Meet Bailey Schenck | Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Bailey, how do you think about risk?
I think that risks are inevitable, you have to take them if you want something to change and especially if you want to grow. Be it in your social life, business, romantically or otherwise. Every action has some amount of risk, you just have to weigh it out and commit to it. I took on a good deal of risk pursuing photography as a business. I had quite a bit invested financially, I risked prioritizing my work over my kids and husband, I risked being less involved in my social circles being busy so often. Risk has made me more aware of the impact my decisions have on my self and those around me which I feel has motivated me to commit to said decisions and to follow through more often.

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 I’ve always been drawn to the arts but wasn’t really in a position growing up to pursue it. My schooling was very STEM based growing up and I had little room to get into the arts. I went to college for STEM but in changing my major several times I ended up taking a film elective and fell in love. I feel like it’s something extra I have to offer my clients as well, it adds such a unique touch to any gallery. I still haven’t found my niche in the photography world but I’m very at peace with that. I have done couples shoots, births, children and newborn photography, graduation and birthday parties. I look forward to elopements and weddings but so far I haven’t done a shoot that I didn’t enjoy. At this point in my career the thing that still excites me more than anything else is delivering the gallery and knowing I’ve been able to give someone stills of memories that they’ll be able to cherish forever. Getting to where I am now definitely wasn’t easy. I dropped out of college, got married, and started having babies. I was only about 22 when I got pregnant with my first and motherhood became my identity, it was all consuming in all the best ways. I feel like so many women loose themselves and are consumed by motherhood and it happened to me for a long while. Now I’m learning who this new me is and what motivates me as an individual aside from motherhood.
I’ve learned so much getting to where I am now but I think the biggest ‘ahh’ moment was when it clicked that it doesn’t matter what it is but doing the things that bring you joy are incredibly important. If it’s silly and childish or embarrassing or odd but makes you smile, who cares. I’ve done some really outlandish photo shoots and they’ve always been a blast. More so having a client who has a good time and loves the results is all I could ask for. I just want people to know that not having a niche isn’t a bad thing.
I’ve gained an incredible amount of knowledge and experience in not shutting out a shoot opportunity just because it didn’t fall under my ‘umbrella’. I support most visions and am always happy to help those visions come to life!

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.
If my best friend came to the area for a visit we’d most likely spend a majority of the week hiking and camping at some of the nearby state and national parks. If we weren’t having your typical fireside meals wed be visiting local diners and coffee shops like Vernele’s New Orleans Bakery & Cafe in Conroe, 105 Cafe, Honeys in New Waverly, HeBrews in Magnolia or even The Treehouse Cafe on 1488. I’m a sucker for a good cup of coffee so I love venturing out to new coffee shops. It’s also a good way to find the perfect space to hang out and edit photos. To me some of the most fun places to be are outside- whether it’s a patio at a cafe or on a trail through the woods, outside is my favorite place to be.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband Joshua, absolutely. He has been unwaveringly supportive and patient in me building my business. We can sit down together and talk about finances, brainstorm future shoots and business plans. He’s very knowledgeable in many of those areas as he ran his family business for several years. My husband has been a huge inspiration and I couldn’t do it without him.

Instagram: 4s.photography