If you came here looking for a pregnancy announcement, I’m sorry to disappoint. (: Despite being asked 10,000 times a week, we aren’t having babies quite yet. The big news is this: I walked into my boss’ office 4 weeks ago and turned in a letter of resignation!

I spent my first year and a half out of college working for one of the BEST companies EVER. Seriously. The people, the environment, the (fishing trip) perks…it was wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to start my career. Some people hate working in Cube City, but I didn’t mind it. I loved my boss, I loved my coworkers, and I really loved the work I was doing. I mean…how many people do you know that get to play on Facebook and Instagram all day? Ok, ok, that’s not exactly what I was doing…but pretty close. (:

(^This is Cube City where I used to work. Better known as: the 4th floor of Pure Fishing.)

“If everything was so wonderful, Karly, why’d you quit?” Well 3 years ago, my college internship at a graphic design firm ended and I needed another way to make money. I ended up finding another paid internship, but before that happened I invested a nice little chunk of scholarship money to buy camera equipment. That was pretty much it—I was HOOKED. I never thought I’d be a photographer. In fact, my sophomore year in college, my roommate was a photography major, and I always thought being a photographer sounded kind of silly. That was obviously before I knew ANYTHING about the photography industry. I picked up a few shoots for family here and there, and then at my cousin’s wedding in 2014, I met a guy named Marshall who just happened to be a wonderful photographer and an awesome mentor who let me second shoot some really big weddings with him. (By big, I mean fancy…these weddings were in the mountains in North Carolina and they were GORGEOUS.)

I fell in LOVE with photographing weddings and families. Even now, I walk away from EVERY shoot feeling like I could conquer the world. I am so inspired by the people I get to photograph, and I  always get so much happiness from spending time behind the camera with beautiful people in front of it.

After I got married in 2015, I really started focusing on growing this little business and it was so overwhelming. While I have LOVED every second of it, it just got to be too much to have a career and run a business. One day, Tyler and I sat down, crunched some numbers, and decided to take the leap. I won’t lie…the week or so after I put in my resignation, I was SCARED. I just kept thinking to myself, “What have I done?” “Why did I just do that?” “God, was that the right decision?” Well here I am, sitting at my home office writing this blog post, and I couldn’t be HAPPIER! My boss is 40 minutes away being a rockstar without me, but I’m home and doing what I love, and it feels so. good.

I want to give a big shoutout to EVERYONE who has supported me. I never imagined all of the support my friends, family, and even clients have shown me. I am SO lucky to have you guys cheering me on. I don’t think I could do it without you. So thank you SO MUCH for all of the encouragement, prayers, and gifts you’ve sent my way. I appreciate it more than you will ever know!

To celebrate the very beginning of full-time entrepreneurship, I have 3 special surprises for you guys!

1. To say THANK YOU, I’m randomly giving away a $50 visa gift card to 1 lucky person who heads back to Facebook and shares the post that brought you here. (: Make sure you like my Facebook page too (and follow me on Instagram, because it gets a little more personal over there: @dncekarl). I’ll be choosing the winner from the people who share the post! Make sure your shared post is set to public so I can see that you shared it!
2. I am offering $300 off to any couple who books their wedding with me by the end of the month! (Must have signed the contract and paid the retainer by July 31st). Eeek! Just reach out to me here if you’re engaged and looking for a photographer!
3. Know someone who is engaged? Let them know about the discount, and if they book, YOU get a free session! I’m working on a super awesome referral program (coming soon), but I’m upping the stakes to celebrate! They just have to let me know you referred them my way, and a free session is yours. (: (Note: they must book before July 31st. If they book after that, my normal referral policy will apply. Be on the lookout for that policy at the end of the month.)

Thank you so much for reading and for all of your support! I’ve got so many new things I’m working on, and I can’t wait to share them with you! (Think: new policies, new freebies, and a refreshed website). OH! And I’ve got about 10 sessions coming your way that are going to be FABULOUS! Can’t wait to share all the pretty pictures with you!

Head back to Facebook now and share that post to get your name in the hat for the $50 gift card! The winner will be announced Sunday night!