Today we’d like to introduce you to Hope Taylor
Hi Hope, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my business when I was only 16 years old! I was a sophomore in high school, and picked up a photojournalism class just because. It slowly evolved into photographing my peers for fun on the weekends. Going into my junior year, I quit my job at a local retail store because I started charging a small fee for my photo sessions. When my senior year rolled around, I only went to class until about 11am – so I had a lot of time to treat my photography business as more of a “full time” job. After graduating, I actually decided to revoke my admission from the college that I planned to attend – and I took my business TRULY full time. I’ve now been a full-time business owner and photographer for over 12 years!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest struggles in my journey was the decision to revoke my college admission, I had committed to a 4-year Virginia university to pursue a business and marketing degree. I had attended orientation, was buying things for my dorm, picked a roommate, chose classes, met professors…and decided not to go just a few weeks before I would have been moving in. It was a HUGE, monumental decision for me – and it wasn’t received well by everyone. I am so grateful to have my parent’s unwavering support, but they were also hesitant to encourage me to make such a life-altering decision at first. I had high school teachers, peers and people that I admired tell me that I was making a ridiculous choice, and that I needed to have a “back-up plan”. Looking back, I’m so proud that I decided to bet on myself and take the leap – and so grateful for my mom who always believed in me and, as a result, made me believe in myself.
When I started my business IN high school, I was also met with a ton of backlash and bullying. My peers didn’t understand why I wanted to take this business seriously, so I was made fun of relentlessly online.
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?
While I have specialized in a variety of photography services over the last 12 years, I have always come back to high school senior portraits. I am so passionate about empowering young women (and men!) to feel beautiful, confident and loved going into an incredibly stressful and demanding season of their lives. I think my passion stems from my own personal journey of starting a business at such a young age. It was hard to find people who believed in me, encouraged me and poured positivity into my life – and I want to always be that source of light for young people in a similar season.
My work stands apart for it’s vibrant color and joyful, playful style. I also educate thousands of photographers across the globe about how to specialize in senior portraits themselves. I teach things like lighting, editing, posing, client experience, marketing, business and more.
As I move into the season of life of being a mom (my sweet little girl, Clara, just turned 8 months old!), I also find myself gravitating towards photographing family portraits – and I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that YOU are in complete control of your journey in life. Letting outside influence dictate your decisions only negatively impacts YOU.
When I look back at the terrible things that were said about me starting a business in high school, it would have been so easy for me to cower away from my big dreams and be too scared to continue. But, I knew that letting them stop me from pursuing something I was passionate about would only negatively impact me in the long run.
12 years later, I’ve been able to build a life and career that I love…and I no longer speak to a single person that I went to high school with. Can you imagine if I had let them dictate or influence some of my life’s biggest decisions?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hopetaylor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopetaylorphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopetaylorphoto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCduWq9IQL0HT15XulptgJWQ
