Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Dykeman.
Hi Aubrey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
To start WAY back, my grandpa and great grandpa were both photographers, so it runs in the family! I was gifted a camera in middle school and from that time forward, I was constantly taking photos of my friends. This led me to take a film class in high school and I fell in love with finding the beauty around me. When it was time to decide which college to attend, I found that the University of Central Missouri had a great photo program and actually went into it thinking I would be a sports photographer (because how cool would that be?) but changed my mind after seeing some sports photographers get pummeled by players! Honestly, I’m only 5’3″ and I’m not sure I’d make it past a football playing plowing into me.
I soon after fell in love with portraits and pursued that route. My mantra since then has been to “Discover beauty in everyone” and I really hold that close as I meet new people whether that is for family photos, high school seniors, or couples! I’ve now been running my portrait photography business for 11 years and have had a lot of ups and downs as a small business owner. I’ve gone from being on top of the world to wondering how much longer I should stay in business (and back and forth again). It can be SO tough owning your own business, but honestly, I can’t imagine trading this dream for anything else. I will always be a photographer!
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?
Being a business owner has had its challenges. I was previously in a relationship for almost four years where I was the breadwinner, and I’m honestly incredibly proud of that time. It was painful in the moment because I grew up with the idea that I wanted a “normal” life where my man brought in the main income and I could follow whatever dream I wanted at leisure (including being a stay at home momma someday), but honestly the perspective switch really empowered me to believe that I could make it on my own and be very successful in business and in creating the life I want for myself. And I have! I do account my success to God, whom I put my total faith and hope in for my life and especially my business. I believe I thrive because He gives me exactly what I need when I need it. The more control I give to Him over my business, the more I have felt peace and the better things seem to always work out.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a wedding and portrait photographer. I specialize in working with couples through the engagement process all the way to the wedding. Though engagements/weddings are my favorite, I truly enjoy shooting families, newborns, kids, headshots, real estate, pretty much anything!
I’d like to think I’m known for being my client’s biggest cheerleader, start to end. I love championing my couples as they plan for their wedding day. I love hearing about their plans, seeing all of the pretty details, sharing my excitement for their day/food/cake/whatever! Their joy becomes my joy! I do my best to bring a positive, upbeat attitude to any shoot I’m hired for because these moments are truly precious and each and every moment is so fleeting. I’ve been so incredibly blessed to have some AMAZING clients, and many have become dear friends to me, too!
I’m honestly the most proud of how my photography has evolved specifically over the last 4-5 years. College was very helpful for me in learning all of the technical aspects but it took quite a while to really come into my own style of photographing and editing my images. I’ve grown and learned SO much not only about my personal style but of accounting, web design, posing and working with people, and just being a compassionate human toward all of my clients. There’s so much to know, but I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve taken all of the challenges hurled at me head-on with patience, passion, and joy. I’m much more capable of handling a business than I ever could have imagined….and that’s pretty amazing!
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I want to say a lot of other cutesy life lessons I’ve learned, but honestly, setting boundaries with my business has been an incredibly difficult lesson to learn. Having a work/life balance and not feeling guilty when I’m not working all of the time to accomplish the tasks before me is super tough but really necessary.
It’s okay to have fun.
It’s okay to put work on hold sometimes.
It’s okay to put your own family first.
It’s also okay (and freeing) to take an actual vacation and have an auto-response to your emails while you’re gone!
Pricing:
- Weddings range from $1600-3950
- Family/Newborn/Senior Photos start at $200
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.aubreyerinphoto.com
- Instagram: aubreyerinphoto
- Facebook: aubreyerinphoto
- Twitter: aubreyerinphoto
Image Credits:
Photo of myself by Kymberly Janelle Photography
