131: Kelly Lemon, the One Armed Wedding Photographer

Episodes The Bearded Tog

November 18, 2020

Kelly Lemon, the One Armed Wedding Photographer

Kelly Lemon is a wedding photographer in Seattle who not only has incredible work, but photographs weddings as a one armed wedding photographer! Lemon has been in business for 10 years as a photographer. She limits the number of weddings she takes per year to 20-25. After being in a near fatal car crash, Kelly lost 1/4 of her body movement at the age of 12. When her art teacher told her she couldn’t be a photographer with one arm, she proved her wrong and even learned to roll film with her feet!

Kelly suffers from paralysis and chronic nerve pain, but has adapted to life with one arm and does everything she wants to do.
“I’m not going to let this defeat me. I’m going to recover and do everything I can… I just had this hope.”
When Kelly lost use of her second arm, she had to really figure out how to find a solution before she had another wedding. She prepared to have her second shooter be her hands. The second shooter joined Kelly for a practice shoot and Kelly controlled the settings. When speaking with the couple, she kept things positive and focused on the fact that the bride would get to have three photographers with them on her wedding day. They even included a review from one of their previous couples who let them practice with them.
Kelly has a passion for teaching photographers how to talk with their clients in tough situations.