Daily Inspiration: Meet Karlee Bailey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karlee Bailey. 

Hi Karlee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I first picked up a camera when I was a junior in high school, and officially filed for my DBA as a senior in high school in January of 2011. During that time, I enjoyed taking pictures of friends and family members just for fun and realized that this might be what I wanted to do with my life. I never imagined myself becoming a photographer but I was lucky enough to have tons of support behind me in this journey. 

I’ve been a photographer for almost 11 years. If you had asked me all those years ago what I thought I would do with my life, a photographer would not have been an option. People told me time and time again that photography is just a hobby. It’s not something you can make a living off of. I should go to school for something more productive instead of becoming an artist. Here we are so many years later, making this “hobby” a career. It took a lot of time, patience, and dedication but it has all been absolutely worth it. 

After years of working from my home, in a basement studio, we opened up a brick-and-mortar studio in downtown Ionia in 2016 where we founded the name of Brick Street Studio. My business partner Keysha joined the team during this time…We loved the thought of being on Main Street in the heart of my hometown, so after renting for a couple years we officially bought our permanent studio in 2019 still on Main Street but with triple the amount of space. It was the best decision I could have ever made for myself and my business. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Owning a business does not come without its struggles. Being a young photographer when I first started this journey, a lot of people would question me if I “knew what I was doing” or not, solely because I was so young. I just had to keep telling myself that my work speaks for itself. Being a photographer who works mostly on the weekends I have missed out on many family gatherings or events over the years but I know I’m doing it to create artwork and memories that will last my clients and their families a lifetime. 

Making big business-changing decisions is always the hardest struggle of all. When it comes to raising prices or deciding to change our business model, it’s always scary not knowing what to expect. What if I fail? I just have to move past it and keep on pushing. I haven’t been doing this for 11 years because it’s easy, it’s far from it. As cheesy as this sounds, I do this because it gives me so much happiness hearing the oohs and aahs from clients when they look through their images for the first time and seeing the smiles on their faces when they get to hang their finished artwork on their walls. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a photographer, I specialize in couples and senior portraits. I enjoy giving my clients a fun and adventurous experience, tailoring their sessions around the things they love and their personalities. We pride ourselves on giving our clients a full-service experience, from start to finish. We start with the planning process, where we decide on locations and what outfits they might want to wear. After their shoot, we schedule an ordering appointment to help them decide which artwork and products best fit their needs. I’m proud to be able to give a unique experience every single time and I make sure that my repeat clients have a variety of experiences. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
In sixth grade, my family got a puppy. She was a black lab who we named Comet and we picked her up when she was just about 6 weeks old. This pup quickly became my best friend. She slept with me every night, waited for me every day to get off the bus, and even enjoyed swimming in our pool with me. I ended up showing her in the dog show at the Ionia Free Fair for six years through a local 4H club. We won awards in obedience and agility, we even dressed up in some ridiculous costumes for the costume class portion of the show. 

As I got older and picked up a camera, Comet of course was my first official model. I would dress her up in feather boas and tutus so I could photograph her in different locations around our home. I even put my glasses on her, sat her next to a desk with a backpack to promote my back-to-school mini sessions way back in the day. She meant the world to me for the 15 years she enjoyed on this earth. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://brickstreetstudio.photography/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brickstreetstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrickStreetStudio