Carlie Love

I would say the way that I was raised and the family and people around me. I grew up with a very supportive and loving family who's just always pushed me to dream as big as I can and go for it. They've always let me know that if I fail or something happens, I always have them to fall on. I think that being around people who support you and your crazy ideas is really what I attribute this to. Having such amazing people who believe and support in me has been everything, because I wouldn't have made my own company and put myself out there if it wasn't for their support and encouragement.

I would say go for it. It's very interesting at points because a lot of the job sites that I'm on are construction sites, and so it is more male-dominated whenever I'm on working on projects and stuff. But I would say just go for it, and there's space for everybody. Confidence is just key, and just be yourself. Be open to every door, open to every opportunity that is in front of you.

I would say the biggest challenges are that it's a very oversaturated field to be in. There's a lot of people who do photography or do what I'm doing, and just being able to be yourself and have your own unique company and put yourself out there can be difficult. Being consistent and having your own company has its perks, but also it's just you holding yourself accountable and making sure that you're doing well for your clients. In the world of AI and with so much going on with tech, creating value within your brand is so important and can be difficult. However, I think AI helps people realize the value that a human brings to a role such as this. Sometimes it does streamline certain projects and can be useful in many ways, so I think it's positively impacted the field that I'm in. As for opportunities, there's a lot of room for growth. Switching over from being a portrait and wedding photographer to doing businesses and brands really opens a lot of doors because everything is online now. Social media means a lot more than it used to mean for businesses and brands, so there are a lot of opportunities and communities within this digital workspace that usually weren't there before.

I would say I really value my community, the people that I work with, the people that are in the same field as me, other photographers and other people who are doing what I do. I always say community over competition because I've learned so much from following others through social media or just those connections. My faith is important in both my personal life and my professional life. And trust is a big one because trusting in people, trusting that there's a plan, just trusting and believing - I think those are my main three values: community, faith, and trust.