Community Highlights: Meet Shelby Bernice of Shelby Bernice Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Bernice.

Hi Shelby, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I picked up my first camera when I was eight years old. It was a disposable film camera that you could take underwater, the ones you could buy at Walgreens. I snapped so many pictures, and none of them were clear, but I was bit by the bug. Photography remained a simple hobby for me for most of my life. I got my first digital camera when I was twelve. It was a pocket camera from Nikon, red with a digital screen. Fast forward to my first year in university, I had recently upgraded to a DSLR Nikon camera, and I did my work study in university as a sports photographer, still just nurturing the hobby of photography but never diving in fully.

Over the last 6-8 years, I finished university (received a bachelor’s in Business Administration and Marketing, Master’s in International Business, and Master’s in Business Analytics), traveled to multiple countries (China, Japan, Italy, Canada & United Kingdom), traveled the USA from New Orleans to Boston to Denver to San Francisco and much more in between. Eventually, toward the end of covid, I moved to Boston and entered the world of real estate, assisting in managing and renting apartments in the city. While my main job was marketing and managing tenants, I was indirectly working on my photography as I was taking photos of apartments. Looking back, I realize that the things that spark joy in your life always find a way in, even when you don’t realize it.

My husband and I are huge travelers, and we went to Canada for a networking event, and the CEO of one of the companies needed a photographer to help. I volunteered, and I was eager to do so. Being under the impression I was assisting another photographer, I got there, and I was ‘THE’ photographer for the event, and I loved every minute of it. My husband told me the day after, “I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time,” and I cried because I didn’t know how badly I was craving to do something I loved. That event set the wheels in motion, and I was going to be a professional photographer because I knew my life actually did depend on it.

Now, I have my own photography company, capturing anything from intimate and meaningful moments, along with documenting corporate events and small businesses. I love being there for people and capturing these moments for them in a timeless, classic way. I believe everyone is worth being captured and remembered, and I do that by not only capturing what it looks like but also what it feels like. I want people to see my work and, when they look at the photos to feel what it was like to be there in that moment, not just see it.

I practice and put myself out of my comfort zone continuously to lock in on my skills as a photographer. I know right now I’m not the best, and I still have a lot to learn, but I will continue this journey and see just how many lives I can impact and see just how great of a photographer I can become.

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?
It has not been a smooth road. I decided to start my photography business just as we were moving from Boston, and it is very difficult meeting clients and even other photographers in the community when you don’t know a lot of people. Also, the photography community is unique. You have a lot of photographers that are in their zone, making a lot of money and delivering great work, and have no interest in coaching or teaching with charging a lot of money.

When you first get started in photography, it can be a lot of money to put up to get started, and it takes a while before you start to see that investment come around. Very few established photographers are willing to teach and mentor without charging a large sum of money.

When it comes to meeting new clients, it becomes a waiting game. You photograph friends and family, you get those people to refer you, and maybe you meet another photographer that needs a second shooter or is willing to let you shadow, but otherwise, it can be really difficult to get your name out there. I’m still dealing with those struggles today.

As you know, we’re big fans of Shelby Bernice Photography. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a traveling photographer. I photograph everything from corporate events to elopements and portraits to landscapes. I really dip my toes into any photography opportunity. I’m always looking for ways to grow and help people. What I am specializing in as a photographer is capturing intimate moments in a timeless, classic style for people to always remember because everyone is worth being captured and remembered. What really sets me apart from the crowd is my connection to my clients.

Having 8+ years in customer service roles, I understand the value behind a customer’s decision to choose your service over a competitor’s. I take my time with my clients and allow them to understand me, and I create a safe space for everyone to express concerns or limitations. They might like how I take photos, but it’s more than that; I want them to feel safe and open to explore and get creative, maybe even feel vulnerable and definitely feel seen. My brand is me, and that makes me more proud than any accomplishment.

My brand represents a small part of who I am as a person, and if you were able to take all the photos that I’ve captured over the years and make a collage, it would be a direct look into me and who I am. As a photographer, I’ve photographed people from infants to Kings. I’ve been in peoples’ homes, and I’ve been to the United Nations, but there is one thing that all of those people have in common, and that’s important. Whether a King of a nation, a family of 5, the CEO of a company, a music artist, or even a newborn baby, they are all important and deserve to be remembered.

I want people to know that I’m a photographer that is growing, and so is my brand. My more popular services are listed on my website, but if you are curious about something specific, send me a direct inquiry on my website. For some travel photography work, whether elopements, corporate events, or even concerts, I am waiving the session fee and just charging for travel costs for the clients. That is on a case-by-case basis.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck is what happens when you set yourself up for receiving great things in your life.

It’s not that I don’t believe in luck, but I believe in working hard, showing gratitude, and failure is not bad luck. Most of the time, when you keep a positive attitude and head space for work and life, the universe is there to give you just what you need, and sometimes even more.

Pricing:

• Mini Session – $100
• Family Portraits – $250 – $500+
• Engagement – $750+
• Elopement – $1000+
• Other Inquiries – Contact Form

Contact Info:

• Website: shelbybernicephotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shelbybernice.photos
• Facebook: www.instagram.com/shelbybernice.photos