Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Meadows.
Kimberly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey with photography began 13 years ago. My youngest child, Grant, was born with Down Syndrome Trisomy 21.
While married, my husband worked on the road most of the time so it was just me caring for my two children. Grant was very sick when he was little, endless doctors visits and therapies made it difficult for me to work outside of the home. As you can imagine, I didn’t have much of a life outside of caring for him as well as raising my daughter, Maia, who is 6 years older than Grant. I lived pretty close to my parents and they recognized that I could use a little break, something to focus on other than Cardiologist visits, Occupational therapies and a long list of other things regarding my son. My mother suggested I enroll in a digital photography class at Diamond Oaks Vocational school with her and have my dad watch the kids so I could have some much needed ‘me’ time.
Once I began photographing the assignments for the class, I fell more in love with photography. One thing you learn as a special needs mother is you learn to see the world differently, you see the little things that everyone else misses. You find beauty in everything. This was a short two week course and when it ended I knew that I wanted to continue to photograph anything and everything. I was so excited to find an escape, no matter how small that may seem. I decided that I wanted to get a ‘real’ camera so that I could see what I could do so I ran out and bought a basic Canon Rebel.
We didn’t have a lot of money so being able to purchase that was a big deal for our family. I spent every free moment I had learning how to use it, how to shoot manually and learn all of the in’s and out’s of photography. I began branching out, shooting families, animals, people…literally anyone that would allow me to photograph them. I am pretty sure I drove my daughter crazy by sticking her in front of the camera all of the time. I spent countless hours learning different editing programs, the free ones of course because purchasing Photoshop or adobe programs just wasn’t in the budget at the time. I joined different photography groups online, asked questions, gained critique on my images and kept moving forward.
About a year after I began my journey as a photographer, my husband and I filed for divorce. I found myself now a single mother with two children, one of which needed so much attention and care. Obtaining a full time 9-5 job wasn’t really an option for me with our family schedule. I had to make things work by using the only skill I had, what I fell in love with and that was photography. I began doing small sessions, families, babies, kids, seniors and a few weddings. I charged a small fee at that time so I supplemented that income by cleaning houses around the kids’ schedules. Anything I could do to make money and make ends meet. I kept pushing forward, becoming better and better at my craft.
After a while, I began going out of my box and shooting editorial style photography, art nudes and then I found my love and calling in the field of Boudoir. It is an amazing feeling being able to do what I love, to have been able to create a successful business out of what began as a way to just decompress. Photography has made it possible for me to raise my children, be a stay at home mom but also support my family. It has made it possible for me to not have missed important doctor visits, school functions, IEP meetings or countless other things that a 9-5 day job can get in the way of. I honestly don’t know where I would be today if my mother hadn’t suggested that 2-week course. It is funny how life has a way of leading you to your path when you didn’t have a clue where you were even headed.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing in life worth having is smooth, there are countless obstacles and bumps in the road. Failing becomes just a way of life, it’s what you take away from those failures that matter. It took me years to become successful. I cried a lot but I kept going. We live in an era where photographers are literally everywhere so standing out can be difficult. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to get a ‘real job’ I probably would never have to work again. I was determined to make this succeed because my family needed me to, I needed me to. I look back now and am shocked at where I began and where I am now. I am still a single mother, I am 44 and purchased my own home just last year as a full time photographer. I own a brand new car and travel as much as humanly possible…all of this made possible by having been given the gift of photography. The road wasn’t easy, it isn’t supposed to be. I don’t believe you can fully appreciate anything you have unless it comes with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. There are still struggle, Covid has hit a lot of us hard, It seems to me that people aren’t spending money on luxury services anymore which is terrifying when your income is based off of providing those services. I do know that I will keep pushing forward and this too shall pass. You can’t expect things to be smooth consistently…life has to shake it up a bit for you.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional Boudoir photographer. My job is to lift women up, make them see themselves as they are and not as they see themselves in their mind. We as women have a tendency to pick ourselves apart, find all of the flaws and never focus on our beauty. I have the privilege of being present when a woman truly sees herself for the first time. I strip away all of the distractions and shoot them in their most vulnerable self, they trust me and that is something notable. They trust that I will bring out in them what they don’t know how to bring out in themselves and often times that is confidence. I am known for shooting a woman how a woman wants to be seen; beautiful, sensual, elegant, powerful. I focus on bringing out a light in them that they thought they lost years ago. Having this ability sometimes leaves me speechless and I believe I was given this gift because I understand where they are coming from, what they are seeking when they come to me. I am proud to say that every woman that has come to me left with a new sense of self. They left feeling renewed and powerful, that is something I think we all seek.
What does success mean to you?
I define success as pure happiness. I love going to work, I love what I do and I am so thankful to have that. I honestly can’t picture a more perfect life for my family than the one that photography has given us.
Pricing:
- Ala carte pricing begins at $140
- Packages begin at $750
Contact Info:
- Email: kmeadows.biz@gmail.com
- Website: www.kimberlymeadowsphoto.com
- Instagram: @dirtygirlboudoir
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberlymaeadmin
- Other: https://www.groupon.com/deals/kimberly-meadows-photography-8?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=deal_ita
