Life & Work with Kristie Lloyd

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristie Lloyd.

Hi Kristie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Where I started…obviously a heavy question and I don’t feel like I can answer it without starting from truly, the start. Born to a mother and father who weren’t exactly capable of being parents, I was raised by my paternal grandparents from the age of 6 months onward. I never want to neglect how critical their role is in my successes – I would not be who I am without their love, dedication, and incredible example in my life. A 20+ year veteran and life-long entrepreneur, my grandfather and my German-born and raised, loving, brilliant, creative, self-sacrificing grandmother – together, they always assured me they would help me find a way to do whatever I wanted to do.

They made it possible for me to go to college (the first and second time around). First for a degree in family psychology and again for a degree in nursing. When I started nursing school, I had an 8-month-old baby girl that my grandmother cared for full-time while I went to class. It was actually while in nursing school that my husband gifted me a camera for Christmas. This new camera paired with my quickly growing, ever-changing baby girl spurned a creative passion inside that I couldn’t ignore.

After my second child was born, I returned to work as a labor and delivery nurse at a local Nashville hospital. On the side, I began photographing co-worker’s and friend’s families as a hobby. It quickly became apparent that I had a knack for photography, so I took a leap of faith and launched KLP officially as a business in 2013.

Since then, I’ve photographed hundreds of families, babies, and children. This business has become such a huge part of my life and I’ve met so many amazing families through it. It is the perfect balance of creative expression and “work” for me. I still work a few days a month as a labor and delivery nurse, but my business has given me the privilege to spend most of my time at home with my own family or telling the beautiful stories of other families through imagery.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This journey of entrepreneurship has been one full of learning and growing. The biggest bumps along the way have been my own interpersonal struggles. Working through how to genuinely pour myself into my business and the art I create for other families while also trying to balance pouring myself into my own family. Perhaps that isn’t so different for most working parents, whether an entrepreneur or not. Balance truly is the key.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My heart has always been drawn to motherhood (in all of my career choices) – maternity, birth, newborn, and all the years ahead that seem to be on fast-forward. Even in family sessions, I’ve always innately told a family’s story through the lens of motherhood. I just didn’t fully realize it until recently. So this year, I’ve not only transitioned my focus to be more intentional on capturing the beauty of motherhood…I’ve also been more intentional and present in my own motherhood journey. And that has become my richest source of inspiration for photo sessions.

How do you think about luck?
I can’t say I’m a big believer in luck. I believe we reap what we sow. I’ve always lived by an inward drive toward excellence, treating people well, and simply just doing the right thing. Those things, I believe, have contributed toward my success far more than luck ever has.

Pricing:

• Session Fee – $250
• Collections begin at $350

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.kristielloydphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kristielloydphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristielloydphotography

Image Credits
Kristie Lloyd