We recently had the chance to connect with Bryanna Kimminau and have shared our conversation below.
Bryanna, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Since the last time I spoke to Canvas Rebel my “normal day” has changed dramatically! My husband and I were blessed to welcome our first baby home earlier this autumn during the peak of both of our busy seasons. At any other given time, my day would resemble a morning of self-care followed by a coffee-fueled editing season, with a long lunch break to take care of our three dogs and eat a good meal. If I had more than a few galleries to get out of the door, I would log back in to edit for another 2-3 hours before wrapping up the day with any hot gossip my husband brings home from the office (a workplace commodity that you don’t get when you work from home!) Now, my days start quite a bit earlier and are much more hectic. My morning consists of decoding baby screams until I get a short reprieve during her morning nap time. Then for the next 30 minutes to 3 hours, I am either cleaning bottles, answering emails, crashing for a nap of my own, or running yet another load of laundry. There is always so much laundry. I’m sure many readers can relate!
It may not feel glamorous in this moment, but I’m beyond blessed that my career also allows me to be a stay-at-home mom. These “normal days” are filled to the brim with joy at being able to create what I am passionate about as a photographer, but also soak in the moments with our little one.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Bryanna! I am the owner/operator of my own photography and videography business called Milestone KC. My bread and butter is weddings, couples, and family photography. I think the spirit of my brand comes from capturing those authentic, one-of-a-kind moments throughout a wedding day. Yes, wedding days definitely have plenty of fabricated photo opportunities, but it shouldn’t feel like a 12-hour photoshoot. Your gallery should be of you experiencing your wedding day, not being shuffled from picture to picture. If there was one aspect of my workflow that goes against the norm, I think that would be it. I’m there to make sure we check off the “must have’s”, but it’s also my goal to simply capture the day in its truth. So if a groomsman splits his pants while doing a backflip on the dance floor, you better believe I’m including all of the bloopers in the gallery. Those memories are priceless!
One of my latest new ventures I’m working through for my business is to offer a “Digital Disposable Camera” guest experience. In the past few years, I’ve seen a huge uptick in retro/grainy photography, with a lot of couples shelling out hundreds of dollars for disposable cameras for their reception, followed by another couple hundred dollars to develop the film and get prints or scanned images! With Digital Disposable, you get the screen-free, “in-the-moment” nostalgia, but none of the limitations of film. It’s the best of both worlds! Knowing my couple’s priorities, it falls perfectly inline with my mission to capture raw, genuine moments, and to include a unique experience for guests to join in on the fun! I can’t wait to begin introducing it to my clients in 2026.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
I think my biggest influence when it came to joining the workforce was my mom. When it was time to find my first job, she prompted me to seek out an interview at her favorite sushi restaurant. I think it was so she could enjoy my discount, but I pretended it was so that she could come see me and get a nice meal at the same time. It always made mother’s day easy as well, because I could just snag a mango roll after work and she would light up like a Christmas tree!
She was always in my corner to help me understand money and work ethic, and above all, self worth. It’s been one of the main pillars I go back to as an entrepreneur because so much of what I do stems from having the confidence and integrity to know what my time is worth. My mom is my biggest hype woman and I find that between her, the feedback from my clients, and the support of my peers, it can pretty much curb stomp any imposter syndrome that comes my way.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
The saying goes, “If you’ve only ever known happiness, than how can you know what true happiness is?” I’m paraphrasing, but without struggle, how can you know what the opposite feeling is? As humans we need to experience both sides of the coin in order to fully appreciate the highs in our life. Through controversy, I’ve grown and adapted my brand to better meet my client’s needs. In my personal life, suffering has molded me into the person I am today by giving me the tools to communicate, regulate, and pursue my ambitions without the fear of failure. By treating failure as a friend and a teacher, I can bypass the self-depreciation stage and begin again with newfound knowledge, which hopefully will contribute to my success in my next attempt.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Ohhhh man I love this question! I am me all of the time! There’s not much that I leave to speculation when it comes to my social presence. I think it’s important for my clients to know exactly who they’re booking when it comes to their wedding day. The one nuance I will say about my public persona is that I am still quite private when it comes to sharing personal milestones. For example, I didn’t announce my pregnancy until I was pretty much going on leave. In my defense, I was still doing engagement sessions at 36 weeks and telling clients individually via email before they booked me so that they could make the decision that was right for them. I wanted to be transparent, but it felt too personal to share those details online. People put way too much personal information online anyway and it was a moment I wanted to enjoy privately with my family.
If I ever tried faking my public identity, I think it would backfire immediately. My clients would get to their session an instantly realize I’m a quirky weirdo. To make sure they know this beforehand and are not caught off guard, I try to incorporate my personality in every inquiry response I send out. If the exclamation button ever broke on my keyboard, I think I would be quite literally screwed. It is the lifeblood of my emails!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone – hopefully just from the wedding industry, but even when I’m 6 feet under – I hope people remember my joy and dedication. I pour so much of my heart into all of my work that I sincerely hope the people I’ve worked with will look back on their galleries and remember the woman behind the camera just as fondly. Photography isn’t just another day of work for me. It is the vehicle of fulfillment that is the human desire to connect with others on a profound level. We all seek connection, all of us in different ways, and mine just so happens to also be my career! I hope people tell the stories of how, “She sat with my Nana during the reception and listened to her explain her truffles recipe,” “She kneeled in the mud to bustle my dress because my maid of honor couldn’t find the loops,” or even “She cried during our vows harder than half of the guests because she’s seen our love the way no one else has.” I want to be that life long friend for people! Not just another vendor on their wedding day. Every last one of my couples has left a deep impact in my journey through my career, and I just hope that when it’s all said and done, I was able to make a little dent in a few hearts as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.milestonekc.com
- Instagram: @milestone_kc
Image Credits
Whitney Sevy (for headshots)
