Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Regulski.
Taylor, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is quite unconventional and has been a roller coaster. If you look back at my career path and even my life – I wouldn’t say I even fathomed being in the position I am today. When I was little, I always wanted to be an actress/singer/dancer. That was my lifelong dream and specifically to work with Disney. Well, 1 out of 2 of those things actually came true. Realistically I always gravitated toward cameras and photography but, I’m not really sure what drew me to it. I remember being little and having that purple long, skinny polaroid camera. The one with the insta pictures you’d pull out with the paper on both sides. When I got that, I was taking pictures of EVERYTHING I did or wanted to.
As I got older, I played around with my grandpa’s old polaroid and my mom eventually got me a canon digital camera. First the silver one then I had that sleek pink cool pix. At the time, I never truly thought photography could be a career. For me, it was fun to take pictures of me, my friends, my trips, and more. When I got into high school my idea of what I wanted to do changed drastically. There was a point I was convinced I was going to be the female Jerry McGuire which later changed to being a lobbyist then moving up through the political realm to maybe even President. Most of my passions and thoughts about my career were fueled by what activities I was involved in, what I had a passion for, and wanting to help people. During my Senior year my grandparents and mom got me my first digital camera – a Nikon D7000. Once again I was hooked taking photos of everything but, probably the most important was taking sports photos of other teams at my school. Little did I know that was the tipping point to lead me where I am today.
If you fast forward to my freshman year of college, it was rough. I went to a school to play basketball and then was cut through the team half way through the season because our coach decided all the freshman were not good enough. It was crushing and that was the first time I shifted my career path. So, I focused what other aspects of sports I could be involved in and politics. Well, I then had a World Politics class and the teacher was ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. Once again a blow to my career path which had me questioning my life. Since, I was only one semester into college I made a decision to transfer to a Loyola University Chicago and move back home to see if it would help me get back on track. Making this choice was probably the thing I could’ve done at the time. As I entered my second semester of Freshman year I had to make the difficult decision of what my major and minor would be. I knew for sure I wanted NOTHING to do with politics but still had an interest in Sport Management. My mom and advisor suggested that in conjunction with that I take official photography classes so I could learn film since I was already self taught for digital & photoshop. I figured, what would it hurt. This tiny choice ended up turning from a minor to a major & even a teaching assistant job for photography. Skip ahead to my junior year – sophomore year was rough but the following year I was in a better place physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Once again, another opportunity presented it self this time it was over 1000 miles away from home but, a life long dream. I applied to the Disney College Program on a whim and got accepted. No one had any idea I applied, not even my mom and when I told her, she immediately responded “You’re going to go, right?” At the time I wasn’t sure because I was in a relationship with someone I thought was perfect for me, I had a job at school, I had sports internships lined up but, I ended up taking the leap of faith. Within the six months of applying, being accepted, & deciding to go a lot changed. That boyfriend dramatically broke up with me, senior year was approaching with much uncertainty, I was looking for a job or internship, deciding if I should go to grad school, and with all this chaos making the move to Florida seemed like the right decision. As a full disclaimer – I never necessarily had intentions of staying in Florida when I was going to do an Internship with Disney. I wanted to complete a year, finish school while doing this, & then see what opportunities presented itself.
Fall 2014 came and I moved into the College Program housing with five other girls. I started working merchandise at World of Disney and began taking classes at Florida University. Once again, confusion and stress ensued because of miscommunication with my student loans to my school so I decided to solely take a year off and work for Disney. In that year I met so many wonderful people and worked at a million different locations. Yet, there was one question still bothering me – why was I not chosen to work in a photography or sports role at Disney? (they do exist!) Eventually, I got that question answered. It wasn’t that I was not qualified but rather over qualified for a basic photography role at Disney. Since I had so much skill and knowledge I was told I would be better suited for a specialty photography role or specific sport management role at Disney which was a separate internship & department. With this new found clarity I then made it my goal to find my way to one of these roles.
As Summer of 2015 approached my internship was done and I could not get rehired by Disney until I waited six months. Since this was the case, I decided to go back to serving & bartending because it was something I enjoyed, great money and would allow me a flexible schedule to go back to school while still pursuing photography. Once again things, were going GREAT – I had a new boyfriend, a flexible schedule, school was back on track and I would be done in a year or so, and then my grandma passed away which had me re-evaluate my life. Should I be living in Florida? Should I take a break from school? Should I find a different job? While it seemed as if a gray cloud was over my head at the time it eventually cleared. I was able to take a leave from work and school without hurting my status so I could be with my family during this unprecedented time. I would be lying if I didn’t note that most of my support and persistence to continue on came from my AMAZING boyfriend Kyle (spoiler we’re still together) who stuck with me through it all and pushed me to keep going. I stayed in Florida, picked myself up (once again), and got back on track. Things were rocky at first but, the light at the end of the tunnel came when I applied and got re-hired at Disney but in my dream role. In Spring of 2016, I officially became a Cast Member once again but with ESPN as a photographer. Could there have been a more perfect role for me? It gave me the ability to combine my love for sports, Disney, photography, and all my years of education.
From 2016 until December of 2020 I served in many different roles at Disney all while finishing my undergrad and completing my MBA. During this time I was a photographer for the NCAA, NFL, MLB, Pop Warner, AAU, and many other major sports clients. Additionally, I was hired to work with Disney Fine Art Photography to serve as a photographer and coordinator capturing weddings, special events, portraits, and more. It seems like Cloud 9 right? It does get better because I was given opportunities to be an Entertainment Coordinator, an Entertainment Manager, and a PA during my five years (technically 6 with my internship) at the company. The list of people I was able to work with, be mentored by, learned from, and worked a long side of is a mile long. Unfortunately, thanks to COVID I was laid off & most of department eliminated. Well, you may think my story ends there but, it doesn’t. There’s one tiny thing I didn’t mention yet. Remember how I said something about always loving music and wanting to be a singer? That passion never went away. While I was doing all these sports and photography related things I still was faithfully attending 1-2 concerts every weekend plus festivals. I never saw a career in music besides being a singer. Sometime in college I got my first taste of there being more jobs in the industry than just singers. I encountered a festival photographer who took a photo of me and my friends. It took me a bit by surprise that there was someone this festival or artist hired to take photos of people.
It then became my mission to not only have my photo taken by these photographers but to meet them, pick their brain, and attempt to take cool photos like they did with my iPhone or DSLR that I snuck in. For years, I spent my time at concerts and festivals pushing my way to the barricade because that’s where the photographers where. Yes, I was there for the music & artists but I wanted to know more about that photography job. Over the years I met many of my photography inspirations in the music industry who pushed me to keep going and figure out how to make it work. So, during my time at Disney – on top of doing all that photography there – I was freelancing, mostly working for music publications by attending festivals and concerts as press to take photos. Yes, no pay but I LOVED doing it & was determined that one day the tables would turn where I would get paid. To be completely honest, I was living on cloud 9 going as press because I was able to photograph my favorite Djs, my favorite artists, and even festivals. It really was the cherry on top when I began having artist and festivals recognize and share my work. Me – I thought? I’m not that good but, they all thought I was. Mind you all of this was going on while I was working at Disney full time. My managers were gracious enough to consistently give me time off to truly pursue my real dream of being a concert photographer – not that Disney & ESPN weren’t a dream but, music is something different for me. Eventually all this time & hard work paid off because I began to be hired for festivals like Lollapalooza & FriendShip as well as events & production companies like Corona Electric Beach & Disco Donnie.
So here, I am. It’s 2021 and 2020 really put me through the ringer especially with losing my job with Disney & ESPN so suddenly. I did eventually want to leave the company when I was settled into the music industry with Clients a little more but God or the Universe had other plans for me. With all that being said, I embraced this change with full force this time. I decided to build up my brand, transfer my ability & skills to take wedding & sports photography to freelancing, and continue to do concert/festival photography (I’m waiting on this one still thanks to the pandemic). I once said I would never do what I do at Disney outside of there but here I am- a small business owner, photographer, who now not only does music photography but also offers services for weddings, sports, events, portraits, food, product, lifestyle, and more.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! I probably went into a little too much detail in my story but, if you read through that you’ll see plenty of struggles. If I had to pin point a few these are the ones that were the most challenging: 1. Self-doubt – I can’t tell you how many times I doubted myself and my work. I never thought I was good enough to photograph Lollapalooza yet, here I am being on the in-house team. Similarly, I never thought I could be a professional sports photography but I worked for ESPN. Life has a funny way of showing you, you are great but it will show you or rather have your biggest fans tell you. 2. Losing family and jobs – most people may not say this is a big challenge for them but, I am very close with my family and LOVED my job. My grandma was always one of my biggest supporters & to not have her there to see me graduate and pursue my dreams was rough.
Thankfully, I was blessed to have my grandpa (my other number 1 fan) for five years after her passing and my boyfriend who has truly been my rock through it all. Also my mom. I know we have differences but she has done so much behind the scenes for my career. Yes, losing my job at Disney was devastating and not how I wanted it to end but it gave me quite a fire to keep going. 3. People & their attitudes – Photography is such an oversaturated market but when it comes to sports & music photography there is ALWAYS someone who thinks they are better, you aren’t great, and they will tell you how to do it. Mostly, it’s men! Sorry but, being a woman in this industry I’m always pegged as not knowing what I am doing. That’s absolutely false! I could honestly write about about all the terrible encounters I have had with men in both industries and how they belittled me/put me in a box only to realize I could hold my own. 4. School & Money – Going to college took me WAY longer than it should’ve but I was so proud when I finally got my B.S. & MBA. It was rough but I stuck it out. The same can be said with money – then again it’s just money. We all have money problems but I think learning to just live in the moment and go with the flow has helped me over come this. 5. Uncertainty – I get nervous about this all the time. Do they like my work? Will they hire me? Am I took much? I like to know and plan a bit but something I’ve learned along the way is that “It is what it is”. Not everyone has to like me or my work but if I’m true to myself, my skills, and my passion the right people will find me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a photographer. Actually, that’s not all I do because I also dabble with graphic design, social media management, and event management. I say photographer first because that’s my main job – besides being a small business owner, and my passion. My main specialities are concert/festival, sports, portrait, marketing, event, lifestyle, and wedding photography. Now, that’s not all I do though. I also have experience doing product, food, maternity, newborn, travel, pet, street, and landscape photography. For the most part I have tried and am open to trying almost every style of photography there is out there. I don’t know if I qualify for the category of “what you are known for.” I would like to think I’m known for my work with ESPN and within the music industry but, I also am not the type to live into the hype of “fame”.
Most people who know me in the music scene known me as CameraLady – cause that’s my business name and I try to live up to my brand/style by truly being me. I’m wild, energetic, bright, bubbly, moody, dramatic and that’s what my work reflects. There’s a lot of things I’m proud of to be completely honest. I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’m proud of the experiences & the people I’ve worked with. I’m proud of the opportunities I’ve had. Everything I have done has lead to me to where I am today. If I had to pinpoint a few proud moments they would be: 1. Getting my first official press pass to my favorite DJ Kaskade and actually getting to photograph an iconic show. 2. Photography Taylor Swift at a sold out Stadium in Tampa – I’m a HUGE fan and it’s been a life long dream to photograph her. 3. Getting hired to be on the in-house media team for Lollapalooza – Lolla is my favorite festival and after 1-2 years of hustling to be a music photographer I got hired to do be on my dream team. 4. Being the one of the lead marketing photographer for runDisney for three years – it was during this time I really honed in on my creativity & took their marketing to a new level. 5. Being hired to work with Disney Fine Art Photography – I only worked with them for 3 out of the 5 years I was at Disney but WOW talk about dream come true I never knew about.
I learned so much and was mentored by master photographers. Most of that department I owe my style, inspiration and knowledge to. I could probably list a few more proud moments of things or people I photographed plus people and events I worked but those would be my top 5. Now, for what sets me apart from others I would say it’s my personality, creativity, and style. I’m SUPER unique and now I look like a unicorn with my purple hair. Since I do so many styles of photography people are always in awe by how I bring things to life. If I had to describe me, my brand, & my style this what I would say (taken from my website): “My style is unique yet consistent for every type of photography I capture. It’s often described as vibrant, moody, dramatic, and fun. No matter what I am shooting, I approach everything with the same mindset:”I want to tell a story and bring it to life. I seek to convey the emotions, make people long to be there, and turn magical moments into your favorite memory. Each image I want to have a lasting impression on your heart and mind.”I often describe myself as a fly on the wall because I tell my clients “You, do you!” and I’ll capture it all. I strive to capture the authenticity of moments and in turn tell the stories of these small fleeting moments in our lives. ” For me I once was on the other side of lens and so many photos captured of me changed my life. They gave me these fond memories to look back on and brought up emotions of all sorts. That’s what I want to do for people and why I love what I do so much!
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Right now there is so much uncertainty for my industry (photography, music, and sports). COVID-19 took a big toll on all 3. When 2020 started I was set on it being my year. By the end of January I already had 4 contracts in place to shoot 4 major festivals and already had shot 1 plus a major runDisney race & NFL Pro Bowl. Unfortunately things and life happen. Photography will not die but rather so many of us have had to shift – especially those of us in the music & sports industry. To survive we’ve had to rely on old styles of photography we’ve done to make our living. This is completely fine but, has been hard because now EVERYONE is competing of the same clients or having to cut prices so people could afford services.
Once the music industry comes back (I consider this my main industry) I think there is going to be a bit of shift or change. I’m not really sure how or if some of us who’ve been hired and have a higher rate will be re-hired. Venues, productions companies, artists, labels, and everyone in the music industry is TRULY SUFFERING. There is going to be a shift to how events are produced, retainers, contracts, etc solely due to COVID. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but I think there may be some photographers who get left behind because they had to make a lifestyle change to support themselves & their families. I’m not saying everyone will be gone or forever it just make take some time and money to get back to the place we all were at.
Contact Info:
- Email: cameralady.taylor@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.cameraladyphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.camera.lady/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecameralady
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_CameraLady
- Other: https://cameralady.darkroom.tech
