Meet Andrea King

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea King.

Hi Andrea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Ever since I can remember, I knew that I wanted to take pictures. My journey started long before digital photography was a thing. I took an elective class in film photography way back while I was in high school and my curiosity and passion for photography grew from there. I had a lot of pushback from my family when I’d tell them this was the career path I wanted to take.

Eventually, they won the battle and I set my camera down, went to college, and started an unfulfilling career in education. I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t inspired, and on most days I felt like I was chasing my tail. In 2012, my husband encouraged me to pick up a camera and just start somewhere, so that’s what I did. I learned the digital side of photography, and how to use Photoshop, and I slowly started to build my business. At first, I had no idea what I wanted to shoot- so it was mostly friends and a little family.

Soon that started to snowball and I decided to focus on weddings. I absolutely loved telling love stories, meeting new couples, working with them from their engagement photos up to their big day, and keeping in contact with them as time moved on. In 2018, my youngest son was born. The journey to start a family was not easy for us, it was littered with fertility struggles and several losses, and when he came along early I knew that I wouldn’t be able to commit to as many weddings because he had several health issues.

We spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital with him, there were a lot of surgeries that he needed and I was at a crossroads with my career. At this time a young woman contacted for a boudoir shoot, and that shoot changed everything for me.

From that moment on I changed my career to boudoir only and never looked back. It’s not just about taking images where women look sexy, it’s so much more than that. The first client I booked had such an amazing story where she overcame so much and wanted to celebrate her life, her beauty, and her uniqueness and it was almost like therapy for me. I struggled a lot with my own self-image, self-love, and self-esteem.

I had felt betrayed by my body because of my fertility issues and knowing that I wasn’t alone was like a breath of fresh air. Boudoir is still such a controversial genre because a lot of people think it’s dirty, but it isn’t. I work with amazing women who come to me and get to see themselves as the strong, beautiful, amazing, and unstoppable women that everyone else already sees them as.

I work with sexual assault survivors who have been ashamed of their bodies their entire life, women who have been bullied for the way they look, women who also struggle with fertility, women who want to celebrate their bodies for everything they have been through, and also women who may just want to take a day for self-love/self-care and surprise their partner with something.

I absolutely love what I do and am very blessed to be able to do it. I shoot in my home in an in-home studio M-F, I’m able to pamper my clients with an exclusive client closet they have access to, and I’m able to see their faces light up when their final images. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes and should be celebrated.

There will only ever be ONE of you. John Mason once said – You were born an original, don’t die a copy. And I’m so beyond blessed to relay that to each woman I photograph.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m not even sure what a smooth road is at this point! Covid shut me down for a while, and then we decided to move from TN to NC in 2020 during the pandemic.

My Dad is a widower and lives in Topsail alone and we ultimately wanted to get away from Memphis crime and be close to him. Having to open my business in another state on the heels of a pandemic has been rocky, but I refuse to give up.

I’m a bit of an introvert as well so getting out and meeting people here has been challenging, but I’m always inspired by women getting over their own fears when they book with me.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My portraits are not bright and airy, my clients don’t smile for the camera, and I don’t consider myself a typical boudoir studio photographer. I like the edgier side of things so I use black sheets instead of the staple white ones. My studio is very low-key boho, laid back, and located inside of my home.

It’s a master suite converted into my office and studio space with a full bath for professional hair and makeup as well as a tub and shower for clients who want to add a wet set for a little spice.

Every client gets white glove treatment- professional hair and makeup, mimosas while they get pampered, an exclusive client closet that I stock regularly with sizes xs-4xl, a playlist based on their music style, and a “boudie box” that I fill with Polaroids from the shoot and self-care products like soaps, lip glosses, bath bombs, etc.

I tell all of my clients that I’m a spitfire at 5’3″ and I will, without a doubt, curse during your session and set my camera down and lose it at least once. I’m myself and not edited for content. I shoot real women, I don’t shoot models, and I promise within 10 mins of your shoot you will not be nervous anymore.

I love to laugh and have fun while working, I walk each woman through the poses, I fix lingerie, tousle your hair, and make sure your makeup is on point. I know how much anxiety lingerie shopping can cause so I have a closet full of items that clients are welcome to wear. They don’t have to, but most do.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Find your style and stay true to it. You don’t have to be like everyone else. What’s that saying? I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but that’s ok because I’d rather be your shot of whiskey? You may not be the perfect fit for everyone- and that’s ok.

You don’t have to model your business like everyone else’s- the right clients will find you and appreciate your talent and work. Do not water yourself down because you’re scared of how people will receive you. Be yourself, believe in your work, and grind as hard as you can.

Don’t be afraid to set boundaries for yourself and your business, set office hours, believe in your pricing, and don’t apologize for the way you run things. Stand behind your brand and your product and always, always, always, make sure your client walks away happier than ever.

I wish someone had explained CODB (cost of doing business) to me when I started. It would have saved me a lot of headaches!

Pricing:

• $300 Booking Fee that includes -professional hair and makeup (lashes included), personalized planning of your session, access to my client’s lingerie closet, signature editing of your images, private reveal, and ordering session.
• A La Carte Products start at $1,500
• Packages start at $2,500 and are money savers on the most popular products ordered.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.andreakingphotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/andreakingphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreakingboudoir

Image Credits
Andrea King Photography