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

Hi Samantha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I was growing up, I never had much direction when it came to a career path. I was always envious of those kids who knew exactly what they wanted to be when they got older. I went to college part time, worked odd jobs in the service industry and changed my major every other semester until I found something that stuck with me- business. I realized that I loved learning about marketing, accounting and all the ins and outs of running a business. I graduated University with a degree in Business and went to work at a Wealth Management firm. Although I loved that job, I found myself feeling miserable being stuck inside an office and sitting in traffic for 3 hours a day. The only thing I knew was that I craved being outdoors in nature and I would travel often doing landscape photography for fun. When I got engaged, I was introduced to the wedding photography industry and everything clicked. I’m an empath through and through and seeing happy, deeply in love people makes me so unbelievably happy! When I found a way to combine my love of the outdoors, my love for photography and my love for LOVE, everything fell into place and Samantha Phillips Photography was born!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My passion is photographing genuinely in love couples and showcasing real emotion, real connection, and real joy. I get to spend the happiest days of peoples lives with them in stunning locations and I get to give them tangible memories of precious moments that they can keep forever. My goal is to create timeless images that can be shared for generations to come and to provide an experience that my couples will look back on with happiness! I love to incorporate nature into my images and I have so many weddings and elopements coming up in National Parks, state reserves and beautiful wineries, which I am so excited for! There has been nothing easy about starting and owning a business but I am beyond proud of myself for persevering through the challenges, especially after the craziness of 2020. My business is finally seeing the growth I have been working for over the last few years and I can’t wait to work with tons of incredible couples who have put their trust in me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh wow, this is a hard one! San Diego is so beautiful and such a foodie destination, so I would say to bring your walking shoes and your appetite! Every morning would have to begin with a new coffee shop because we are so spoiled with those here! Some of my favorites are Dark Horse, James Coffee, Lofty Coffee, Azucar, and Pop Pie. We would need to end every day with some incredible food from any of the Consortium Holdings restaurants (Iron Side, Fortunate Son, Born and Raised, etc), Underbelly, Bahn Thai, Chris Ono Grinds or Streetcar Merchants! We would spend the days sunbathing at La Jolla Shores, picnicking at Sunset Cliffs, exploring Balboa Park, shopping at my favorite antique stores and farmers markets and hiking around Mount Laguna. The options are endless here!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh gosh, yes! I absolutely would not be where I am today without my loving, encouraging and incredibly supportive husband, Colton. This man watched me struggle throughout college and all of my odd jobs when I would come home in tears because I felt lost and out of place in this world. I knew there was something great for me out there, but it took a lot of deep digging to find it. Colton pushed me to learn and take leaps that I never would have on my own. He helped me gain confidence in my artistic abilities (since he is an artist himself- a tattooer) and helped me bring my dreams to fruition. He sat me down one day and told me it was time to believe in myself and to choose happiness. I quit my job that week and never looked back. I also want to shout out all of the clients who trusted me in the beginning of my journey. To all of the friends who modeled for me, to the first people who actually paid me, and to the first weddings I ever took on- thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Website: https://samanthaphillipsphoto.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samanthaphillipsphoto/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/samantha-phillips-photography-san-diego

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/samanthaphillipsphoto/_created/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.