Rising Stars: Meet Taylor Isom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Isom.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The first camera I ever had was a really simple point-and-shoot digital camera I was gifted by a family member, and I just immediately loved taking pictures of people and all sorts of different things. I was later gifted my first DSLR camera when I was roughly 16 and I would go out on the weekends to shoot with my friends! I loved the way that they would light up when they saw how beautiful they were to me, and the way they would laugh at the bloopers. So since I loved photography so much it only made sense that I would take a photography class in high school, right? Well, fun fact, I failed high school photography!!! I despised that class completely, and I get a lot of surprised reactions from people when I tell them that. I hated that class solely for the fact that there wasn’t much room for experimentation. I didn’t want to take pictures of fruit in a bowl and learn how to use photoshop, I wanted to create something that made me feel something.

In 2019, I packed away my camera and shoved it to the back of my closet. Simply put, I lost my passion for it and thought it was pointless to continue doing it anymore, I didn’t think my work was good enough, plus I was working towards getting into nursing school and thought I should just dedicate my time to other things. That same year I got my first job in healthcare with an entry-level position in an operating and really enjoyed it, I thought for sure I was on the right path and had lots of growth opportunities. I got a promotion in the first 6 months and was working as an anesthesia tech. Then ya know, Covid happened and tried to come in and steal the sunshine. But I still set on being a nurse. Fall 2020 came and I went and got certified as an EMT and that is when things started to change for me. I was so burnt out, I was doing school full time and I was so tired of how stressed out and sad I was being in the hospital during such a terrible, scary time. Before I even finished the semester, I was thinking of ways to get out of healthcare and my family members started poking at the idea of maybe starting to take photos again, just for fun. But I was thinking what it would be like to start my own wedding photography business.

January 2021, I started my business and bought my first big girl camera and lens. I was so excited, I could hardly contain it. I continued working full time in the hospital and started getting a wedding here and there, I invested in mentorships, content days and an epic Yosemite retreat this last fall. That was the push I needed right there, I left my hospital job this spring and have officially been full-time this season. As challenging as it has been at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything, I truly believe this is the best job in the entire world!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As I mentioned before, I worked in surgery prior to making this switch. It was quite the career change, that’s for sure. I really struggled trying to balance my hospital work life, my personal life and my photography life this last year. I struggled to come to terms with giving up one career to start something new. I struggled to trust that everything would work out on its own time and knowing when it was time to go full-time. Working in healthcare was emotionally and physically exhausting and that carried into the way that I showed up for myself in the early stages of my business. But as time has gone on, I have grown a lot, I have learned and continue to learn all the different hats that we have as small business owners and I love every minute of it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an intimate wedding and elopement photographer for the couples that crave authenticity and care about the small moments just as much as the big ones. I capture the real beauty of people and the lives that they live. I chose to specialize in small weddings and elopements because I love when couples have made the decision that they want to celebrate their love and their marriage in the way that is most authentic to who they are as a couple, not what everyone else in their life says to do.

One of the most common things I hear from clients about why they are drawn to my work is how my editing looks and the way that I photograph people. I love documentary-style photos that tell a story, and that has always been my goal is to take photos that are real. I want people to feel comfortable in front of my camera, and I want them to see how incredibly beautiful they are and how their face lights up when they are looking at the people they love the most. One of the number one things I am proud of is how often I hear from people that hate having their photos taken say that they love the photos and they had so much fun at our session.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
All of my favorite childhood memories revolve around my neighborhood friends I grew up with. We would get up, have breakfast and go out to play as soon as breakfast was done until the sun went down. We rode our bikes as fast as we could. We built mud pies just so we could throw them up in the air as high as we could and then watched to see whose would explode the most once it hit the ground. We would set up sprinklers under the trampoline and build igloos in the winter. We climbed a lot of trees built a lot of forts and played a lot of PS2 games. And we ate more otter pops than what should’ve been allowed.

Pricing:

• Elopements: starting at 2550
• Standard Wedding Package (8 hours): starting at $2700
• Ultimate Package (10+ hours): starting at $3200
• Couples/Engagements: starting at $400

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/taylorisomphoto
• Other: https://www.honeybook.com/widget/taylor_isom_photography_199354/cf_id/62df644447f1b71c15ef7e2b