Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Beyers.
Hi Olivia, 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?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt the need for everything in my life to be documented. No matter the moment, big or small, I really wanted to remember it forever. Growing up, I was gifted various cameras throughout the years for birthdays and Christmas. I would spend days afterwards filling up 16GB SD cards and uploading them onto my PC, using PicMonkey for editing. There was never an “aha” moment for me and photography. I really had been taking photos of everything for what seemed like forever. When the time finally came for me to start looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to study photography at a four-year university. Pretty quickly I found Columbia College Chicago, applied and was accepted with early admittance! YAY!
All of the pieces were coming together. Almost immediately into my photography courses at Columbia, I realized that you didn’t actually need a photography degree to have a successful career. During that semester at Columbia, I learned hours of foundation that I believe have been critical for my photography career. I learned the ins and outs of lightroom, managing storage, organizing hard drives, and all the taboo “dos and do nots” of photography. While my time at Columbia was short-lived, it was extremely valuable to me. I transferred to the University of Minnesota, where I decided to study Criminology and minor in Spanish, but did some odd photography jobs during my time at the U.
For a few years, my camera and photography work remained in the back of my mind while I prioritized Gopher Games, my sorority, and my social life. It wasn’t until after I graduated and lost my job that I seriously considered jumping into photography again. I felt like I was finally old enough to be taken seriously, so I jumped in head first. I took on any session that I could. I messaged couples and asked them if I could take their photos to build my portfolio, and gave them all of the photos to share and print as they pleased. I put myself out there with established photographers and offered to assist on wedding days or shadow if they’d have me. I was able to spend a year with my dear friend Tricia, and she showed me how to handle even the most stressful of wedding days all while building my portfolio. Using images I took working weddings with her, I was able to book my own clients. In 2019 I had 4 of my own weddings, and in 2021 I had tripled that number. I owe a lot of my career to Tricia for taking a chance on me and being such a wonderful apprentice during that first year of getting into weddings. I’m so grateful to now have a consistent client base and ongoing new bookings!
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?
I would say that from the outside being a photographer looks so smooth and easy, but it’s been really challenging. Especially during the pandemic when people weren’t leaving their homes, let alone getting married. For the most part though, the road of business ownership ebbs and flows. There are really dry periods when people aren’t booking and I have no sessions scheduled, and then I have periods of constant inquiries and sessions on top of each other. I also feel like a big struggle for myself personally was being taken seriously. I don’t know if there was any ONE moment, but slowly over time people stopped seeing my biz as a hobby and started seeing it as a real career.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m the owner and lead photographer of Olivia Beyers Photography. I specialize in Weddings, Dogs, and lifestyle photography. I’m most proud of the fact that what was once a dream and small Facebook business page is now my career and that I’m entrusted with the most special days of people’s lives. My attention to detail on wedding days, my friend-based relationship with my clients, and my love of dogs is what sets me apart from others.
How do you think about luck?
HA! This is a funny question. I think in the broad sense, sure someone could say that I’m lucky to get to where I am now and where I hope to someday be, but it’s not really luck. I’ve worked soooo hard to get to where I am now, so I would attribute hard work to my success more than luck itself. I can say that I’ve been very unlucky having a small biz during the pandemic though, haha!
Pricing:
- Wedding packages begin at 4,000
- Dog packages begin at $350
Contact Info:
- Website: livingphotographymn.com
- Instagram: @oliviabeyersphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliviabeyersphotography
Image Credits
Olivia Beyers
