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NoBS August Member of the Month: Kris Gay

You know her as the bionic poster of NoBS. Yes, the 10,000-post woman, Kris Gay. Kris is probably one of the most, if not THE most active member on the forum. She has tirelessly asked questions, posted her work for all members to critique, and her hard work has paid off for her as she becomes NoBS' August Member of the Month. Here's her story:

I'm 34 years old, married, and I have one daughter who is seven (almost eight). I swear a lot, I tell a good joke, and I... Oh you wanted to know about the photography business? So how in the world did I end up owning a photography studio? Through a progression of other careers- like a lot of people on NOBS. Although I have several music degrees in music education and music performance, I didn't end up teaching or performing with the local symphony after college. I've sold high end professional audio, business to business services, and several other sales careers. After the birth of our daughter, I didn't want to work 80-90 hours a week anymore, so I decided to return to teaching. For the past six years, I've taught middle school music for the second largest school corporation in Indiana in an inner city setting with over 75% free and reduced lunch so that means, you guessed it, Title I government funding and all sorts of drama and adventure!

About four years ago, my teaching position was cut due to a lack of state funding. After leaving a lucrative career in sales, I was devastated to think that "following my heart" was going to turn into a financial nightmare. I was able to return to the school system, but I've been cut twice since then- including this year too. The instability was driving me crazy.

In 2004, I decided that I needed a back up plan to make some extra money and provide a potential career if the teaching situation didn't work out. I had always loved photography and had even bought a film SLR when a scrapbooking consultant told me I needed a better camera for photos of our daughter when she was a baby. I had devoured every manual and book that I could get my hands on back then and I knew I could learn, so why not? A relative asked me to shoot a wedding for a young couple for $100 plus the cost of film and developing. Ha! I was a paid professional! That was in late 2003. I had a Canon Elan IIe with a crappy Sunpak automatic flash head and my sister's used Rebel G with an even crappier no name flash as my back up. Off I went. I didn't know how bad I sucked. I was terrible. But I didn't give up.

In 2004, I decided to make it official and start a business. My husband thought I was completely insane. In early 2005, I bought my first digital SLR. I was in love. However, I was really frustrated with post-processing and editing. I was clueless. I subscribed to a few photography magazines, but nothing really filled the void that I felt in my learning. Until I saw an ad for NOBS Photo Success. I called the number and talked to Rob Provencher for about twenty minutes. He patiently listened to all of my teacher/business woman/desperate-to-learn photographer woes and then he explained, even more patiently, how NOBS would help me every step of the way and that they had a money back guarantee on the membership so there was no risk. I was hooked. That was it. I was in.

I can absolutely, with no hesitation, tell you that NOBS is the reason that I have had any success in this business. I would have given up by the end of 2005 if I hadn't found NOBS. There are many things that I love about NOBS. First of all, the leadership from Rob and Hodgy is phenomenal. They have created a unique community in the photography world. NOBS is full of the nicest, most knowledgeable, and helpful people that I have ever met. I don't just have friends from NOBS- I have BEST FRIENDS from NOBS.

The past year or so has been huge for me. I have more than quadrupled my prices. Yes, that is correct. Quadrupled. Well, actually, that's my average sale. If you look at my pricing, I've actually raised it more than that. Anyway... I had a butt kicking from Rob Provencher and CandidKC about pricing. It still wasn't kicking in. Why I didn't get it back then, I don't know. It just hadn't clicked yet.

Then I met Richard Campbell, better known as Soup on NOBS. Richard is starting a coaching business and wanted someone to "practice" on. I volunteered. Richard has been patient through all of my teaching craziness and has been both a sounding board and a mentor. He helped me overcome my fears and take charge of my business rather than letting the business run ME... I think that uncovering those fears was the thing that held me back before. I didn't want to admit the list of things that I was afraid of. Richard brought those fears out into the open and we discussed them. It was the best thing I've ever done for my business. Those fears were holding me back. I had to overcome them to move forward.

Those of you who know me well know that I am a fairly "ballsy" person (forgive the reference but it's the only word that accurately conveys the trait), but after this year, I am unstoppable! I'm going for it. This market is MINE. And why do I have the confidence to go after it? NOBS Photo Success, its members, and the mentoring I've received from Richard. NOBS is the best place to learn photography on the web and I am very proud to be a member.

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