Today we’d like to introduce you to Codi Villalobos
Hi Codi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When my first baby was born, the importance of photos was immediately apparent, though not super accessible. We were young parents so being able to afford to take our son in for professional photos was not an option – at least not at the rate that I wanted to take them. In the early 2000’s hiring a photographer wasn’t quite like it is today, you still mostly had to go into a department store and get those classic sitting super posed with a backdrop photos. So in his first year I made it a goal to get a decent camera so I could learn to take good photos of him myself.
While we definitely ended up with a plethora of images that are super candid and that I love so much, the technique definitely wasn’t there. But looking back, it is undoubtedly where my story into photography started. Little did I know at the time, these were the days where many of my foundational beliefs as a photographer were set.
For example – as a young couple with not a lot of money, when we sat down after our quick little session to choose what package to purchase from the department store photography studios, it was almost always the bare minimum. An 8×10 and 5×7 for my frames, a few smaller prints to share with family, and that’s it. Two weeks later when I would go in to pick up the printed photos, they would always have extra photos that I did not choose to pay for printed…. “You can add these extra photos that we’ve already printed for you on to your total for only $X.XX.” And I just literally could not afford to buy them…so I’d sadly decline and I would watch them literally toss them into the recycle bin under the counter. Mama heart, broken. I had no idea that is would be the foundational reason I include *all* good images in my galleries for my own clients.
Over the next several years, two more babies came, a lot more practice and upgraded cameras, and friends started asking me to take their family photos. That eventually snowballed into what I do today! As a stay-at-home-mom, making a little extra money on the weekends was a huge blessing for our family.
Today, I get to travel the world with my clients helping capture their own love stories. I could have never guessed this is where my own story would be today!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say the biggest struggle along the way would just be learning everything there is to learn as a self taught business owner on my own. I’ve never taken a business class, done a mentorship, or any direct to me learning along the way. I was taught through the school of google and trial and error. The last few years as I’ve leveled up my business now that my kids are older, I’ve joined a few large online conferences and things but still, pretty much everything I know as a photographer and business owner was learned through sheer determination and googling.
This is another instance where I didn’t realize I was building a foundational belief and passion in my business today – my love of providing mentorships to other photographers. Helping them skip some of those trial and error, learning the hard way steps is one of my favorite things to do!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Having started my journey into photography shooting my family and other peoples families, my heart still very much resides there so often. But my business has moved more into capturing couples through their engagement and wedding/elopement.
Something that I’ll say is unique about the way I do things is that the business and money are NOT at the forefront of my why. What is most important to me in my work are the people I get the honor of connecting with and getting to know at some of the most beautiful times in their lives. While this absolutely is a business and my family is blessed by my work monetarily, I am so much more blessed by the relationships I create with my clients that I put above all else in my business. And I am really proud to be someone who often cares “too much” about my clients and doesn’t put money or anything else above caring for them.
This often looks like a LOT of directly working with my brides on planning their day and making sure it’s perfect and they will get the beautiful memories they are looking for, shooting their lives beyond the “I do’s” when they are expecting their own family to begin, and always leaning on the side of generosity in every way that I help them plan and prepare for our time together.
My outlook on the way I value and care of my couples has resulted in traveling the world with people that I’ve had a connection with well before they were planning their wedding and when the wedding day arrives, they feel like there’s no one else who could be there for them in the way that I could.
I take a very limited number of weddings per year because of the amount of time and care and direct help I give to each couple while maintaining a balance at home of being very present with my children, family, and friends. This journey has brought me some of the most beautiful humans and experiences ever and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My FAVE books, apps and podcasts:
I regularly listen to The Heart & Hustle Podcast – geared towards women entrepreneurs and often the topics are specifically for photographers.
Apps I use daily for my business are SCRL – for designing IG posts as well as Unfold, InShot for editing video for reels, Canva for…everything lol, and Unscripted as my CRM (Client Relations Management).
I love the book Steal Like an Artist. It is so short and a very fast read but is so inspiring for creatives!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.codivphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codivphotography/
