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When a Dream Becomes Reality: Guest Post by Cindy Harter Sims

3/31/2013

48 Comments

 
NEW! Listen to Cindy's May 20th Podcast
Introduction by Skip Cohen

One of the fun things about SCU and previously Skip's Summer School is the strength of the community. As sappy as it sounds, everybody becomes part of the family. On the Skip's Summer School Facebook page everybody watches each others backs. They simply help each other. It's reminiscent of the way the bigger forums first started, but without the trolls. Or, as Levi Sim, one of the founders of the page along with Brent Watkins, "No meanies allowed!"  (There's the difference between me and Levi - I'd just drop a few four letter words - but you have to love somebody who still calls them "meanies".)
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Well, meet Cindy Harter Sims who's a member of the SCU family.  Last week she put up a shot of her store front on the Summer School page and announced it was the second anniversary of her Main St. studio. Within thirty seconds of seeing the image I was begging Cindy to do a guest post about opening her own studio.

Having your own studio is a dream of so many photographers. Well, Cindy made the jump two years ago and in this post she's done a terrific job of taking us on her journey.
   Reading her post reminded me of a quote of Eleanor Rosevelt's:

                                  “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

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Cindy's studio as it is today, but it didn't start out this way!
If you were to walk down main street in my hometown, the first thing you would see after the railroad tracks and before the next red light, is Cindy Harter Photography Studio. That quaint little shop is the result of two years of effort. I spent a lot of late nights pouring over thousands of photo edits and early mornings consoling brides over hairdos and last minute wedding changes. I'm a successful small town photographer, and I'm proud of what I've built, but the key word here is "built".  It sure didn't happen overnight. 
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It didn't start as very much - just a vision and a dream. Lots of work, great colors and the dream started to become reality.
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Like most small towns, I know someone at every stop light, when I go grocery shopping or stop in at my local sandwich shop for lunch. My accountant's office is next door to my studio and when I work in my beautiful studio, anything can come in my front door: maybe a walk-in client, or maybe someone from the local bakery down the street bringing in some delicious ginger bread for me to try.

Well, with the help of all this quaint charm, I've made it to the two year mark of an open thriving business with NO debt. I was able to go from a full-time teaching job as the primary school music teacher to full-time professional photographer in less than five years. I knew the dream was to have my own little shop, but I had to make sure it was possible to live from my earnings as a photographer, before I made the leap. 

The only way to overcome fear is to have sufficient planning in place. Here are some guidelines that helped me in my first couple of years, as I transitioned into a full-time career of photography.
 
  • Find online communities to learn.
  • Seek out a mentor whose skills you admire.
  • Read everything you can get your hands on.
  • Enter images for honest objective critique from your peers.
  • Invest what you can afford in the very best camera and equipment.  If you want to be a professional, you NEED professional gear.
  • Learn your equipment! Shoot everyday in manual mode, until all aspects of the camera and equipment are something your fingers and brain do on their own.
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When I felt my skill set was on the level that I could begin the journey of making photography a full-time career, I put a plan in place. I saved my teacher salary for a certain period of time and lived off of my photographer income. When I was finally living on what I was making as a photographer, I put in my resignation and quit my day job with the savings from planning ahead for this day.

I had paid for all my equipment as I went along, and had my eye on my adorable main street studio. The economy in my little town had taken a turn for the worse and it had been empty for a little while, so I called the owner to check on the monthly price.  My sweet owner gave me her price-per-month and it was more than I was willing to risk paying out every month. I told her "When and if you think you could come down to my number, please call me." One day, she took me up on the offer and I knew my stars had aligned. I was going to be living the dream soon.  My savings paid for all renovations for my space, and I was able to open Cindy Harter Photography Studio with no debt and move forward with my dream. 
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I have always been interested in relationships. I have always valued and believed the best gifts we receive are the people we call family. My main goal with all aspects of my business is that families see what a gift that they have in each other. I want my photography to help their relationships become stronger because of their experience with me in the session and their enjoyment in the images we create together. 

I photograph people every day. Relationships happen from birth until death, and I don't want to miss any of it!  I have worked very hard to improve my skills, so that I can stay in business and bless others. You know you are doing the right job when you can hardly sleep, because you're excited and thinking about the next day's work.

Every day I walk down Main st. with my little green key to my studio in my hand, about to open my very own shop for the morning, and I can hardly believe it! Sometimes it still feels like I am playing store, but it's real! I've put a ton of planning and pleasure into living my dream, and now that it's a reality, I can't imagine doing anything else!
48 Comments
Tressie Davis link
3/31/2013 07:58:35 am

Cindy, you are truly an inspiration!!! You deserve every bit of happiness and success. xo

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Judi Morrissey link
4/1/2013 01:24:06 am

I am so proud of you. You deserve all the success coming your way!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 01:25:48 am

Tressie ,

Thank you for taking the time to pop over here and read and comment !!! This is such a dream I am pinching myself !! How cool is Skip to share my story with everyone !!!!!

Cindy

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 01:27:18 am

Judi

Thank you so much for leaving a comment !!! This is so awesome to share with everyone !!

Cindy

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Shelly Chetty link
4/1/2013 01:39:53 am

So proud of you, Cindy! I remember sitting with you in Yervant's class at WPPI a couple of years ago when you were so excited to be opening doors. You deserve all success. Congratulations.

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 01:45:23 am

Shelly

Thank you for celebrating with me :)

Cindy

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Cari Spano
4/1/2013 01:54:20 am

Cindy, I am so very proud of you and your success!

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Judi Tesser
4/1/2013 01:59:38 am

Cindy, I too am very proud of what you've accomplished. I have watched you weave your dream into a beautiful, successful reality. All your hard work has paid off and you should be very proud of yourself. I know I am.

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Mauro Photographer in Italy link
4/1/2013 02:03:18 am

Congratulation for your success. I hope that you can improve it day by day. I admire you and try to follow your way to have my own business photography one day here in Italy.

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Amanda Star link
4/1/2013 02:09:10 am

What a joy it must be to walk into that beautiful space! Congratulations!

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Michael ONeill link
4/1/2013 02:11:41 am

Congrats, again, Cindy. I "knew you when" and am so very proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the good work. The five year mark is the real benchmark and I know you'll have no problem reaching that and reaching beyond. Go, Girl!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 02:17:12 am

So many nice comments :) Michael O'Neill , THANK YOU for being a mentor to me !!!!!! Your encouragement and guidance has been soooo incredibly helpful !! This journey took a village ! Thank you for being a part of mine !!

Cindy

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Erin Blackwell link
4/1/2013 03:07:44 am

What a great post Cindy! It's so inspiring watching how hard you work and how you've been rewarded. Many more blessings to you and your business! Xo

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 03:15:13 am

Erin

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment !!! I love watching your business grow. Pretty cool being on this journey together, huh ?

Cindy

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Carolyn Clarke link
4/1/2013 03:28:34 am

Your story and success and joy is an inspiration for me to keep moving forward in my (still new) photography dream. Warm thanks for sharing.

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/3/2013 01:24:56 am

Carolyn,

If I can do this YOU can do this !!! Go get your dream !!!

Cindy

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Dawn Davis link
4/1/2013 08:45:44 am

Cindy, awesome blog post!!! Thank you for sharing your story with us all. So proud of your accomplishments! xoxoxo!!! ~ Dawn

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 08:50:13 am

So humbled by all the well wishes :) What a sweet day this is !!!!!

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Christina Parker
4/1/2013 10:08:35 am

What a great example Cindy is, to accomplish so much, in such a short time..but of course through many late hours and nights! She is a hard worker and a planner to accomplish her dream! It's admiring that you were able to do this and not go into debt. May every year continue to bless you and the portraits that will bless others lives!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/1/2013 10:53:48 am

Photography just keep bringing amazing people into my life .... Christina, one of the highlights from this years WPPI was making you as a new awesome friend :)

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Michelle S Hanks link
4/1/2013 11:02:37 am

This is a very inspirational story. I am doing something similar in that I will own all my equipment debt free before I jump out there. We are paying off all previous school loans as well. Being smart is key to pursuing your dreams.

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/3/2013 01:28:41 am

Michelle

I want to encourage you to continue to stay debt free along this journey. It is enough pressure to continue to keep bringing enough in to support all bills but to bring in enough in the beginning to cover bills and debt is a ton of pressure that could be completely taken care of by planning and paying everything off as you get new equipment :) GOOD FOR YOU !! It makes me happy that my story is an encouragement ! GO TEAM !!!!

Cindy

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Violeta Harrington link
4/1/2013 12:37:23 pm

Cindy, your success story is so energizing! Your hard work is paying off, my friend!

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Neil van Niekerk link
4/1/2013 04:16:46 pm

Cindy, well done!
(And it was a pleasure re-meeting you at WPPI this year.)

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/3/2013 01:31:16 am

Hi Neil

SOOOOOO nice meeting you "again" at WPPI this year!!! I hope the next time our paths cross we can start the conversation right where we left off :) I love that the photography community is so close !!

Cindy

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Nelle
4/2/2013 02:39:16 am

WOW! I can't wait to brag to my friends about MY neice! What a beautiful pictured story.

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Janis Hoge link
4/2/2013 04:29:00 am

Cindy,
I have owned my own home renovation business for many years and know your hard work first hand. I have to admit that I learned from you how valuable social media is to any service oriented business. You truly are an inspiration to me - in many ways. Congratulations!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/3/2013 01:32:57 am

Janis

THANK YOU for this comment ! I am so humbled by all the comments left here :) soooo incredibly nice !

Cindy

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Sue Stendahl
4/2/2013 05:31:41 am

Yay yay for Cindy-Rae!
You have done all the work but you also have a natural gift and an open heart for people. God takes the combination of work, talent, and heart and blesses us!! ❤❤❤

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/3/2013 01:34:08 am

God is so Good ! Thank you so much Sue !!

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Frances Otero link
4/2/2013 05:47:33 am

So inspiring!! Great success. You certainly had the right mindset and it paid off.

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/12/2013 07:01:04 am

Thank you so much Frances for taking the time to leave a comment !!!

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Cathleen McGrath link
4/2/2013 05:47:52 am

SOOOO HAPPY FOR YOU! What a cute studio! And as everyone has said - inspiring! And a photo community is so important!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/3/2013 01:36:24 am

So True Cathleen

It is so easy to work really hard in all our little corners of the world and feel isolated. It is so important to plug yourself into a close community and in Photography there are so many wonderful opportunities to do that ! Skip Summer School is a close tight family and what a blessing that is :)

Cindy

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Philip Hogue link
4/2/2013 07:36:23 am

This is awesome Cindy! Congratulations on your success. I know this is only the beginning!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/4/2013 03:40:13 pm

Philip


I was so excited to meet you and your daughter at WPPI !! Thank you so much for noticing it was me and speaking to me. Next year I need to make sure and meet your wife too. Happy Shooting !

Cindy

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Judith Cameron
4/4/2013 08:46:36 am

I know your journey.......I say well done.......but no surprise....what you set you mind to happens!😃

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/4/2013 03:41:53 pm

Judith

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment !! What an amazing friend you have been to me for years :) LOVE to you!

Cindy

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Mike Callahan link
4/4/2013 09:54:58 am

It is and has been a,pleasure viewing your work over the last year or so. I really appreciate your taking the time to share how you got into the business with folks like me. Wishing you nothing but the best going forward in your business!!!

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/4/2013 03:43:43 pm

Mike

I hope your business just explodes and you have to expand like crazy to keep up :) Thank you for following my work ! I am having a great time !

Cindy

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Maggie link
4/11/2013 08:44:39 am

So proud!

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Kristi Church link
4/11/2013 09:28:15 am

Cindy! I am so proud to see how you've come so far in such a short amount of time by doing things right! As a result, you're living your dream... I love that you saved your teacher's salary and lived on your photography--what a way to put things into perspective! You're just precious and I'm so thrilled to have you as a friend! xoxo

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/12/2013 07:02:58 am

Kristi,

I am so happy to have you as a friend too ! SSS is a pretty awesome place huh ? Thank you for coming on over here and leaving a comment !! See you in August !!

Cindy

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Melissa Gordon link
4/11/2013 10:24:55 am

What a great inspiration you are!!! Xoxoxo

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Cindy Harter Sims link
4/12/2013 07:04:54 am

Thank you so much Melissa !! So happy you came over here and left a comment !!
Cindy

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Kimberly Jefferson
5/20/2013 04:21:51 am

Simply an inspiration. :)

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Cindy Harter Sims link
5/20/2013 09:12:39 am

Thank you so much Kimberly !!

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Bridget Clower
1/25/2015 12:37:18 pm

Cindy you are such an inspiration. You have a way of seeing and capturing memories that are breathtaking. The photographs from Ethan and Mallory Whorton's wedding is a perfect example. My cousin Ethan married a beautiful bride inside and out. You captured those minutes when he first saw his Bride and the TRUE LOVE in his eyes. Thank you so much.

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