Your Family Story Should Be Preserved, Shared, & Celebrated.
How it all started
I honestly never really planned to be a Lookout Mountain photographer. I have always had a love for creating things. During high school and college, I was usually the friend with a camera in her hand, working to document fun or special moments. Having lost several close family members in my early teenage years, I think I've carried with me a sense that time with the ones you love is fleeting. Photography is a way of stopping time, enabling you to remember a moment forever.
2013: Part of the fun of traveling to new places has always been taking pictures. My point and shoot camera fell off of our rental car during a trip to Ireland (I'm pretty sure this was also the day we totaled our rental car by hitting a big rock on the side of the road, but that's a story for another post). My camera was never the same after that. My husband encouraged me to buy a little crop-sensor mirrorless camera as a replacement.
2015: When our first child was born, I failed to book a newborn photographer. Ironic, I know! After contacting a few photographers who were either booked up or out of our budget, I gave up and decided to take the photos myself. My camera was decent and the images turned out fine enough. I decided I was going to need to figure out how to use my camera properly. I had always enjoyed artistic pursuits (making movies with friends was a favorite high school past time). My husband suggested I take a class at the local community college and I did!
The Story Behind Kelley Hoagland Photography
2018: This was a challenging year for me. I had a 2 year old and an infant. We were building our own house. My husband was working long hours and in school part time. We were exhausted and I honestly felt like I was drowning. I decided I needed to really pursue a hobby, something fun in my life. I had read (probably on Pinterest) that the best way to improve ones photography skills was through lots of practice. I upgraded my lens and decided to start a little project called the 365 Photo Challenge. I tried to take a photo everyday and wrote a weekly blog to keep myself accountable. I secretly wanted to start a photography business, but assumed that was an unrealistic dream.
Family and friends began to take notice of my portraits. In the Summer of 2018, I completed my first paid session as a newborn photographer for a family with 6 young children. I loved it and found that my skill set as a pediatric occupational therapist was very useful in this different role. It was then that my business as a Lookout Mountain Photographer was officially born.
