Meet Kristelle Boulos | Miami & Destination Wedding Photographer

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

Hi Kristelle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I always knew I wanted to become a professional photographer but I never knew how. Even though I had a clear desire, my parents encouraged me to select a more traditional major in college, one that could lead to a secure career. I opted for landscape architecture but I was secretly hoping that someone would “discover me” and take me by the hand to show me the way to become a professional photographer.

I never thought of myself as a potential business owner. I grew up believing that I was terrible at math and business. So starting a business never crossed my mind until 2020, when the pandemic hit.

At that point, I had seven years of work experience under my belt and more confidence in myself, my work, and my talent. I also had just gotten married, and loved the experience of having our photos taken, which rekindled the desire of becoming a professional photographer. Coincidentally, a couple of months later, I was asked to photograph a family friend’s wedding, and without any wedding experience, I took on the challenge.

When the whole world paused it allowed me to reflect on my life, my dreams and goals. I also fell down a rabbit hole of TikTok videos. I saw a lot of young photographers sharing how they quit their nine-to-five to become photographers and travel around the world. I was envious, and I started wondering why that wasn’t my life. The answer was clear: becoming a professional photographer was always only a dream – I never made it my goal. So I decided to take action, and immediately opened a new Instagram account, and contacted all my friends in Miami to start building my portfolio.

I had a goal to shoot a project every single weekend, and I was committed. My weekends became busier and busier. Quickly, my friends’ friends started hiring me. I still remember the first inquiry I received from someone I didn’t know directly: I didn’t even have pricing yet, I didn’t have a website, or any system to collect payment or send a contract… I had to scramble. Shortly after, I created my website myself, hired a graphic designer through Etsy to make my logo and branding, and signed up on Honeybook to create a streamlined client experience and to keep my projects organized. Six months after, I registered my business as an LLC as I was now booking regularly.

For a year, I was juggling between my full-time job at a landscape architecture firm and my side business as a wedding and portrait photographer. Towards the last few months of the overlap, I consistently started making more money as a photographer than as a salaried employee, which encouraged me to take the leap and quit my full-time job.

I still can’t believe it all happened, and I am very grateful for every occurrence in my life that led me to my dream life.

Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
– How did you get to where you are today professionally:

I have always been fascinated by documenting life around me since my early teenage years growing up in Beirut, Lebanon. I got that from my father and grandmother, who are very nostalgic souls and value preserving memories. Thanks to them, we have endless stacks of family albums and videos (My grandparents were one of the first couples in the country to have a wedding video)! In addition, my uncle is a talented fine art and landscape photographer, and he has always encouraged my passion.

I would document life in the streets of Beirut, family and friends, and a lot of my own life as well. It is like I always had the urge to capture everything because I feared I would forget it all.

It all started with a two megapixel camera inside my Sony Ericsson cellphone and I never stopped since. I was drawn to street photography and photo-journalism, particularly war photography. These photos make me cry even without always knowing what the context is.

I wanted to study photography/film in college but like many parents, mine encouraged me to move toward a different path that is more “secure”, with a “traditional” career. So after some thinking, I chose Landscape Architecture, which became my career for the last seven years.

Photography remained just a hobby until my husband and I got married and saw the magic of having our story documented by someone else. A couple of months later, I was asked to photograph a family friend’s intimate wedding, and I took on the challenge. Shortly after that, the pandemic hit, and it gave me all the space and time in the world to think about my dreams and start taking action. That’s how I got here!

– Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

It is probably not the answer people like to hear, but my journey has been pretty smooth. It felt like everything was naturally falling into place, like I was meant to do this my entire life. The universe is telling me: FINALLY, we have been waiting for you.

I believe that my background in landscape architecture, design and working in the corporate world has taught me a lot about understanding perspective, spatial relationships, human psychology, communication, business and marketing. And of course, my passion in photography was all I needed to get started somewhere.

I would say, though, that having a full-time job and growing a business simultaneously is not easy and requires a lot of sacrifices. But I was willing to do the extra work and give up sleep and socialization. My mindset is stronger than the workload. It’s all worth it for me. However, this would not be possible without the support of my husband, which in turn inspired him to explore his own creative projects as well. We actually just got back from shooting our first destination wedding (photo and film) in Tulum, Mexico.

Everything happens in due time when you put in the work.

– What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

Being able to connect on a deeper level with others has allowed me to brand myself as a storyteller rather than just a photographer, and that’s resonating with people. I also invest in tools and resources that help me grow throughout all aspects of life and work in the most efficient way. It’s a bi-product of prioritizing self-improvement. I have found it is the only way to grow, yet still maintain some work-life balance. It may sound corny but the values my family taught me have been crucial in my development. My maternal grandparents taught me the value of generosity and empathy, my brother inspired me to get outside my comfort zone and to explore my talent like he does. Finally, my mother is a huge inspiration to me and I believe that I got my drive to succeed from her.

– What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I am an intimate wedding and portrait photographer based in Miami, but I shoot all over the world. I specialize in documenting soulful, intimate connections.

I think that what sets me apart from others is the emotions and story-telling I am able to convey to the viewers, even if they do not know the people in the photos.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely make sure to check out The Mandolin Aegean Bistro, it’s my favorite restaurant in Miami!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, partner and talented videographer: Adrian Velazquez.

Website: https://kristelleboulos.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromkbwithlove/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristelleboulos/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fromkbwithlove

Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/kristelle-boulos-photography-miami

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyjngLNBkTfekg-zc1DwVFQ

Other: Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/capturing-connections/id1620247304

Image Credits
Photo of me by Adela Manotas. All the other photos by Kristelle Boulos.