Meet Emily Duncan

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

Hi Emily, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work life balance is still something I am figuring out and not sure if I will ever figure it out perfectly. I think as a business owner your job never stops. There are always emails to respond to, invoices to send out, products to order, social media to update and much more. That’s before we even get to planning, taking, editing and delivering the photos. On top of that, I am an elementary special education teacher. While I love being a photographer and teacher it makes work life balance real tough. When I first started my photograph business I hardly had a personal life and my family and friends were not given the time and energy they desreved. As I have transitioned into the wedding industry and booking more clients scheduling and visual calendars have been a life saver for me. The more automated my business is the more time I am able to spend with myself, friends and family. At first it was hard for me to automate my business because I thought that took the personality out of it. Instead of all of my emails having an automated generic response I created email templates. This helps me intentionally respond to each inquiry while not having to spend extra time typing out the same information each email. After creating email templates I then created other templates or guides for each part of my business. At first, this took a lot of time, energy and effort to create but once they were created it saved me so much time in the long run. I no longer have to spend hours on the phone or computer answering clients questions because they already had all of the information in the guide. While I still do in person or phone conferences they are usually a lot faster and smoother since they know what to expect ahead of time. Templates, guides and investing in platforms to help with automations have helped streamline my business and allowed me to give more of my time to my friends and family. As my business continues to grow I think it is important to have discipline and make sure not to overbook myself. Regardless of how automated my business gets if I overbook myself then I am unable to give my full potential to my clients which is the more important part of my business. Overall ensuring that you as a business owner are happy and can manage the load you have is the so important to ensure you run a successful business and don’t reach burn out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My favorite part of photography is the reaction of my clients when I show them their photos. I can see their face light up and exude with confidence as they think, “that’s me”? It truly warms my heart receiving reviews of how much they love their photos and feel beautiful because of them. I also love getting to meet so many couples in love. I love, love. Getting to hear couples stories of how they met, how they proposed and what their vision is for their wedding is so touching and fun for me. Once I get to know the couple I help them plan out their engagement session. This can be at the first date spot, an activity they like to do together or somewhere else that played a part in their story. I don’t love just taking pretty photos but I love crafting a story and documenting it. Details are some of my favorites to capture. The ways their hand mesh together, the way he moved her hair out of her face or the laugh she made after he kissed her cheek. These moments don’t go unnoticed and tell a story every time you see the photo.

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?
I would start out with breakfast at little hen which is the cutest little brunch boutique. We would eat scones with whipped cream cheese and fresh strawberry jam and crab cake benedict. Then we would go for a walk at memorial park. The trail is perfect for a short or long convo around a small lake and through shaded trees. We would get a coffee or smoothie and the coffee truck at the park as well. Maybe we would go to an Astros game or head to the post for a drink and international snacks with a beautiful skyline view. Another dinner spot we’d have to go to is sixty vines. We’d order the mussels and brussel sprouts for a starter, the pesto pasta for an entree and a wine flight of course. For a late night activiry we would go to Notsuoh, a eclectic vintage bar with great espresso martinis.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Amelia Rose Photography, my mentor

Website: https://linktr.ee/emilyduncanphotography?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZ1R2OcHDT-700fXIOdFd–WUQDTL8wEBk_lNsjgiAtUXpr0HxJNRNPwE4_aem_lNVwuPdOlwWK1wpRSBH2Tw

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

Image Credits
Emily Duncan Photography