Meet Shelby Bourne | Interior & Architectural Photographer

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

Hi Shelby, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After graduating college, I worked in very corporate environments – law firms, sales, accounting and marketing. I decided to get a Master’s Degree and I thought I’d stay with my company forever. But, about halfway through the MBA program, I began to daydream about starting my own business, but I wasn’t sure what I would start. Then, the pandemic hit, and as I’m sure many people can relate, I felt this desire for a huge life shift and a need for some creativity and flexibility in my career. So I took the jump and decided to take my photography from a side gig/hobby to a full-time creative career. My husband and I agreed that I would give it everything I had for five years and then decide how I felt about it. We’re coming up on five years here pretty soon and I can’t imagine doing anything else, I love my job and clients so much.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel like I’m growing and learning everyday and by no means have any of this figured out. Running a business is hard, and I think running a photography business is particularly hard because you are usually in it alone or with very few other people, besides your clients. It can be a lonely endeavor, and so I’m really proud of the community that I’ve found. Between other photographers, assistants, stylists, and interior designers I feel very bonded to this industry of creatives and pull inspiration and motivation from them constantly. I learned the importance of community over competition really early on, and I’m so glad that I did because now I talk daily with photographers in my area, and we can bounce ideas off each other, ask for feedback, or vent when needed. Remaining mentally tough and resilient as a creative business owner is a hard skill to learn, and I think having a community of like-minded people is one of the most important things to making this a sustainable career.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is an easy one because my brother and sister-in-law were just in town and we went to so many fun spots. My perfect day for a visitor would be to grab breakfast at Zinqué in Malibu and then head to Vintage Grocers and grab some beach snacks. We love to go to Leo Carrillo in West Malibu for a beach day, nothing makes me happier than running around playing at the beach with my dog and family. I also love this beach because it is super picturesque with the lifeguard towers perched up on the bluffs and it’s an amazing spot to watch the sunset. Then I’d grab a delicious dinner and there’s just too many favorites to name, but if I had to pick one spot I go over and over it would Taverna Tony in Malibu Country Mart. After that, I’d head to Jeni’s Ice Cream for dessert – their salted peanut butter ice cream is amazinggg.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I started my business during a really tumultuous time in the world. It was a huge challenge to find clients, network, and get my work out there when we were all social distancing. So I started out by reading a lot of books and seeking advice from as many people as I could reach.

The first book I read, that I have now read again and again since, was Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. She talks about how to create freely and not let the opinions of others get in your way, which I found tremendously helpful while trying to build a worthwhile portfolio and sharing my progress along the way. She also writes about perfectionism in a way that resonates so deeply with me, she says “We must understand the need for perfectionism is a corrosive waste of time, because nothing is ever beyond criticism. No matter how many hours you spend to render something flawless, somebody will always be able to find fault with it.” I have to remind myself to this day that perfectionism is a waste of time, and something done today is better than something perfect, but never done at all.

I also had an incredible mentor that I owe a lot of my early days success to. Molly Rose, who is an incredibly kind and talented photographer out of Charleston, South Carolina, connected with me on Instagram and was so generous with sharing what she knew and how to run a successful photography business. I think she really catapulted my business further than anything else by helping me set up the business foundations, and I’ll always be grateful for her, and hope to pass on the favor to another photographer someday.

Website: https://shelbybourne.com

Instagram: shelbybournephoto

Image Credits
All images by @ShelbyBournePhoto