Meet Kayla Locke, the face behind Locke Photography. She is a self-described cereal-loving, sun-chasing photographer. As a wife, a mom and a powerhouse of a creativity, Kayla is striving for balance in all things. She is always trying to keep all of the balls in the air. Her honesty is refreshing and her work is gorgeous. Here’s her advice for growing your business while maintaining a balance.

Your shooting style is unique and beautiful. How did you land on it?

“I’ve always loved color! I remember when I first started, desaturated was in and so was bright and airy. Neither were what I loved. When I finally realized that color and depth was what I craved (and what was missing), I let go of feeling like I needed to do what was “in” and went with it. My work finally came to life, and I fell more in love with it.”

Kayla “accidentally” became a photographer nearly five years ago.  It was after becoming a mom to Maelynn—and later Morgan—and nearly going mad from boredom. She bought a camera out of her desire to have photographs of her children. She taught herself how to use it, dabbled in all kinds of photography and found herself settling into family portraits. 

“The moments I love capturing the most have stemmed from being a mother. I know that’s such a common answer, but being a mom is powerful, emotional, and changes your whole perspective. So I definitely add and connect that to my art.” – Kayla Locke, Locke Photography

With more than 27,000 Instagram followers, it’s clear that she found the perfect lane for herself. (Luckily for us, photography won out over her brief stint doing crochet for friends.)

When did you know that photographing families was going to be your thing?

“When I would be shooting anything other than a family session, I would get bummed that I wasn’t shooting a family session. I basically stopped photographing everything but families, because those are what I love most!” 

Last year, Kayla started offering 1:1 mentorships (online and in-person) . She shared her style and process with photographers all across the country. Her online mentorships start with an editing session (and access to her presets) and a spot in her private Facebook group. She’s grown her business entirely by word-of-mouth and doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

“My plan for what’s next is to focus on even more balance,” says Locke. She plans on growing her business by traveling more, offering small off-site workshops and continuing to do the highly stylized shoots that she loves so much. It takes a village, though, and she’s grateful for the support of her husband, Adam, and their kids.

What made you decide to try Iris and how has it helped you the most?

“I NEEDED a client-management system and I believe any photographer that manages multiple clients does! It’s been a total game changer and has helped me be more professional with my clients, while saving me hours of time each week. I create an easy-to-use booking link for all my clients and they can schedule themselves. This alone helps me to set boundaries and not overbook! It also takes away all the time going back and forth with each client trying to find a day that works. It’s easy to pair the booking calendar with the workflows I set up so that contracts, questionnaires, invoices, etc. are automatically sent. Iris is a beautifully organized time saver and the real MVP in how smoothly my backend office tasks are run!”

IG: @locke.photography | Website: Locke Photography | HQ: Springfield, Missouri | Favorite gear: Canon Mark IV |     Go-to lens: Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM | Runs on: Caffeine | Love language: Hugs