Our next entrant is innovating in the field of photography. Kate Hennessy has been growing her photography business for the past five years. She is currently in a position where she is photographing around 40 weddings per year and she has recently set up a portrait studio in Iwade where she photographs children and families.
Kate described the diversification of the services that she offered: “As a photographer, I offer wedding photography with a natural, fine art romantic style. Clients can choose from various products and services to create their own package, including an engagement session, bridal boudoir session, part-day or full-day wedding coverage and so forth. I also offer personal branding photography and videography for other small business owners. I have also developed a site called WeddingTog, where I create both free and paid resources including blog articles, printable business materials and 1-2-1 mentoring. I’m currently working on a podcast and an online course to add educational value. These resources all focus primarily on the business aspects of becoming a wedding photographer.”
The business is no stranger to awards, having received the ‘Highly Commended - Photographer Of The Year’ award at The Kent Wedding Awards 2016 and an International Wedisson Award for ‘Best Wedding Photography’. Her work has been featured in a number of publications including Your Kent Wedding magazine, A Kentish Ceremony magazine and VOGUE Italia.
Kate had an interesting journey to finding her vocation, and now hopes to encourage and help others to find their own. “As someone who so passionately believes in the value of small businesses, I feel that I’m becoming a kind of accidental spokesperson for people with a dream to leave the 9-5 and grow an income from their skills and talents on a self-employed basis! Self-employment and running a business, especially in the early stages, relies entirely on you, your skills, your motivation, your beliefs… literally everything comes from you. You have to wear all the hats - from branding to accounting, from sales to customer service.”
Finally Kate concluded by explaining why she felt her business should be recognised at the 2018 awards: “I feel that my message with my business, in both my photography and education avenues, is about empowerment, both personally and professionally. This is why I would love to win an award as I do feel strongly about spreading that message. I hope that my business is an example to others that if you love what you do and know why you’re doing it, then you can achieve more than you ever thought possible. I know that with both photography and education, I have found a way to both give and receive in my business, a balance which I feel proud to be striving for every day!”
Kate Hennessy Photography
15 Colson Drive
Iwade
Sittingbourne
Kent
ME9 8TT
07875 336 444
www.katehennessyweddings.com