being who I am, I said I can do it and my daughter had my back as well. I know I couldn’t work alone because of my disabilities so I know I needed contractors to start. I did not pay a lot in the beginning but I knew I eventually wanted to pay a living wage and be a place of employment where employees are respected and treated fairly.
I borrowed some books from the library and put together my business plan in my room and I felt good about it but I wanted someone else to look at it. When I went to get my LLC the guy actually was from wall street helping his mom run her accounting business and I asked him to look at my plan because it was different. He told me I wouldn’t get rich but I would make money and that’s all I needed to hear because I wasn’t out to get rich. I was doing this to help myself, my daughter, and the community so it was about making a difference.
What people don’t realize is that we are all interconnected and one person does affect another. If I can come up with a way to pay a living wage maybe that would get a homeless person off the street or help a mom that’s in an abusive relationship not have to find someone else to live with because she can’t afford an apartment by herself. I myself am a domestic violence survivor so I’ve been there and totally understand the problem.
Another thing people don’t realize about Charleston is that retired people flock here driving up the price of real estate and other things. Unfortunately, the people that can’t retire yet can’t afford a decent place to stay which forces roommate situations with people you may not even like to prevent from being homeless because most employers are not paying a living wage. A cause for that goes back to the real estate problem. If it is high for homes it doubles for commercial property which forces employers to pay low wages to stay in business (it is a vicious cycle).
In South Carolina, we are still one of the highest in the US for domestic violence and of course not paying a living wage contributes to that. The woman getting abused could leave but if she doesn’t have a job that pays her enough to get an apartment and she doesn’t have a family, what is she to do. The way things are set up does not give people realistic choices, which forces them to stay in abusive relationships. The sad part is that everyone does not make it out alive.
I saw a way that I could help but knew it would take time and after almost four years we have employees that earn a living wage. We also have added another studio in Columbia SC. We have two school contracts and are looking to get more now that we can afford employees. We started out with contractors and we still have them. It works because some people just love photography so getting paid a nice amount doing what they love works for them on a per-job basis.
I myself have been doing photography as a hobby since high school so to make a living doing what I love and helping others is a blessing. I am proud to say we have won awards every year we have been in business, however, my greatest achievement was to be an example to my daughter that in spite of my disabilities I did not give up and continued to keep going for her, myself, and others.
Owner of Excellence Photography LLC, Mechelle Robinson.
Awards:
- 2018 SCORE Grant Winner through the SBA
- 2019 GOOGLE Highly Rated Veteran-Led Business Award
- 2019 Thumbtack Top Pro
- 2019 WeddingWire Couples Choice Award
- 2019 Alignable Highly Recommended Business Award
- 2020 SCORE January Client Success Spotlight
- 2021 Top Rated Local Award for being the Top Rated Photography Company in South Carolina
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
An obstacle I face is the timing of doing things because I am disabled, so I have to do things when I am well-getting school contracts; took me years but after the 1st one and proving my company can do an amazing job, it became easier.
As you know, we’re big fans of Excellence Photography LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a Photography and Videography Agency that has Photo Studios in Charleston, SC, and Columbia SC!
We specialize in Family Photography, Maternity Photography, Newborn Photography, Birthday Photography, Headshots, Graduation Photography, Senior Photos, School Photos, Business Photos, Wedding & Events, and Livestream!
We are known for Maternity, Birthday, and Graduation Photo Shoots, we have fun! We also do Studio Photo Shoots and Outside Photo Shoots!
Our address for our Charleston Studio is
937 Wappoo Rd Suite 3a Charleston SC 29407
Columbia Studio Address: is 3106 Broad River Rd Suite 3 Columbia SC 29210
Our Phone number is 843 437-2302
Our email address is excellencephotographyllc@gmail.com
Our website is www. excellencephotographyllc.com
We are most proud of our reviews and ratings! We’ve been in business almost four years and still maintain a 4.9 on Google and a 5-star rating on Facebook and Weddingwire
Please know we are a full-service studio that offers great, professional service and we do offer prints, canvases, photo, and wedding albums. YOU CAN ALSO BOOK 24/7 on our website!
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was born and raised by my grandparents in Charleston, SC. I was and still am a nerd, lol, I loved to read and write and still do. I also loved music and still do. I graduated high school from Wando High at 16 years old and I am a navy veteran.
Pricing:
- 225 1 hour Photo Shoot in Charleston
- 250 1 hour Photo Shoot in Columbia
Contact Info:
- Email: excellencephotographyllc@gmail.com
- Website: www.excellencephotographyllc.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/excellencephotographyllc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/excellencephotographyllc
- Youtube: Excellence Photography LLC
- Yelp: Excellence Photography LLC
- Other: Snap Chat ExcellencePhoto
Image Credits
Jen Wilson – Photographer
Eden Bontuyan – The Retoucher
