Meet Kayla McIlroy | Aspiring Professional Photographer and Journalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla McIlroy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, how do you define success?
Success can mean many different things to a wide variety of people. It could be money, building a family, personal fulfillment, or just any achievement of a desired outcome or goal. Personally, I think success is each individual step towards creating a positive change in myself, my life, and my well-being. I don’t think success is reaching my final goal, but success is the experiences, opportunities, and lessons that I encounter while getting to my ultimate destination. I haven’t reached my final goal yet, but I feel successful in where I am today.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What I am most proud of when it comes to my portrait photography is how I make people feel beautiful through my photographs. I love seeing people grow more confident throughout a shoot. Not only am I proud to have that positive effect on others, but it is also the most rewarding part of my creative passion. In regards to where I am today professionally, I am just at the start of my professional journey. So far, it has been a slow journey, and sometimes it is difficult to keep going when you don’t feel like you are progressing. Through all the doubts, I enjoy what I do and bumps in the road shouldn’t stop me from what I love to do and the goals that I hope to reach. One important lesson I have learned is patience and staying persistent. Learning photography took time and practice, and it’s important to be patient and persistent in efforts to improve. When it comes to my photography story, I want the world to know that my creative passion and business completely flipped my life around. When I found something that I truly wanted to do in my life and made it a priority, my life changed for the better. My mental health and well-being have improved so much since I found and pursued photography.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area the first thing we would do is go to a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison. Concerts at Red Rocks are truly a life-altering experience. During the summer I would take them to the Denver Botanic Gardens, but during winter I would take them to Steamboat, my favorite ski resort. When it comes to going out to eat I would suggest the Golden Mill which is a food hall. There are so many different options and I love the vibe overall. While visiting Colorado hiking is always a great option. Hanging Lake is a gorgeous hike with a rewarding destination. Another fun day trip would be visiting the Rocky Mountains and spending a day in nature.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shout-out to Jill Mott, my photography professor at CSU who is dedicated to helping her students develop their skills and achieve their goals in the field of photography! Your passion for photography and commitment to teaching is truly inspiring, and your students are lucky to have you as a mentor. Thank you for all that you do to support me.

Website: https://kaylamcilroy.wordpress.com

Instagram: piilani_photography

Image Credits
All images were taken by me besides the last photo. The last photo is a picture of me taken by my brother Dylan McIlroy.