Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Hafner.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always had a passion for photography, but my photography story really started in 2008. As a single mom looking for a new career, I was in X-ray school and wasn’t very happy in that field. The women’s group at the church I was attending was very supportive and saw a passion for photography in me after I submitted some butterfly photographs for a ministry auction. They surprised me with a new upgraded DSLR camera and two lenses. I was honored and excited. I took that opportunity and started my career. I was photographing portraits and weddings, and in 2013 I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in photography from UNF. I traveled to Italy, on a 5-week study abroad trip my senior year which started my passion for architectural photography.
The next 3 years, I was photographing portraits and weddings, (outside of commissioned jobs my daughter Cheyenne was my favorite subject) I started accumulating publications where I was featured. Estate Living Magazine was a local publication where I was hired to photograph its front covers, filled with some of Jacksonville’s most Influential residents for the entire year. I also worked with Jacksonville Real Producers for a year photographing Jacksonville real estate agents. During this time, photographing portraits for those magazines, I was also developing my real estate photography business. Kim Lindsey Photography, LLC was formed and started to grow. My first real exciting project was when I started traveling with Trivago photographing hotels….that was fun! I also met and married my husband Brad, in that season.
Over the years, Kim Lindsey Photography, LLC has grown into an amazing 4-person team. We are more like family really. Blake, Sue and Rocio have enriched my life and have helped make Kim Lindsey Photography, LLC what it is today. I’m beyond honored to have these talented amazing humans in my life. From photographing mansions, design work, Airbnb, real estate, remodeling projects, pools, landscaping projects, and even aircraft, our portfolio has increased and grown more than I could ever imagine. It seems every year someone on the team is getting published and I’m so proud of this team! My personal work has had the privilege of being featured in Architectural Digest. We are always growing and learning and improving our craft.
My continued goal is to be a good steward of this amazing career and work family that I have been entrusted to by God. From humble beginnings with a “gifted camera” to a thriving business and a fulfilment that is beyond measure, it’s been an amazing journey. I love and honor my clients and strive to be the best for them. We keep growing year after year, and I am excited about what the future holds.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As with owning any business (especially a creative service business) there are always challenges as it relates to client expectations, art trends, new services, equipment, managing and growing. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. We take it day by day and pivot as we need to.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Being in a creative service career, we must stay up to date and relevant. We offer all the leading services from photos, design work, drone, videos, 3D tours and lots of other digital-based services. We specialize in capturing space and lifestyle for all projects we take on while harnessing natural light in the most effective way. Photography is about light.
I believe we are set apart in the real estate photography community because all of us on the team come from a “design” background in some way. We all have BA degrees and have trained professionally. That professional training laid the foundation for us to really spread our wings and think outside the box for projects. Photography is also about sight, and we grow that vision daily. Service jobs, in general, can become mundane, but because of the artistic nature of this career (mixing with the artistic temperament of our staff) it keeps us looking forward to the next project. My team and I strive to always keep things fresh and artistically exciting, so we move and work in a creative headspace for every project. This is super important for clients and for us to continue to love what we do…..and we do LOVE IT! I believe the length of time each photographer has been on board with Kim Lindsey Photography, LLC speaks to this, which makes me proud!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Client satisfaction and team-personal fulfilment are the two most important aspects that contribute to our success. We value each other and our clients. We want who we serve to have an amazing quality art product that will convert financially for them. We consider clients friends and we partner with them to get the results they are seeking. We are easy to work with and approachable and want our clients to have a stunning set of images and have a feeling of teamwork with us. Personal fulfillment is easy in this field when we align with clients, exceed expectations, and continue to grow our creative endeavors. We get to make art for friends for a living. What is better than that?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimlindseyphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimlindseyphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimLindseyPhotography
