Meet Carolyn Allen | Photographer

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

Hi Carolyn, how do you think about risk?
Overall, I wouldn’t categorize myself as much of a risk taker in life. In most things, I typically take the “play it safe” route, however, I don’t shy away from a challenge if I feel that I have the tools to succeed. Perhaps, I would be described as a calculated risk taker. Five and a half years ago, I made the decision to leave my job and pursue my dream of owning a photography business. Starting a business from the ground up is an inherently risky decision, but prior to making the leap, I mapped out exactly what I needed to do to succeed. I knew the exact number of weddings I needed to photograph in a year in order to pay my bills (not even to make a profit!), and I didn’t make the decision to leave my former job until I was confident that I could book that amount of work. I’ve had my business for 5.5 years now. My metrics and goals have changed, but everyday I still have to make the decision to work hard in order to meet the challenge of providing for myself and getting to do the thing that I love the most. There have been (and continue to be) many challenges along the way, but the rewards always outnumber them!

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 am somewhat of a jack of all trades photographer. I photograph weddings, portraits, interiors, political candidates, landscapes, and more. Weddings make up the bulk of my work, but in 2020 when the pandemic slowed everything down, I found myself struggling with an unexpected abundance of free time. I was discouraged, bored, and missed doing the thing that brought me so much joy. So, I put all of my effort into creating an online print shop featuring images of Florida. I grew up on the gulf coast and have always been enamored by its beautiful coastline and slow pace of life. I regularly turned my lens toward palm tree lines skies and rugged fishing boats, but never had an avenue to share my ever growing library of work. In the midst of lockdowns, I felt a great desire to create beautiful imagery and also to connect with other people. Launching the print shop satisfied both of those urges .Many of the images in my shop were taken on a 35mm camera that my grandfather gave me before he passed away in the early 2000’s, when I was just learning photography. In the 80’s, he and my grandmother traveled all across the world with that camera, and now, I’m using it capture little bits of the place I call home. There is a piece of me (and a piece of my family) inside every image that I share, and it is incredibly humbling that people would want to display them in their homes. Opening my print shop has been one of the most rewarding things that I have done to date!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Mom – she has been my greatest cheerleader, confidant, and advisor in this process. In fact, when I first decided I wanted to be a photographer (my sophomore year of college), she and my Dad lent me the money to purchase my first “real” camera. I paid them back monthly for one year, interest free! I still have the ledger she created for me. To this day, she continues to encourage me when I am overwhelmed, occasionally helps me word an email when I am stumped, and often reminds me how blessed I am to get to do the thing that I love. I joke that she is the official Carolyn Allen Photography consultant!

Website: https://carolynallenprints.com/

Instagram: @carolynallenprints