April 24, 2017

Meet Michelle Brown of Michelle Kyle Photography in Pacific Palisades

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Brown.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Michelle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was originally a graphic designer and I fell in love with Photography when I took some classes in college. After working behind a desk in graphic design and marketing for a few years, I realized that the life style of working a 9-5 job behind a desk wasn’t for me. While I was working my full-time job as a graphic designer I started 2nd shooting and assisting other professional wedding photographers on the weekends, and I LOVED IT! It didn’t take long for me to realize that THIS is what I wanted to do; that photography (specifically wedding & portrait photography) was my passion.

I wasn’t long till I upgraded my equipment and bought my first “professional camera”, and started building my portfolio and my style. As I started to book some of my first clients, I finally got up the guts to quit my desk job and thus Michelle Kyle Photography was officially in business!

Great, 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?
I’ve had such support from my friends and family in my business endeavors, and I’ve been lucky enough to feel like I’m constantly growing. However, I think as a business owner we all go through the ups and downs within our business. For me the amount of risk and uncertainty that came along with starting my own business was and is the biggest obstacle of all.

Another thing that was a challenge was learning how to even run a business! The photography part I felt like came naturally, something I only perfected by learning and practicing. I also love working with people so working in weddings, events, and portraits has always felt like a perfect fit. However, no one ever really teaches you the ins and outs of how to run and conduct a business of your own. Luckily, I have my husband, a fellow business owner and entrepreneur, and other friends/professional photographers who were there to help me along the way!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Michelle Kyle Photography – what should we know?
I am a wedding and portrait photographer.

I am most proud of my growth so far as a company. I have doubled my business since the last year, and I only hope to continue to grow.

What sets me apart from others is I do all that I can to make my clients experience a personal one. I understand how unnerving it can be to be in front of a camera along with the stress of planning a wedding. So my goal with every client, every couple, is to make this an enjoyable experience. I want people to have fun and feel like they can be themselves with me, and it definitely shows in their photographs. My favorite photos are the ones that capture those true raw moments; the moments that most people don’t see and often forget even happen. It’s those moments that put a smile on my clients face when they get their photos back, and it’s what makes my job so rewarding.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Flexibility, hard work/discipline, and time management have been key to my business and success.

Owning a business is unlike any job I’ve ever had, it takes so much hard work and discipline as I play every role in this business. I’m the owner, photographer, retoucher, designer, marketing, secretary, accountant, etc. all in one person. So if I don’t feel like “working” or doing certain responsibilities one day then nothing gets done. With so much to do, with so little time I found it’s been important to develop good time management skills. Trying to “work smarter” and not “harder” has been a challenge and a blessing.

On the photography side, flexibility has been something I’ve found to be so important; especially in shooting weddings. With a wedding, you don’t have a studio where you can control all the surrounding elements that effect your images. You have to be able to work with what you’re given that day and make it beautiful.

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