Meet Kara Mia Dunn: The Photographer & Entrepreneur Who Took No Shortcuts

"Just be you. You are a force that will pull those who resonate with you into your circle. You will find much more success being yourself than practicing to be someone else ever would. Be true to you and captivate your audience with authenticity; you'll win every time."

Kara Mia Dunn

Can you recall a specific moment or event that solidified your decision to pursue this path?

It sounds kind of backwards, but honestly, I got into the field of boudoir photography after giving birth to my first son. Prior to having him, I loved my body and felt confident in my skin, and afterwards, I didn't feel like myself and loathed what I saw in the mirror. There was a major disconnect between my mind and body. My husband saw the shift in me and in my confidence and asked if I would humor him by taking "sexy pics again." To be completely honest, I thought he was crazy! Like, why in the world would I want to take pictures of this new body when I didn't enjoy what I was looking at, so how could he? Well, long story short, I took the pictures. And I am so glad I did. Not only did I see myself in a new light, it was a light of "OMG I still got it!" and I felt my spark come back on. A bunch of my friends were new moms, and I messaged them with the weird request to take their images, and bam, here we are today! I completely fell in love with the transformation behind boudoir photography. It is so much more than just sexy photos. It is a feeling of being. It is a connection to yourself. It really is a transformative type of photography, and as a photographer on the other end of the lens, I get to see that "ah-ha, I still have it" moment flicker on in my client's eyes daily. Strange that this path happened the way it did, but I am oh-so grateful that my husband pushed me a little out of my comfort zone to truly see what he saw, because otherwise, I wouldn't have the most rewarding career I could have ever imagined.

How did you deal with skepticism or doubt from others when you started your journey?

Oh my gosh, did I ever. I mean, it isn't every day that you hear of someone quitting their job to become a full-time boudoir photographer. Most people don't even know what boudoir is or realize that it is even a genre of photography that you can make money in. So yes, when I first started, there was a lot of skepticism and doubt, mostly from family and friends, which made it tougher. Typically, with big life changes, you want to turn to the people who have known you the longest, and at the time, these were the people who doubted that I could make it happen.

But I've shown them, haha. It didn't take long for my work to speak for itself and for the testimonials from clients to prove that what I was doing was making a positive impact on all of those around me. Those that once doubted me turned into supporters and now are some of the biggest supporters I have! Not only that, strangers—yes, strangers—are the ones that have been keeping my business thriving. They are the ones that have come in without meeting me, had a great experience in my studio, and have shouted my name from the rooftops. Strangers turned friends and supporters.

Dealing with skepticism and doubt is really just the name of the game. I am a person who can always find a bright side to any situation, and any doubt really just motivates me harder to show all the naysayers what they're missing out on. Head up and positivity flowing, and there is no doubt that I will attract those who want to be in my circle.

How did your success change your perspective on your work and your future goals?

Success is a funny thing. Everyone defines it differently, and that's kind of the beauty of it. I view success by hitting goals in sales but also by seeing the difference in my processes and business from year to year. My successes look different because I am a mother and wife above all. I want freedom and free time to enjoy my family while still doing what I love. I am constantly tweaking what success means for me, because while goals may still be the same, how I am getting there looks quite different than it did even just five years ago. I want to not only make an impact on my clients and the experience that I provide, but I also must make an impact on my children, especially while they are young, because I will never get that time back with them. I am blessed to have a successful career and business that allows me to choose a schedule to accomplish both!

What aspects of your brand or company culture do you believe make you stand out in the market?

My brand is all about you. It is about making this experience one of a kind to get you feeling something again. There is only one you, so your boudoir experience with me should reflect that. I put a massive emphasis on ease. I make sure that if you were to do zero preparation for our time together, you would still be blown away by the outcome. By that, I mean hair and makeup are taken care of for you and done here in the studio, outfits are curated and waiting in the dressing room when you arrive, posing is walked through step by step so you aren't expected to do anything other than follow a few simple directions, you get to see your images the exact same day, and you even get to design all of your products while in the studio. So when you leave, you are feeling nothing other than being on cloud nine. I know that the thought of being vulnerable in front of a camera is intimidating, and I have made my process specifically to alleviate a lot of that stress, so you could prep if you want, but if you do nothing more than just simply show up, you are golden and will still have a kick-ass experience.

What are the most common mistakes you see aspiring artists make, and how can they avoid them?

Not pricing yourself properly. I think a huge misconception, especially as a photographer, is you start off cheaper and get business that way and then continuously raise your prices, or you price yourself by looking at your competition around you. Neither are good strategies. You never want to price yourself by what others are doing because you both live different lifestyles and have different expenses. For instance, I have a family of nine. My expenses are far different from a college student or someone who has a family of three. What someone on their budget may be able to get away with would barely put food on my table. Just a quick example, but it holds true. And then the other tactic is to come in cheaper and raise your prices over time, but this is just as problematic. It all goes back to what is profitable to you? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning to work? What makes you still passionate about your work? If those numbers don't reflect that, then you need to reevaluate. There is nothing wrong with setting your pricing where it makes you happy and then doing photoshoots for free or extremely discounted until you get your editing down or understand what niche you want to focus on. But it is much more difficult to try and raise prices when you've built a clientele around a specific market.

Focus on you and your craft. Don't worry about the person down the street or the town over. Figure out what lights you up, what price point makes you happy, and what truly can turn you a profit, and go from there.

"Just be you. You are a force that will pull those who resonate with you into your circle. You will find much more success being yourself than practicing to be someone else ever would. Be true to you and captivate your audience with authenticity; you'll win every time." - Kara Mia Dunn

Check out Kara's company: Déjà Revél  

Follow Kara on Social Media:

Instagram: @dejarevelboudoir

Facebook Group: Deja Revel Boudoir

TikTok: @dejarevel