While I just recently started to pour my heart into building Kyla Shattuck Photography, I’ve been laying the foundation for it for the past decade! Little by little, the dream of becoming a wedding photographer began to take root in my heart. And little by little, I began to take steps to make it happen. If you enjoy reading stories as much as I do, you’re in for a treat!

Part 1: Where It All Began
Part 2: The Magazine That Changed the Game
Part 3: Friendship and Opportunity
Part 4: Unfinished Business
Part 5: Becoming a Bride
Part 6: A Big Dream in a Little Apartment

A Big Dream in a Little Apartment

In the Summer of 2017, we began newlywed life together in our sweet little 600 square foot apartment. After our wedding, I had so much more time and energy to dedicate to my dreams. Wedding planning had been top of mind for months. Similarly, I had spent a great deal of time preparing to move into our newlywed apartment. Now that our wedding was over and we were settling into our new home, I was feeling more inspired than ever.

At the same time, I was starting to dream of what it would be like to become a wedding photographer. When I wasn’t busy learning how to cook for two (thanks to Pinterest) or working our envelope system budget (thanks to Dave Ramsey), I started to watch photography tutorials at night. Thankfully, there are gifted, kindhearted photographers out there who build resources to teach others. As I discovered them, it was like discovering a whole new world. 

Suddenly, photography felt much more accessible, but also very intimidating. I didn’t tell anyone except Dillon about my dream. Could I become a photographer? What would people think? Moreover, was there room for me in what seemed to be a saturated industry? It seemed like everyone and their cousin was starting a photography business. How would I stand out and differentiate myself in the market? After a few weeks of quietly watching tutorials and reading about photography basics online (Googling things like “What is an F-stop?”), I knew I needed to take a step forward and start. In addition to watching tutorials, I read Start by Jon Acuff. In the book, he says “You’ve got today, and today is all you need to start,” and I knew it was time to take an action step.

Taking Steps Forward

My chosen action step was to ask to borrow a friend’s DSLR camera (thank you, Hanna!). I wanted to try shooting in manual mode to see if my brain could actually put what I was learning into action. As a result, I realized that I could, and I was hooked. It encouraged me to know that my dream was within my reach. After that experience, I was eager to continue learning. I just had to continue taking steps forward.

To be continued…