How I Started a Photography Business at 29 in Charlotte, NC
If you had told me a few years ago that at 29 I would be starting a photography business in Charlotte, North Carolina, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Photography was never something I imagined doing as a career. I had always enjoyed creative things, but I never saw myself as “a photographer.” In fact, I had quite a few photographer friends throughout my adult life, and never once was I interested in photography… even as a hobby. Which is actually kind of funny, because in high school I was very into video. I edited our school video announcements and loved the editing side of it, but I thought it was much more fun to be in front of the camera. I also used to write music, so most of my artistic interests were focused there. Photography just wasn’t on my radar. When I graduated college, I became a high school teacher. A few years later, I met my husband while taking seminary classes. I eventually earned my master’s degree from seminary, originally with the intention of furthering my career as a teacher. I’ve also been able to use what I learned in other ways to serve in my church.
Then I became a mom.
And I quickly realized just how quickly everything changes. My son’s little dimples. His long eyelashes. The way he laughed. The tiny details that seemed so ordinary at the time, but that I knew I would desperately want to remember someday. I had only taken family photos seriously when he was a newborn and six months old. This was a far cry from how my mom would take me to Picture People or JCPenney at the mall practically every other month when I was a baby!
I was pregnant with my daughter when I decided I was going to start taking documenting my children more seriously. So I bought a camera. Specifically, a Canon EOS R50. A very mediocre camera compared to my new Canon R6 Mark II. 😂 But at the time, I loved that little camera. I met up with some friends on Fort Myers Beach and had them take my maternity pictures on auto mode. I loved them. And it was so special to actually have maternity photos! I had never done maternity photos with my son, so I was incredibly grateful to have that season documented with my daughter.
About a month later, my daughter was born. Still in the hospital, I picked up my camera for maybe the fifth time since I bought it and took her Fresh 48 photos. Honestly, even though I was in pain from being postpartum, I remember how much fun I was having.
I was hooked.
Over the next few months, I realized that I wasn’t just enjoying taking pictures of my kids. I loved what photographs gave me. They gave me a way to stop time for just a second. They let me remember what my children looked like at a particular age, but they also brought back how that season of motherhood felt. And that changed the way I looked at photography.
I Started With My Own Family
At first, photography was simply something I did because I loved it. I would take pictures of my kids and our everyday life… the messy, chaotic, ordinary moments that somehow become the moments you treasure most. Eventually, I started taking pictures for extended family and friends.
My first real “shoot” was for my cousin and her boyfriend. I have a lot of family from Northeast Ohio, and they were visiting Florida. They were incredibly patient with me as I learned manual mode, and to this day, I still love those photos.
Not because they were technically perfect. But because they remind me of how much FUN I was having behind the camera. I loved capturing their young love and knowing that I was preserving something they could look back on years from now. It was around this same time that my husband started considering other career opportunities. And then we decided to move. When I was thinking about moving my three-year-old and seven-month-old to a completely new state, I kind of forgot about photography. Not necessarily about my camera, per se. But I forgot how much fun I had using it, so it took a back seat for a while.
Starting Over in Charlotte
About six weeks after we moved to Charlotte, I got the itch to take my camera out again. I’ve always been the type of person who needs a creative outlet, and I think I was starting to realize just how much I had missed it. I honestly don’t know what came over me, but I started reaching out to the little connections I had begun making here in the Queen City. I offered free sessions, grabbed my camera, and learned as I went.
I thought targeting the Fort Mill area would be a good place to start as we are pretty close to the South Carolina border. Charlotte felt so big and overwhelming, and I didn’t even know where to go for pictures yet. Starting in a smaller area felt a little more manageable.And slowly, people started asking me if I photographed families, seniors, couples, and other special moments. What started as something I simply enjoyed began turning into something I couldn’t stop thinking about. Moving is already a huge transition, but starting over somewhere new while building a business from the ground up has been a whole different kind of adventure. I didn’t have years of experience photographing families in Charlotte. I didn’t have a huge client list or a massive following (actually I didn’t even have an Instagram). I didn’t know where to go for pictures. And quite honestly, I had no idea just how competitive the photography industry could be. I just had a camera, a love for people, a desire to create meaningful photographs, and a willingness to start.
So, I started.
I’ve been building Chloe Stiling Photography here in the Charlotte and Fort Mill area one session, one client, and one conversation at a time. And honestly, there is something really special about building a business during this particular season of my life. I’m a mom of two. I’m figuring out how to balance motherhood, family life, and running a business. Some days feel incredibly productive, and other days feel like I’m just trying to keep everyone fed and alive. But I’m learning that starting something new doesn’t require having your entire life figured out first.
Sometimes you just have to take the next step.
