When I started Adalily Photography back in 2016, 10 years seemed so far away. Taking on opening my own studio was scary and stressful and exciting!
If you talked to me at all about owning a business, I always said I NEVER wanted to! However, life has a way of messing up your firmly laid plans. There was a point when I realized if I wanted to keep creating photography then I’d have to do it myself.

After long talks with my husband. Total support of the idea from my friends and family, and me finally deciding I could do it… here we are!

The road to Adalily…

I graduated from Hawkeye Community College in 2003 with a degree in Portrait and Photojournalism photography. In 2004 I started a job in Pella for an established studio. The owner became my mentor and friend quickly. He taught me so much about all corners of the business of photography as well as how to create and stay in love with my craft. I made lifelong friends through the Professional Photographers of Iowa and fine tuned my craft.

After 8.5 years in Pella I ended up back in Knoxville working for a couple who owned a studio here. After 2 years I was in need of a break from working for others.
During my 2 year break I stayed creative by working at Ramaeker Screenprinting. Helping to create t-shirt designs and all the other amazing things they do there!

In 2015 my daughter was born! I was lucky enough to take a year off to be home with her.

Then, welcome to 2016! After lots of planning I decided that July 2nd was my official opening date for Adalily Photography!

Small Business Ownership…

Finding a place to open my studio was hard! After going over every option in Knoxville and Pleasantville my Dad mentioned a spot he thought was behind The Coffee Connection. THANK GOODNESS he did because it was the perfect space for me!

Around 2019 my friend, Cathy, had some shifts in her own business and needed a renter for the larger part of her space. Since I was starting to think about moving, AND her space had real windows to the outside, I happily set a move-in date!

While there are still some days I wish someone else would take on the hard decisions, phone calls and bills for me, there are more days where I’m thankful for all of those things! And while I will not tell anyone outright to start up their own business, there are huge benefits to it. One of these is having the freedom to create my own brand and to choose my own style and colors!

Clients and Friends…

Photography is a “luxury” business. I know that my clients choose to have their photos taken and choose me to take them. I know that some clients save up to be able to come to me because they love what I do!
These facts are not lost on me. Nobody NEEDS photography to live. (except maybe me?!) When I get asked to capture a families memories it is a job I take very seriously.

Some of my clients have been with me since my days in Pella. They followed me in all of my changes over the years and I could not be more grateful! These are clients that have become my true friends. I’ve been with them for big milestones like weddings and the births of their children. I’ve gotten to watch their family grow and change, and when I go to do a session with them it’s the best hour+ of laughter and catching up of my whole week!

While those are great clients to have, I also am getting new clients that I hope will turn into those friends as well! Some spend time in my studio and I feel like I’ve known them for years!
A beautiful thing about my business is that I get to know people on a deeper level. I’m not solving everyones problems, anyones for that matter, but I get to joke and laugh with them during their session. I ask about their families and what movies they like. I get to play silly games with kiddos so they’ll feel comfortable with me, and sometimes I even get hugs afterwards!

The 10 Year Anniversary…

2026. 10 years in business. 22 years in Photography + 2 years of college. Thats a lot of photography!

This year I want to celebrate my milestone with so many bonuses for my clients! There will be special sessions, special deals, new session options and more! I want to spend the whole year saying THANK YOU to everyone who has let me make it to the 10 years milestone and gather some new friends along the way!

Keep watch on social media and here on the website as I start to roll out all the things for each month!