Friendor Series: Hope Taylor Photography!

Hi friends! I had the pleasure of meeting up with Hope Taylor Photography last week in her adorable new office space! This woman is such a go-getter! Her tenacity is contagious, and her hard working attitude has set her up for success. We love Hope so much, and we are excited to work with her in the future! Our interview, which contained so many giggles, is below!

What is your favorite type of shoot?

• When I started out I did anything and everything, and I started to figure out what I love most. So now I specialize in Seniors, Engagements, and Weddings. I offer mini sessions once in the fall and once in the spring for my family and kid clients. They book up pretty quick in the fall, for Holiday pictures too!

How hard was the decision to not go to Radford?

• College is just what everyone does when they graduate, so I applied to Radford and knew I was going to go, it was no question. I was supposed to leave the last week of August, and the first week of August I just woke up one morning and knew that it wasn't for me. I thought about it a lot, and it was a tough decision, but I told my mom, who already knows me like the back of her hand, and she was so supportive. I was nervous about telling Brandon, and he was so supportive as well. I knew I had to stay true to myself, and true to what I knew I wanted, even if it wasn't what everyone else was doing.

How is balancing your work, life, and school?

• Time management is my biggest downfall, and balancing my social life, school, and business is definitely challenging. It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do! One of my classes is a business class and after owning my own business, I haven’t even had to open the book! I’ve been blessed with a relatively easy work load this semester, but balancing the busy work season with busy school season is tough. I have a hard time giving myself break days, but I’m working on it! I function well when I’m stressed, though, so that comes in handy!

Have you ever shot with film?

• I haven’t shot with film before, but I’ve dabbled in it! I went on a shopping spree a few weeks ago and I’ve fallen in love with antique cameras. All the cameras function, but I want to sit down and play with them to teach myself how to work with film. I’m scared once I love film I’ll never go back!

What other photographers do you emulate, admire, etc.?

• I love Kaiteyn James. Carrie Logan is another one, she’s only 19 and she’s so successful. She’s based out of Lancaster, PA and she’s a big role model for me. I love Jasmine Star, too. Abby Grace is wonderful too, and so humble, she’s amazing! The Photography Smiths are local, also, and I love them, their work is phenomenal. I’ve got a long list! Oh! And Amanda Hedgpeth- I love her work and her family is the cutest I’ve ever seen. Oh! And Matt Kennedy and his wife are both photographers,and I love them as a team!

What’s the most memorable moment for HTP so far?

• I would say getting my studio, but that was a personal decision so it wasn't a huge deal to me. Probably the first time I was told I was going to be published in a magazine – I was SO excited. It wasn’t even the first magazine I got published in, but Lemonade and Lenses is a pretty big photography magazine, I had submitted articles before that weren’t selected, and they told me that I would have a 12 page spread! I’m in there with other photographers that I completely admire.

We had so much fun interviewing Hope and working with her this week. We are so excited and honored to have helped with her boxes for the 2016 Senior Spokesmodels. Here are some of the photos of the amazing boxes she put together.

Photos by Hope Taylor, Papergoods & stickers by Twila & Co.