Kaleigh Cunningham, Photographer, Montana

Kaleigh Cunningham, Photographer, Montana

A moment of tenderness between a happy couple. A hiker taking her first steps at a new trailhead. A toddler giggling on a swing. The whoosh of a fly fisherman casting off in heavenly solitude. These are just a few moments that Kaleigh Cunningham has captured through her lens.

Kaleigh started Adventure Forever Photography because it’s a piece of her own American Dream. “When I’m out doing a photoshoot, or sitting at my desk editing, I’m happy the entire time. There’s no part of me that wishes I was doing something else,” she says.

Being an independent contractor allows Kaleigh to pick and choose what projects she wants to work on, and who she wants to work with. It also empowers her to decide where she calls home.

“I live in Missoula, Montana and the cost of living here is not cheap,” she explains. “But I love living here. So when I need extra income, working as a 1099 allows me to pick up some side jobs and make that more doable.”

Kaleigh supplements her W-2 income with her independent photography work, along with some communications consulting for a nonprofit. “I’ve done 1099 contract work for basically my entire career,” she says. “The nonprofits I work with typically cannot afford to bring in someone full-time for photography or social media. My contract services are what they can afford. And I can get the work done in my off-hours, whenever it fits into my schedule. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

But a new Department of Labor rule threatens to take it all away. The rule may incorrectly reclassify Kaleigh (along with millions of other independent contractors) as W2 employees against their will, forcing clients to either bring them in-house or let them go.

“If this new rule makes companies less inclined to bring on contract work, that’s going to change everything for me,” she worries. “It would be a huge loss, and I know a lot of really good nonprofit organizations that would suffer too.”

Kaleigh’s 1099 work is a substantial part of her income. Without it, she would have to move or find a roommate to be able to pay the bills, including the costs of pet care. “I’m a proud dog mom of a pretty needy senior dog,” she says. Beyond the bare necessities, Kaleigh would no longer be able to afford going on outdoor adventures with her friends every now and again, or enjoy working on a variety of projects that each fulfill her creative passions in different ways.

Kaleigh has created her own American Dream, custom-made for the things in life that make her happy—and millions of others have done the same. “It’s silly to tell other people how they have to work,” she says. “I have a friend who is an interior designer and a mom of three. She picks up jobs when she feels like it, and other times she’s home with her kids. How else would you achieve that balance? Without 1099 as an option, you wouldn’t.”

“Telling people how they need to earn their living is really out of touch.”