Advice to my younger self

Well! Hello and welcome to the very FIRST blog post. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?

I’m a little over year into my business and it’s been quite the whirlwind. I decided to jump into photography full time after losing my job mid-pandemic in October 2019. Unlike a lot of new small businesses, I had the luxury of researching and building my website with zero distractions for hours on end. This little corner of the internet, KamarinAnnPhoto.com, was the first thing to ever be real about my business. Before I had a business license, quality gear, or even clients, my business called this home!

If I could go back, there’s (of course) so many things I would have done differently. Week after week I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants, and yet by the full grace of God I seemed to learn a lesson before I needed to put it to use. I feel as if my business has been handled tenderly with kid gloves, with no major failures or road blocks. While I’m naturally the kind of person to find solutions and keep moving forward, I will be the first to admit that 2020 was not the adbomidable year for me as it was for so many people. That being said, of course there are things I desperately wish I could tell my younger self! If you are in the beautiful bloom of a new business, or just need a fresh perspective, I hope this advice can be of some help to you as well!

1. Your client comes first.

Too often I have seen photographers and other creatives put their artistic endeavors before anything else. The artisan’s soul is inherently selfish, constantly looking for that next spark of inspiration to keep us going. This isn’t always a bad thing, however when it comes to your client you need to be willing to put that away and serve THEM. This doesn’t mean you can’t set boundaries in your business, but not every client is going to be your dream client. Once there is a monetary transaction, you now work for them. You can do your best to attract your ideal client by only posting the type of work you want to shoot, finding a unique niche that draws in a specific crowd, and providing resources to those clients that benefit your overall look! Those resources could be a styling guide pinterest board, client closet, location guide, and questionnaires. The more you are able to provide your clients the more they will trust your overall vision! I first started out with some pretty demanding clients, some I’m not to keen on working with again! But they probably felt like they needed to demand so many things because they had no idea the quality of service I could offer for them. After building all of these things I’ve noticed a huge change in my initial client reactions. My most recent inquiry let me pick out her dress, the location, and the time for their shoot! I will never forget the first time I heard, “Whatever you think is best. We trust you!”

You can always ask a friend to model for you or put together a styled shoot if you are looking to experiment and try new things, and you can always say ‘no’ to things that may not suit your business. Identifying those things early on will help you grow tremendously- however, once the contract is signed and the invoice is paid, you are here to serve them, not the other way around!

2. Be consistent with your brand

Guys. This is still something I’m working on… I just love too many things!

Branding is one of the strongest assets you can build for yourself. A cohesive branding stratedgy will carry you through all social media platforms. Images that are meaningful and identify who you are will consistently bring clients to you and back to you! This can be utilized in so many ways. Whether your brand is logos, a typeface, and headshot, a consistent and cohesive editing style, or overall feel of how you want to present yourself, pick something that rings true to you and stick with it!!

I am a 100% self taught photographer. I tried everything when I first started out. My style ranged from edgy to photojournalistic. I was able to land in this colorful fine-artsy world that I have because my heart just kept coming back to it. The first photographers that truly caught my eye and inspired me were Lauren Fair, Mary Costa, and Cassie Valente. I can look at any of their photos and instantly know it belongs to them. I knew exactly how I wanted my work to look like, but getting there was the issue! In order to learn, I went out to shoot as often as I could, in as many lighting situations, with as many people as possible. I made the mistake of dumping all of these photos to instagram just to prove that I had content to share, but when I looked at it as a whole I couldn’t tell what kind of photographer I was. Eventually I landed on three key words that began to define my past and future work. Images that I was consistently drawn to, inspired by, and driven to create all had these things in common.

“Vibrant, Authentic, Fun.”

You may have seen those words around here somewhere! I decided that when posting on any platform, creating a logo, and building my brand, it all had to come back to one or more of those words. I hope that you might be able to identify at least one of those things in any of my images. While I still have so much to learn, at least I am confident that my heart is connected to the brand I’ve made. Here is to being even more consistent this upcoming year!

3. Don’t stop doing what inspires you!

Okay, so this may feel like a direct contradiction from my first bit of advice, but life is all about balance, right??

I so wish I could go back in time and celebrate with me from a year ago. “You make a living doing what you LOVE!! How cool is that?! Your job is to celebrate with people!” But having your passion as a career is easier said than done. What happens when you over expend yourself on that passion? What happens when that fire that used to inspire and drive you burns out? You see this with young prodigies all the time. Adults hone in on young talent and often over exploit it. Children that were once excited to create beautiful piano music grow up never wanting to look at an instrument again. The validation from others often becomes the driving force for why we do things, and the pure joy dies out. Creative energy is a powerful and fickle thing, You often have to jump on inspiration as it comes. It’s not something you can describe but you’re required to feel. Once you are no longer creating art for yourself, it’s time to re-evaluate. No, not every shoot needs to be a meticulously planned burst of creative energy, but look at the photos you’ve taken this past month. Are you inspired by these images? Did you create or learn something new?

I hope the answer is always a resounding yes! If you don’t stop to reflect and take care of your artisan soul, you may be at risk of losing it entirely. I strive to put on at least two creative projects a month! This may feel like a lot for someone who may only be doing this part time, but I eat, breathe, and dream in photography. I truly, wholeheartedly, genuinely love what I do. I know I may lose an extra paying time slot in order to pursue these creative endeavors, but I would rather lose one extra paycheck than my creative career.

To wrap up, I’ve learned a lot of things. I’m still learning a lot of things! Each day is another step forward, and it’s truly been such a joy to see my work and business grow. The only thing that can move businesses like mine forward is other people, and I’m so so thankful to each and every person who has supported me this past year. I hope that everyone who has stumbled upon this little corner of the internet may continue to find useful advice, comfort, and inspiration. Cheers to new beginnings and trying new things!