Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Hord.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
My name is Emma Hord, and I am a 24-year-old photographer and business owner. My passion for photography started when I was eight or nine years old. I have always been interested in and sometimes obsessed with everything about art. I spent most of my childhood drawing, painting, crafting, and taking photos. I have five siblings, and several times a week, I would convince them to dress up and let me take photos of them. Friends and family always said I “had an eye for it.” I dreamed of becoming a photographer, but I didn’t know what that would look like or how to achieve that dream. After high school, I entered the workforce and stopped pursuing my passion. While working for a local business, I learned much about entrepreneurship and marketing. I attribute my success in this area to that. It wasn’t until I married my husband that I gained the courage to go for it. Before this, I was not confident in running a business or even taking and editing photos that people would love. I didn’t have any photography equipment or even a good laptop for editing. My business name, Emma’s Creative Endeavors, comes from a letter my husband wrote me shortly before I started this venture. He encouraged me to pursue my dreams and supported my creative endeavors. His encouragement and belief in me finally gave me enough confidence to go for it. With his help, I bought my first professional camera and other equipment. I started a Facebook page and designed a simple website.
When I launched my business, I offered photography and graphic design. Within just a few months, I had booked so many sessions that I didn’t have one free evening for months. I quickly found that high school seniors were my favorite people to photograph. Around the 8-month mark, I decided to pivot and focus mainly on photographing seniors. I started my first rep program and redesigned my website and brand to focus on high school seniors. Today, I am in my second year of business and will be pursuing photography full-time beginning in June. I have just launched my merch line and am excited about photographing many outstanding seniors this season.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As I previously mentioned, finding confidence has been my biggest challenge. I have struggled my whole life with feeling confident and appreciating my talents. I still struggle with feeling like my work is “good enough.” The hardest battle for confidence happened during high school, so I have a heart for photographing seniors. My hope with every high school senior is that our time together will encourage them to be more comfortable and confident in their skin.
Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
I specialize in photographing high school or college seniors. I am known for my bright, colorful images of joy and authenticity. High school students gravitate away from overly edited or filtered photos and look for something more than a photo shoot. Every senior I book gets an experience catered directly to them, and those things set me apart from other photographers. I have recently started my Senior Rep Club program, which allows upcoming seniors to apply to be a part of my team during their senior year. They receive a significant discount, exclusive sessions, free gear, and a discount code to share with friends. I am most proud of the community I have built within a very short period, and I am very excited to see where it takes me in the future.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have learned a lot of valuable lessons in my time as a small business owner. An efficient but essential lesson I have learned is remembering myself. I too often fill an entire month and leave no room for myself. It is essential as an entrepreneur to take time for yourself and set and maintain good boundaries when it comes to days/hours off.
Pricing:
- Senior Mini Session – $100 (20 minutes, 1 location)
- Senior Single Session – $300 (1-3 hrs, 1 location)
- Senior Bundle – $800 (4 locations throughout year)
Contact Info:
- Website: Emmascreativeendeavors.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/emmascreativeendeavors
