Creativity Over Coffee: Kerry Railey (Irish Eyes Photography)

It’s time for a fresh installment of Creativity Over Coffee. An interview series where I chat with my creative friends and learn more about their journey.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kerry through the Leading Ladies of the South Shore group. We met up for coffee after the holidays and clicked immediately. We chatted about our love for the sea, studying theatre arts, our kids, and juggling creative businesses. I’m so excited for you guys to meet Kerry, the photographer behind Irish Eyes Photography. Grab your coffee (or tea) and join us for Creativity Over Coffee.

Hi Kerry, thank you so much for joining me here on the blog for Creativity Over Coffee! I love that it’s an extension of the coffee we shared at the Lucky Finn. Your portrait photography is stunning. Did you know this was always the career you wanted to pursue?

Kerry – No, not at all, in fact. I always adored photography but theatre was my passion. I have two degrees in theatre and planned for that to always be my life. I did do the NYC starving actor thing for a chunk of time, and then worked in theatre over in Ireland during my graduate degree studies, but it was actually there in Ireland that I realized I could take a slightly different path to provide for myself and still be creative. At that point I had been doing photography work for friends and artists for a while, and thought maybe it was another way I could sustain my creativity and be more in charge of my own schedule. I still keep my theatrical toes wet by performing locally a few times a year, but I am very happy with this career path because not only do I love my job, but I am able to cater it to my lifestyle so I can make it exactly what I need it to be. It’s also perfect because I was never, ever going to succeed in a non-creative life, so this really hits all the itches in my soul that constantly need to be scratched. And thank you for saying my work is stunning! I’m blushing!

We both discussed how grateful we were to live and work by the sea. How does our coastal location influence or inspire your work?

Kerry – I will never want for a gorgeous backdrop for my images. Sure, I love to change it up and photograph at all different locations, and, depending on my mood the beach may not even be my #1 choice. But, man alive is it gorgeous here. Even if it’s not a shot that has the wonder of the ocean in it but the dunes, the lighthouses, the clapboard siding of beach cottages… they’re all textures and scenes I love to use as a backdrop for my images. I am a terrible landscape photographer (I’m portraits only), but for those who are landscape, holy cow what a place to live and work.

Having lived by the sea my entire life (even in the city growing up in Southie I was two blocks from the beach), it pulls me. When I need to clear my mind, when I need to shake off the moody blues, when I need to think something out, I go to the beach and watch the waves. They take the clutter away and bring in the clarity. And it’s exactly the medicine I need. Not to mention there’s no fresh air like an ocean breeze. It’s renewing.

I know you have a love for theater and studied that at college and still dabble in it now. Do you still use elements of theater in your work?

Kerry – I actually think most of my work IS theatre. When I direct a show, I first consider the overall image of how the stage looks, with the actors in the space of the stage. And then, once the general blocking is created, I work very organically to create real moments full of truth and believability between the performers. This is exactly how I work with my clients. I could stage my images to look nice aesthetically but if that’s all I do, it’s not going to work for me (or for anyone else viewing the image). I usually tell my clients where to stand because I know what I want for spacing and such, but then I have them connect and laugh and jump and play within those spaces so that the “real” happens. So I use elements of theatre in my work every day. It’s one thing to have a lovely image; it’s another to have a real one.

When do you feel most creative or happy?

Kerry – Generally, as a person who has existed as myself for thirty seven years, the answer is when I’m stepping out of the routine and learning something new. I want to rise to new challenges and then accomplish them and feel that pride of having done the new thing. Stepping out of my comfort zone makes the neurons fire and then I’ve got all these ideas and paths to take. I love a good challenge and I love doing something I’ve never done before. Well, most of the time; sometimes I just want to live a life that is routine and boring and predictable. And then I do that for a week and want to scratch my eyeballs out so clearly that’s just wishful thinking and not who I really am. I’ll always be a person that says, “yes I want to try that!” Reigning that in to keep my family sane is sometimes hard but it actually creates a really good balance.

I’m also the happiest when I’m around people. I’m the definition of an extrovert though, again I can also crave a night at home mindlessly drooling into a comfy pillow while covered in blankets and watching Netflix until Netflix suggests I might have died because it’s been on for too long; but generally being around people boosts me. I love that boost very much. I’m sure that comes from a life in the theatre and feeling that rush of a room full of people ready for whatever the night would bring us all. It’s a high that is second only to the high of having just given birth. Oxytocin is wonderful.

All that being said, things change and there’s something new that makes me feel the most happy and inspired. I am the happiest when watching my kids thriving on their own journeys. That’s a different kind of pleasure and it’s bananas. Like, this is when I realize what it must feel like to have your heart burst because mine feels like it will. There’s no better feeling in the entire world.

You started your photography business out of your home and then opened a studio in Hingham three years ago. Can you share more about this process?

Kerry – Absolutely! I opened my business when I was single and living alone. It followed me throughout a few moves and life changes (dating/engaged/married/pregnant/mom) and remained a business that I ran out of my home (with 90% of my sessions happening outside). This worked for 10 years (and worked well!) but with the growth of my children and the sanity of my family, I needed to have a separate, sacred spaces. I meet with all of my clients in person to help them view their galleries and create their orders so, I needed a dedicated space. For years, I would setup my work in my dining room whenever I was having a client over. I’d break it down after they left so we would have a normal dining room again. This worked well for a long time; people loved that they were in my home and felt like they were connecting with me on an even deeper personal level. But the setup and breakdown and rush to get the kids to bed before the clients came over was wearing on all of us. So I started searching for a space. I had a dream space in mind and assumed I’d work my way up to it. Turns out I got exactly what I dreamed of in the most amazing location! Even though it’s not actually my home anymore, I’ve set it up so it feels like one – clients feel just as comfortable here (if not moreso) than they did at my house. For me, it’s a home away from home; it feels like an extension of me. I love it. I miss it when I take a vacation! And my dining room is very happy to only be a dining room now. My kids are very happy they’re not being rushed to bed (well, not because of work anyway), and an added bonus is, except for emails and phone calls with clients, I don’t bring my work home. So when I’m home, I’m home. I can’t ignore everyone in the house because I want to edit a session and then feel guilty about it. I have to be really smart about my time so I’m really present with my family when I’m home. It’s delightful and has improved our lives very much.

Do you have any funny stories about shoots you can share?

Kerry – Oh goodness they’re all funny; my clients and I laugh often and laugh wholly. There’s the time a newborn baby pooped all over her dad. Or the time a three year old ran wildly into the water at the beach — that actually has happened more times than I can count and it’s always fantastic. There’s the time an older child with special needs just wanted to hang out in my lap and snuggle instead of having their picture taken (that was more adorably funny than laugh-out-loud funny but it was still a moment full of delight). There are the boys who only want to grimace at me in the most hilarious ways (and I usually break them into giggles eventually), and the time a one year old came into the studio for his cake-smash session and ate THE ENTIRE CAKE, going so far as to lick the floor. On the subject of cake smashes, there’s also the mum who decided to make a “healthy” cake and it turned out hard as a rock; seriously – her child knocked it off the pedestal and it didn’t even dent! We were all cracking up – and no one harder than mum!

Who or what inspires you?

Kerry – I started to answer this with a list of specifics but the gist of it all is, PEOPLE. I am so inspired by people. The different paths we take, the different ways we handle situations. The way we all think about things in a unique way. How absolutely incredible each and every one of us is, and how we all have something to contribute to the world. Especially kids – not because kids are better (and maybe they are!) but because they’re unburdened so the inspiration is easier to uncover. I am inspired by artists (of any kind) and creators, and inventors and every-day’ers. We all have stories. We all have something to say. And I love to hear it said.

What are your favorite tools for photo editing and do you have any tips for my readers on taking better photos or editing them?

Kerry – I have used Lightroom and Photoshop (both Adobe products) for years. They’re great and I’d be lost without them. I could give tips here but I could also suggest your readers come to one of my photography classes because it’s MUCH more fun to teach people these things in person in a hands-on, fun environment! I’ve got both teen and adult classes starting up at the end of February. It’s a truly fantastic time.

How has social media impacted your business?

Kerry – Oh goodness how has it NOT impacted my business? Both for the positive (mostly) and the negative. The negative is that I can see what everyone else (photographers/business owners) is doing and it makes me want to race to compete. I try to shield myself from these things but I also genuinely like following and supporting my fellow photogs and business owners so I just have to remind myself that I’m on my own trajectory and my only competition is myself. Everything else is positive — well, except that I can sometimes get sucked too far into it; I’m trying to fight that. I don’t always succeed (it’s too fun!). But I digress. The positives are every-day client connection, inspiration, staying visible in the eyes of my audiences, and getting to share the fun of owning this tiny little corner of the world with people who care. I’m 100% positive I could be doing more with social media but then I’m also really happy that all my content is true, honest, done in real time, and half the time is completely ridiculous (which is an accurate reflection of me).

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps or who would like to become a photographer?

Kerry – Go for it! But, do it smart. If you want to have it as a business like I do, then don’t just blindly call yourself a business and charge peanuts to get clients. Do it right. Get insurance. Pay taxes. Be safe and respectful and honest with everyone. And charge not only what YOU are worth but what the industry is worth. There are many “photographers” out there just deciding one day (usually the day they use their relatively nice camera on its auto setting and call themselves geniuses) that they can make a living off of their eye. And you know what? They can be absolutely right! I’d be a serious horses’s ass if I said all this and didn’t acknowledge my own journey. But if you’re not ready to charge real prices – don’t. Have model calls and build a portfolio until you’re comfortable charging your full price (which you’d decide after doing a cost of business analysis). Don’t try to lure clients to you because you’re cheap. Try to get clients to love you because you’re GOOD. You only lessen your own value when you do the former and you’re worth so much more. So be smart about it. And honestly I’d be happy to mentor anyone who was interested. I’d rather you do it the right way and build something great than just be another wanna-be photographer who fizzles into the void. We have more than enough of those folks. Be awesome. Be you to your fullest ability. Know your value and celebrate it.

Growing up I was a huge follower of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO. At the end of the program, they would ask the interviewee these questions:

What is your favorite word? foible
What is your least favorite word? hate
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Humor. Honesty. Art. Silliness.
What turns you off? Bigotry or racism.
What is your favorite curse word? Fuck. I love so many of them (and use them far too often) but that’s definitely the best.
What sound or noise do you love? Kids laughing; all kids but especially my own.
What sound or noise do you hate? The sound of one person clapping loudly. Goes right through me. I have always been teased for this. Also the sound of windshield wipers dragging across a dry windshield. It’s horrifying.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Midwife or doula
What profession would you not like to do? politician
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Nice job. Come in. We’re really funny in here. Oh, and here’s your brother Chris; he’s so excited to see you.

A huge thank you to Kerry for sharing so much of herself and so much of her story. I love how she captures families in such a real way.

Be sure to follow along with Kerry:

Website * Instagram * Facebook

If you’d like more Creativity Over Coffee you can read the full series here

* Photos courtesy of Kerry Railey