Meet Christy Clark | Owner & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christy Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Since I was a little girl, I always craved being creative; painting, sculpting things out of clay, learning the piano, and yes, taking pictures on my parents polaroid and taping them to my walls. But I was always the one behind the camera not in front of it. After high school, I started college at Barry University full time all while holding a full time job as well. Eventually, I could no longer ignore a feeling that had begun to bubble up within me; waking up early & going to sleep late to make someone else’s dream come true wasn’t going to work for me. A couple years earlier, I had been gifted a starter, point & shoot Nikon camera that would hardly classify its owner as a photographer, but I was hooked. I started photographing my family and friends as a hobby, and learning the hard way what differentiates a person with a camera from a TRUE photographer; the angles, the composition, lighting, the mood. I didn’t know it then, but my little hobby would turn out to be my greatest passion in life, and soon, my new business. Luckily for me, that truth became suddenly very clear after walking into work one day and having my coworker (the kind that gets off on making people feel small and unappreciated) say the right combination of words, with just the right amount of condescension, that I made my decision: I was done. I started booking paid photoshoots on the side until I had saved up enough money and built enough of a little client base to make leaving my job possible. Fast forward 11 years and Christy Clark Photography has become what I am most proud of in my life. I built it from nothing, gave it a voice, an identity, and make a living from the beautiful like-minded individuals that saw my work and decided that mine was the best voice to tell their family’s stories. All because I made the decision that I deserved to be happy every single day when I came in to work. And now, it feels like I haven’t had to work a day in years.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel that what makes my work unique is my commitment to both my vision, and my process. Early in my career, I was taking on too many shoots that were either not my forte, did not align with my vision, or both. Luckily, I made the tough decision to start turning down photoshoots that didn’t fit that vision, and focusing solely on the kinds of shoots that I wanted to represent myself and my photos. I decided to focus my work on weddings, elopements, & engagement shoots since that’s what appealed to me the most and allowed me to capture the raw, romantic emotions that pervade those moments. Of course, as a small business owner, it was hard turning down the money that came with some of the other less aesthetically-fulfilling shoots that I was being approached with. But with time, as I myself became a “wedding photographer”, so too did my client base begin to learn what my specialization was; and with that came the bookings. So even though it meant a loss in the short-term early on, my decision to do what “felt” right for me and my business turned out to be the defining moment in what has blossomed into the current iteration of CCP.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being in South Florida, it would be easy for one to assume that my itinerary would revolve itself around going to the beach; not for me! I would focus our trip around my two favorite parts of South Florida; the architecture and the food. As with any good day, you need to start out with some top-notch breakfast to set the tone. For this I’d take us to Giorgio’s bakery and bistro in Hollywood beach where we could enjoy our avocado smash toast outside while we watch dolphins and manatees make their way through the intracoastal waters. Over the rest of the week I’d say we’d check out HuaHua’s Tacqueria, Finka table & tap, Havana Harry’s, Opa tavern, and Laspadas Hoagies (not a flashy joint, but they make that is, in my opinion, the best subs in south florida). As for what we’d do to burn all those calories off, I’d take us biking down old cutler road in coral gables where we can enjoy the coral-lined walls, massive oak trees that envelop the road with their lush limbs, and gawk at the mansions that we probably couldn’t afford to even park in, much less own. We would take a trip down a little further and spend a day picking fresh fruits, drinking smoothies and waiting in a ridiculously long line for sticky buns at the Knaus Berry farm. Are the buns themselves worth the wait? Probably not, but it wouldn’t be a TRUE Miami experience without doing something that makes no sense just so you can post on instagram for your friends to see that you did it. After that, I’d spend the rest of the week lounging through the Florida keys. It technically isn’t “Miami”, but we share an area code, so that makes us at least family of some sort. We’d end the week at sunset in Mallory Square in Key west where dozens of the most talented street performers in the country put on an unforgettable show ranging from swallowing knives they lit on fire, to balancing upside down 20 feet in the air. Yeah, sounds like a solid week to me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am at without the support and help of my family ( My parents, and both of my sisters) & my incredibly supportive boyfriend Alex. They have been by my side every step of the way!

Website: www.christyclarkphotos.com
Instagram: instagram.com/christyclarkphotography

Image Credits
Christy Clark Photography