Meet Stephanie Messick Photography | Wedding & Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Messick Photography and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe a strong brand is essential in every business. But what led me to my success was consistency, determination, authenticity, passion, and always striving to learn! Every year, I like to look at my experience from my client’s perspective. What can I improve so they RAVE about my business and do the marketing for me? Ultimately, delivering an experience that exceeded their expectation was the best motivation! Ten years later, I’m still learning, refining, and building because this industry is ever-changing!

Word of mouth drove my success to quit my full-time job and make a six-figure income within 1.5-years of starting my business! And blogging, social media, SEO, and connecting with vendors helped my business grow outside of my network. Especially, when my family moved to a new area. I owe everything to my faith, family, and my clients/vendor friends! My business looks a lot different now that I’m approaching the decade mark, but I’m able to take time off, and my business still runs efficiently! Isn’t that what we all want in our careers? Flexibility! Being an entrepreneur can be hard work, especially during those building years, but it is also life-giving when you love what you do!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I consider my work “light and airy” and strive to capture the in-between moments that showcase my client’s personalities! Many don’t know what to expect before their time in front of the camera (totally normal!)! I reassure them that I help direct and guide them through fun exercises. Not only do I capture candid moments, but also flattering poses!

What am I most excited about? Coming from the Virginia mountains and the Florida beaches, I’m excited to photograph the majestic Colorado mountains in the backdrop of my portraits!! Colorado seems to draw the adventurous couples/families, and that is the type of client I want to photograph! I’m in awe every day over the beauty of Colorado, and I love sharing my appreciation of the beautiful views with others who also feel the same way.

How did I get to where I am today? I started working as a full-time graphic designer for the government in Washington DC after I graduated from James Madison University (GO DUKES!) in 2011. Commuting about three hours on top of a long workday was exhausting! But as soon as I got home, I worked on my building my business. I worked long days, but it brought me so much joy dreaming of bigger plans! I found myself up until 3 a.m. some nights working on edits/blogging from photographing over the weekends. Fortunately, that season only lasted for a few months before I decided to find a graphic design job closer to home at the time. I took a major pay cut, but I grew my photography business to another level because I had more time to photograph more couples/families. It paid off to take that risk! Eventually, my business quickly grew, and I contemplated whether or not to quit my full-time job. My boss at the time saw my potential and excused me from my position. I needed that kick because I quickly realized that the more time I spent working on my business, the more I got out of it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Every time we have family or friends in town, we hope they love it so much that we can convince them to move out here! HA! Really, though, there’s SO much to do around Colorado, with so much more to still experience/see!! During our short time living here, we have some favorite things we love to share with our guests!

Activities/Places:
See a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (a must!)
Hike The Crags Trail
Drive up to Pikes Peak (it’s definitely an experience!)
Drive State Hwy 67 the beginning of October to see the Aspen trees
Ski/Snowboard/Tube (of course!!)
Wander around the Garden of the Gods
Hike the Manitou Incline
Attend an Air Force Academy football game
Experience a Colorado Rockies baseball game
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Winter lights at the Broadmoor

Eat/Drink:
Denver Biscuit Company
Garden of the Gods Market and Cafe
Mod Pizza
Dutch Bros Coffee

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
MY FAITH! Thanks to God for giving me these gifts to share with my clients. Every day, I’m so grateful to have a career that I LOVE!

MY FAMILY! Thanks to my sweet husband, Alex, who pushes me every day to strive for something bigger than what I thought I was capable of! My husband and son’s future is the reason why I continue working so hard! Thanks to my parents for encouraging me to establish my business TEN years ago! Being entrepreneurs themselves opened my eyes to the business world! It’s scary starting something unfamiliar, but the support and love from my parents and community gave me the courage to push forward. Thanks to my sister, Amanda, and mom for helping all of those late-night work hours packaging client gifts and listening to my crazy ideas!

MY COMMUNITY! Thanks to my friends who cheered me on since day one and helped me dream BIG! They were also great models to help build my portfolio before launching my business. 🙂 A HUGE thanks to my clients and vendor friends for making my business successful from year to year!! Documenting their special occasion (whether it was a wedding, an engagement, a family gathering, or a pregnancy), I owe my business to each one of them!!! Every wedding/session left an impression on me and the wife/mother/businesswoman I want to be. Being a photographer and connecting with so many has been the most rewarding job! And lastly, thanks to my photography network — I would not be the same photographer without my industry friends. I’m SO grateful for the photographer communities/friendships I’ve formed over the years because not every industry is as lucky to have competition out of mind.

Website: www.stephaniemessick.com

Instagram: @stephaniemessickphoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephaniemessickphotography