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Meet Trailblazer Emily Cahalan

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Cahalan.

Emily, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The first time I picked up a camera, was my senior year of high school. I took a Photography 101 class with a man that looked quite a bit like Danny Teeson from the Six Flags Commercials.

But, it took me a long time to pursue Photography as anything more than a hobby.

I went to school at UCCS and I got a business degree. I worked at three different companies after that. Becoming more and more disappointed with each position I filled. I learned quickly that the corporate world was not for me. I would do anything to be self-employed. Especially after working at my most recent company.

I bought my first DSLR camera three years ago. I have been picking up the camera and putting it down ever since. But this past year, it’s actually stayed in my hand!

I had been planning on leaving my job in October because that is when I’m beginning a yoga teacher training. I ended up leaving my job on July 8th, on a whim, and it was the most liberating moment of my life.

I was promoted for a second time without a raise. My boss kept telling me that a raise was coming. It had been five months since I had assumed all the responsibilities of this new role. I realized that day I quit, that all of my coworkers had received raises and promotions. Some, who had only been promised one month ago. Once I realized this, I started to get really angry. I quit my job that day.

I felt so free. I immediately began promoting my photography, and was pretty amazed that people were actually booking shoots! All I needed was more time and confidence in myself.

Has it been a smooth road?
Now, here’s the rest of my story, the part of the story you usually don’t hear about.

Pretty much immediately after I bought my DSLR camera, I thought I’d take my stab at professional photography and dove in headfirst. I was overwhelmed. I put so much pressure on myself to become an overnight success.

I took photos for one family, for free, and gave up immediately after. My camera settings were all over the place. My pictures all turned out grainy and noisy and I was completely devastated. Then, on top of it, I was so disappointed by them, I never fully took these photos off of my SD card and ended up with a corrupted card. The family never received their photos.

This was it for me. I just gave up. I decided I sucked at posing people, I sucked at taking pictures, and I wasn’t meant to be a photographer.

So, I went on to the next thing that might be able to give me some freedom from the corporate world. I enrolled in a program online to become a web designer and front-end developer. I did really enjoy it and learned so much. I now know HTML and CSS code, and can navigate Photoshop extremely well, though this education was aimed at creating graphics and not for editing photographs.

I transferred at work into the digital department and began doing school online in addition to learning a whole new skill set at work. My end goal was just to be self-employed, I figured I would freelance once I was done.

During my online coding program, I became pregnant and thought I had all the best intentions of completing the program, I realized that I was not going to have the energy I needed to finish. Which was totally okay with me, I felt like I received everything from the program that I needed/wanted to at this point.

Fast-forward about 9 months and I picked up the camera again, this time to take pictures of my new baby girl, Sage!

I started trying to just do blogging again. Writing about being a new mom, taking pictures of my baby. But, the blogging thing just never really worked out for me. I love being a mom, but there’s already a million mommy bloggers out there.

That fall, I went back to work and all was well for a while. My friend Jake had asked me to take a few photos for him and I was so honored that someone had thought of me to take their pictures!

This is what really catapulted me back into photography, was a good friend making me aware that I had value.

ADVICE: Stop reading blog posts that say things like “How I Made Six Figures After Only Three Months of Blogging” and take the time to invest and discover yourself. The money will only come if you love what you are doing. Your main focus should be your passion, not your income. Learn how to rest and not to give up. Reach out for support and network. Recognize that success only comes after failing. You must fail to learn and grow. That’s okay. Don’t let it devastate you and give up like I did in the beginning!

Tell us about your business. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am a Portrait, Engagement, and Wedding photographer. I specialize in warm, earthy looking photography.

As a brand, I am most proud of the energy in my clients. I love capturing an organic, natural photo of a couple being themselves together. The piercing strength in the yoga teacher I have the honor of photographing. The spirit of a child clapping their hands with glee.

What sets me apart from others is that I brand around the shoot, not around myself. I want to capture a moment that defines that person or couple. That really captures their spirit. Regardless of what our time commitments or promises are, I want to ensure that I’ve truly captured that person and will go to whatever lengths are necessary to make it happen. Except bungee jumping, that’s a no for me. I’ll take pictures of you from a distance, however!

My photoshoots are not about me, they are about my clients. That’s the service I provide.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Yes and no. I will explain.

I do not believe that anybody should let their childhood determine how successful they are in life. I truly believe that you can be or do anything you want to be in this life. But I also recognize that this opinion does come from a place of privilege. I have had an abundance of resources my entire life and I do recognize that much of that comes from being born into a family of financial stability.

There are people out there that would probably be able to have the same passion as I have, the same interest as I have, but simply be unable to pursue their talents due to financial reasons. A business degree is not cheap or easy to obtain. I had two parents with great credit to cosign on loans. Photography equipment is not cheap. But, I was making good money because I was able to get a degree in business. More money than the average person makes without a degree. Even with my student loans, I know I was doing better off than others who may have not had the same opportunities that I have.

I still believe that anybody can become successful, but I also acknowledge that coming from privilege, I have been able to get there faster than someone who may have not had access to the same resources I did.

Pricing:

  • Portrait Sessions – $200+
  • Engagement Sessions – $400+
  • Wedding Photography – $2000+

Contact Info:

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