Corcus Featured Creator ❤️ Kailee

@kep_photos

Hey everyone!

Hope you all are having a great week. This week’s feature is Kailee (@kep_photos), a lover of sunshine, coffee, flowers, and photography! She captures moments of weddings, seniors, families and produces romantic, candid, and fun photos. Her beautiful photographs and engagement on her social media are super inspiring. It is definitely worth checking out her blog (KEP)! Scroll down to read on about her experience as a content creator. You won’t want to miss out! :)

Sections:

1. About Kailee

2. Tips + Advice

3. Working with brands

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About Kailee

Tell us a little about your background. When did you start creating content? What got you to start?

I started creating content when I was 15! I was in high school, and began taking senior photos of my friends/some people I didn’t know. I got started because I was interested in photography, and loved working with people, so turning photography into a business was a natural way to pursue both passions!

Do you see creating content as your full-time job or more of a hobby that you do in your free time?

I definitely see creating content as a full-time job! I went full time when I was 20 and got my LLC :) 

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced or you are facing as a creator/influencer?

The biggest challenge I’m facing is consistency. When running a business there is SOOO much to do and so little time! Especially when you’re a one man team. You are the head of the company, marketing, communications, content creation, social media, accounting, etc. So it can be hard to post often, engage with people, when there’s photoshoots and so many other to-do’s on the list. 

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Tips for other creators

What kinds of tools do you use to stay consistent and active on your social media?

I use an app called Plann to help schedule content, I also like using my calendar app to schedule posts and give myself reminders to stay on top of posting. 

What are some of your favorite editing tools? (If you use them)

Lightroom and Tezza!

What are some tips for creators who are just getting started?

For people just getting started I would recommend practicing as much as you can! Try and shadow people with experience, and do shoots just for yourself! You can look up photo challenges online or through Pinterest and complete those to help grow your skills and execute techniques. 

Do you have any specific goals set for yourself for the coming months?

Specific goals for myself would definitely include posting every other day, doing more fashion/creative shoots, and taking at least one full day off a week. 

How do you balance your personal and work life?

To balance my work/personal life is ROUGH! I live and breathe what I do because I love it, but taking time off and for myself is a must. Self-care is really another way to care for my business! If I’m at my best, so is my work. I try to meet up with a friend or two a week, take extra long showers, treat myself to a dinner out, and wind down from work with a book or my favorite shows. 

How did you “learn” the ways of content creation? Are there any resources you see as absolutely necessary?

I think being on social media inspires my “learning”. Apps like Pinterest are a great way to get pose/shoot ideas! I also would encourage learning by exposing yourself to media like magazines, podcasts, tv shows, and other outlets other than social media. 

What kind of advice do you have for creators who are not seeing any progress or success?

If you aren’t seeing progress or success, my advice would be to do shoots with friends or businesses for free to build a portfolio. Volunteer your services to a small business or non-profit! Learn by doing, try new things, look up inspiration, and don’t give up. 

What are some of the biggest misconceptions that people have about you that you’d like to address?

One of the biggest content creation misconceptions is you just press a button or two and BAM you have great content. Shooting content, curating it, editing it, captioning it, and posting it takes HOURS! And tons of time, talent, and creativity that often goes overlooked. 

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Working with brands

What have you found to be the biggest challenge in working with brands?

The biggest challenge working with brands for me tends to be communication. Being extra certain everyone is on the same page, and taking time to learn the brands aesthetic, vision, and hopes for the outcome of the images. 

What brands have you worked with in the past? What are some that you would like to work with?

In the past I’ve worked with Steve Madden, Report footwear, Zents, mostly fashion and beauty brands :) I would love to work with big brands like Polaroid, Canon, Urban outfitters, because I shop there and love their products! 

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Takeaway:

If I could say one thing to content creators, I would say stay true to yourself and work HARD. It can be so tempting to follow content creation trends and go with the cultural flow. But doing what you like and love will make you stand out! Find the thing or style that is uniquely YOU. If you commit yourself to work hard, you’ll move forward. My biggest inspiration is my younger sister Abbey, who is autistic. She inspires me to keep going through the hard times in my journey. She helps remind me of the joy found in creating new things and motivates me to make her proud. 

Love,

Corcus Team

If you are interested in being part of this series, please email creator@corcus.io.