Making the switch from photography 'side hustle' to full time gig

If you’re all about creating memories that last a lifetime, Kelly is right there with you. As a full-time wedding photographer from Melbourne, she has an eye for capturing key life events and human connection as they happen. 

Kelly’s experience photographing an event as special as this has given her an advantage when it comes to another creative space that she specializes in - lifestyle product photography. Drawing on her understanding of genuine moments, Kelly knows how to breathe authenticity into ordinary products and tell a story behind each one. 

Having created content for brands across a wide range of categories from beauty to beverages, we can confidently say that Kelly has ‘natural and candid’ product styling down to a pat. Scroll on to learn more about the creator behind the lens.

Meet Kelly Williams

I have always owned cameras since I was a kid, but I didn’t buy my first SLR until about 5 years ago when I started getting more serious about doing this as a profession. Before going into full-time photography, I was a part-time sales rep in the medical industry juggling these two very different interests. When my ‘side hustle’ of taking photographs grew and eventually overtook my sales job, this is when I decided to make the switch to doing this full time. 

When I'm not creating content, I'm a busy ‘boy mama’ to my 5-year old and like to balance my time between family, exercise, and riding horses. 

I love the various brands I get to work with and the challenge of coming up with content that might be outside of my normal type of work.

It all began with flatlays for me. This is the genre of styling that got me started in photography and what I was focusing on at the time that Creatively Squared recruited me to join their Content Creator team.

The most challenging (but also favourite) project that I worked on so far would be the Tiger campaign. Going the opposite direction from my usual light & bright aesthetic as seen in my Instagram account @myscandistyle, I needed to capture dark night-inspired images. Although it was different from my creative norm, having friends over for the photoshoot and enjoying Japanese food with beer was a highlight for me. 

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I create content primarily in my home studio, but also do on-location photo shoots in outdoor settings like parks and beaches. 

My image magic happens with a few different tools which includes my Canon 5D IV, a range of lenses (35mm, 50mm, 85mm, zoom lens, wide angle), Manfrotto tripod, Canon speedlite, Elinchrom d-lite studio lighting, MacBook, Adobe Lightroom, and light reflectors. I also have a collection of flatlay backdrops, which are made of vinyl and perfect for wiping away mess like food! 

Kelly's top creative tips

My tip when creating content for brands is to make sure you have a clear understanding of what type of content the customer is after before moving onto planning for the photoshoot.

To get in my creative zone, I usually take a walk and use this time to plan out what I want to do. Apart from this, I do my research on the brand and find inspo online. 

My insta hubby, as he is known, also helps me a huge amount. He not only gives his own perspective on the brief, but also moonlights as my photography assistant and model!