Today we’d like to introduce you to Tonya Phelps.
Hi Tonya, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always loved taking photos, I remember always having a camera with me as a middle schooler. Flash forward to college registration, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do as a career, so I looked down the majors list and saw Mass Communication: Photojournalism. From there, it was almost like a domino effect, everything was leading to another stepping stone. I started taking some senior photos, and then I was asked to capture my very first wedding in 2014. This one wedding snowballed into 100+ weddings. I went full time with my business in 2018 and haven’t looked back!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Owning your own business will always have some struggles; my biggest struggle has always been my lack of confidence and having imposter syndrome.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in weddings and couples. I also love doing family sessions. I am most proud of the relationships I have maintained with my clients throughout the years. I love making people feel comfortable in front of the camera, and I always think it’s the biggest compliment when clients tell me they had so much fun during their session and forgot they were taking photos. I tend to take a documentarian approach to all of my sessions and weddings.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Being a wedding photographer can be a lonely venture on the business side of things, so I love working alongside other photographers on editing days. I love having other creatives to bounce ideas off of and work through issues that arise in owning your own business.
I would love to host my own styled shoot, so I would love to collab with other wedding creatives to get one in the works!
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography starts at $3190
- Portrait Sessions start at $450
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tonyahjortphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyahjortphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thjortphoto
Image Credits:
Headshot Photo by Samantha Rose Creative Co.
Wedding Photos by Tonya Hjort Photography
