Crystale Vail-Spearman illuminates the world of photography with her business EyeImagery

Splashes of oranges, fuchsias and yellows immediately pop through the screen when you click on Crystale Vail-Spearman’s Instagram page for her photography company, EyeImagery. Founded in 2009, as a side passion to her previous job, EyeImagery centers around making photography bright, exciting, and as her website words it, “super fun!”

What started as a mere hobby in high school and college ended up becoming a full time profession and a job that she loves. “I just really always liked taking pictures,”Mrs. Vail-Spearman added. “I was the photographer on our yearbook club in high school. That is what really started it. I just enjoyed getting all over the school, taking pictures of people, and I would go the extra mile with posing in the right angles and telling them to be in the right light as opposed to just snapping the shots.” Based in Hanover, Maryland, Mrs. Vail-Spearman began her photography journey during her last five years as an electrical engineer. “I was kind of doing it on the side when it finally got to the point where that got so busy that I had to make a decision. So I decided to try it on my own and I left my job and just did photography full time.”

The different styles that Mrs. Vail Spearman captures with her brilliant photography skills.

Mrs. Vail-Spearman has turned her hobby and passion into a full time business as it continues to be a blessing and inspiration to her. “It was a blessing for that to happen because I know it’s hard to do. A lot of times you have to keep your passion on the side. But it did work out where I gained momentum and people were spreading the word of mouth and it really helped my business explode. So I was able to do some big things with it.”

A signature motif in Mrs. Vail-Spearman’s work are the colorful backdrops she uses when capturing her client’s essence. Although her niches are headshots and portraits, she tries new tricks to bring her customers in. “Yeah, I do try to expand. I still call them headshots, but every time someone has a headshot session with me, they’re like, this is a lot more than a headshot.” Mrs. Vail-Spearman explained. “People also need other things to put on their social medias that will pop out and get people to notice their page. I just love color. I love bright images. I love images that stand out when someone is scrolling, so I kind of do a mix.”

Thankfully to her clientele, they understood the life of a busy mom and entrepreneur and knew she had to get things done. “As they got older,” Mrs. Vail-Spearman began to share, “I was able to give them a phone and sit them in the corner. But those early years, it might have been some juggling going on. Luckily, I lucked up with some awesome clients, and most of them were moms as well. So many people just understood and like I said, it’s just a different time now. So many people understand that life is just fluid. And as long as my product is still stellar, I think people are willing to go along with the rest of it.”

Having her business while becoming a wife and a mother to three children has not been an easy road. When it came to photoshoots and editing pictures, Mrs. Vail-Spearman made sure to communicate to clients that she is a mother and to expect reality from her. “I had to work nights at lot. A lot of people look at photographers and they just think about the photoshoot part. A lot of the hours come in after the photoshoot, during the editing, processing, the inquiries, the emails, the calling, and all those things that are done.” Mrs. Vail-Spearman would bring her children with her to the studio when she didn’t have people to watch them and also would work while her husband was working night shifts. “There is going to be times where I’m talking to you on the phone and you might hear them in the background and there’s going to be times where I might be editing your pictures and it might be a little longer because I have to stop and feed the kids or put them to bed whenever that may be. Just putting that out up front, I think helped a lot.”

As a behind the scenes person, Mrs. Vail-Spearman values the clients’ input and continues to observe how her clients respond to her service. “I think one of the biggest things is just mostly making sure that they’re comfortable. I’ve had a lot of clients come to me with insecurities about having a photoshoot because of their experiences in the past with other photographers. So I just put in those notes along the way because I know that’s how I’d want to feel.”

Mrs. Vail-Spearman’s favorite quote is ‘Don’t worry about the rain, because at the end of the day, it’s just water.’ “It’s basically saying that it might feel like a thunderstorm at the time, but at the end of the day, it’s just water and water is not going to hurt you. It’s going to wash away. It’s going to dry up all of that kind of stuff. So even if you feel like you’re really going through something in the moment, just give it a little bit of time. But it’s going to fade away a little bit, and it’s not going to feel like such a big deal as you thought it was in the moment.“

With the support of her family and the enjoyment of her career, Mrs. Vail-Spearmen enjoys the thought of creating a better image for budding entrepreneurs and clients who ask for her services. “You need something that’s going to jump out at them and you need something that says “I take my business seriously and so should you.” Mrs. Vail-Spearman values the memories that pictures leave behind and how powerful they can be. She recommends everyone to take photos professionally; “I can just go on and on about the reason photography can be important to anybody’s life, and it’s definitely something you should do at least once, if not over and over.”