Exploring Life & Business with Chelsea Smith of Urban Bay Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Smith.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Originally from a small town outside of Portland, Oregon, I grew up immersed in the arts. At 12, I started writing songs and posting them on YouTube. When I was 15, I played Sharpay in High School Musical as my first professional theater gig, at 16, I started my photography business @UrbanBay, which I still run today. At 18, I shot my first wedding and later went on to have shot 100+ weddings all over – even one in Italy! When Covid hit and the “unshakeable” wedding industry busted, I pivoted my business and started working with wineries, hotels, and restaurants. In the last three months alone, I’ve stayed in over 17 luxury hotels across 12 different states, blogging and photographing the experience while living my “best” life. So, why the move to Nashville? Well, I’ve never really “fit in” in Portland and I always knew I loved Tennessee, country music, and the South in general. I turned 29 in January and instead of having a midlife crisis, I packed up my bags and I drove 38 hours to Nashville for a new life. I’ve already started performing at writer’s rounds across the city and I recently started Nash Bash Collective, an exclusive community for driven up-and-coming singer-songwriters. Most recently, I started writing a sales book on pitching, cold calling, entrepreneurship, and business. All this to say, I’m a busy woman!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
To be completely honest, business, making money, networking, and doing incredible things (travel, work, etc.) has never been the hard part. The hardest part (most vulnerably and honestly) has been trying to find someone to get married, settle down with, and start a family. I’ve always felt like I had a calling towards being a Mom and although my social media appears I’m gallivanting around the world having a blast (which I am!), I’d much rather have a white house in the country with a bunch of babies. God has his own plan for me, and I’ve had to just adjust. I will always be an entrepreneur, but I hoped that the move to Nashville would give me a fresh start, new people, and a different outlook on life. I have high hopes that all of my personal dreams will also come true in Tennessee. As far as my career, it really took off when I started doing passion projects; styled shoots, networking, and learning as much as I could.

As you know, we’re big fans of Urban Bay Photography. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Urban Bay Photography was founded when I was 16, taking high school senior photos for my friends. By the time I graduated, I had shot photos of 50 seniors! I did it throughout college at George Fox University (located in Oregon wine country) and it spurred my love for hustling and being creative while doing it. My passion is definitely in destination weddings. I love exploring the world and I’ve been fortunate to start working with hotels and restaurants as I travel now too. I am most known for my moody, earthy look to my photos with true colors and natural tones.

The thing that sets me apart from others is my ability to go the extra mile and work efficiently. I typically return wedding photos within three weeks. As far as my brand, I’m thankful I’ve been able to shoot in almost half the states in the country (just in the past year or two!) including Alaska, Arizona, New York, and dozens in between.

As a Nashville reader, if you know any budding artists, I’d love to connect with them and get them into my new exclusive networking and photography event group Nash Bash Collective.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Nashville is great for music, networking, and opportunity. It is really hard to date when there is a ratio of male to female like 5:1! It’s hard to get people to commit to things when there is “always something better”.

Pricing:

• $4000+ Weddings
• $500+ Photoshoots/Portraits
• $2500+ Videography
• $4000+ Website Work
• $150+ Coaching

Contact Info:

• Email: chelsea@urbanbayphoto.com
• Website: www.urbanbayphoto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/urbanbay
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/urban.bayphoto
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/thechelseaerica
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/chelseaericasmith
• SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/chelseaericasmith
• Other: www.thewineshutter.com