Today we’d like to introduce you to Hallie Leonard.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started taking photos of my beautiful friends when I was 16. It was what we did for fun. I became known as the go-to person if you wanted your photos taken in my home town of Middleboro, MA. After high school I went to college at Bridgewater State University where I studied Anthropology and Women’s Studies and then on to graduate school at Boston University where I ended up with a Master’s in Public Health concentrating on health law and human rights, things I am deeply passionate about to this day.
This was what I was “supposed” to do. The whole time, though, I continued to take pictures as a hobby and started getting some paid jobs here and there. It has always been the most exciting feeling to me to upload my photos after a fun photo shoots and sees the beauty unfold; I actually get a high from it.
After graduate school, I got my first “real job” working full time at MCI-Framingham Women’s Prison as the Case Manager for the pregnant population of inmates. Fascinating, right? It was. But it was also totally against my core values to have to clock in and out every day and work a full 8 hours, even when I had completed all of my work early (which I often had). I hated having a set schedule and after one year on the job it became a form of torture to me.
I was desperate to get out so I started applying to any job in the public health sector that I could find. As six months passed without one single phone call from an employer and my hatred of the 40 hour per week, mundane life grew, I started thinking more creatively. I had recently moved to Rhode Island to live on a farm and started looking into farm work. Within two weeks I had quit my full time, $50,000/year “adult,” and “impressive” job at the prison to work for $8/hour, part time on Zephyr Farm. I had just turned 26 so I lost my health insurance; it was September so the farm job was only going to bring me an income for another 3 months; and I had no plan for afterwards. Anyway, it was one of the best 3 months of my life. I felt free.
The goal was to work part time on the farm while searching for another secure part-time job (that would provide me with health insurance) for the winter while I pursued photography more seriously. The plan worked. It is now 2018. I have been working part time at an environmental non-profit called Clean Water Action since December of 2015 (with health insurance), and my business has BLOWN UP. I am fully booked for 2018 and already booking weddings for 2019 and 2020. Inquiries roll in much more regularly now and I pay my bills while still being able to take trips and eat out when I want. It has grown so much, in fact, that soon I will have to cut back my hours at the non-profit.
I work well over 40 hours per week during the busy seasons (everything other than January-March) but love it. I do not feel trapped or tortured. I am certain that for whatever reason my brain is wired to be my own boss. This is where I truly thrive. I am also certain that I am meant to take photos of people. The high that I get along with my ability to read and understand human interaction makes me better than good at it. As a client said to me the other day “you have not missed your calling” and I truly believe that.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The decision to quit my full-time job with benefits to pursue a self-employed life has been smoother than one would guess. All of the obstacles and challenges that would arise when trying to build a small business with very little knowledge or money to do so did arise but they were almost easy to sort out. I believe that is because I was so in love with what I was building.
Not only was I building my dream business, I was building a life for myself where I could take a random week day off without stressing about having to call out or get in trouble. A life where if I wanted to travel for the entire month of August, I could (and I did).
The obstacles and challenges that arise are easy to figure out when it’s your baby.
With that said, I would encourage anyone who is looking to start a business to SAVE FOR TAXES.
Hallie Jade Pictures – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I own a photography business called – Hallie Jade Pictures (Hallie like Halle Berry, yes my real name is Hallie Jade). I photograph people and specialize in couples and maternity.
I am a progressive feminist. So I would say that I am known for highlighting the power of women. Maternity photos are my absolute favorite. I am also known for my candids. People who hire me often say that they love my candid, documentary style of photography.
I think that what sets me apart from others is my ease and progressiveness. I have been told time and time again that I make being photographed easy, and even fun. I have been called a “photographer therapist” by a few because of how calming and reassuring my presence is. Lastly, I radiate progressiveness. In general, I prefer to work with people who share a similar progressive awareness; and, with couples who have nothing but complete respect and admiration for one another. I want to work with people who are open to adventure, getting weird, and maybe even jumping in a puddle or body of water (I’ll be right there with you).
I am most proud of the fact that I did it. I had a dream and I can officially say that I did it. If you had asked me that question six months ago I probably would have said “I’m almost there.” But I officially feel as though I am there.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I photographed a wedding in Vermont last July, just before I took off to travel for most of August and the first few weeks of September. The wedding was one of; if not the best wedding I’ve photographed yet. I posted/promoted the wedding in early August just before not having service in Yellowstone for a bit of time. When I got to the airport to check my email, I had 30+ wedding inquiries.
This was one of the first feelings that I had that I had “made it” and, of course, it made me really proud of myself.
Pricing:
- Weddings: $2500-$5000
- Maternity Sessions: $300-$500
- Elopements: $500-$2000
- Family Portraits: $300-$500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.halliejadepictures.com
- Phone: 774-281-3270
- Email: halliejadepictures@gmail.com
- Instagram: @halliejadepictures
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/halliejadepictures/
Image Credit:
Hallie Jade Pictures
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