I’m a full time childhood, family and commercial photographer living in the beautiful and historic Savannah, GA. I have three seriously handsome young boys (4,5 and 9) and I’m married to my high school crush. If I wasn’t a photographer I would be a chef or a writer or a professional sleeper.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?
After the birth of my first son I became fascinated with the ability to preserve his life through imagery. I’m a college educated elementary school teacher and never imagined I’d be in passionate pursuit of art vs. teaching children. It’s a well known transition in our industry… mom with a camera evolves into a full time professional photographer. I’m entirely self taught and continue to learn each new day.
When did you start out in photography?
Eight years ago I started playing around with the idea of growing my craft in this area. At the time I only wanted to be better for capturing my own child on film. After three years of hard core hobby-ism, lots of learning and finally being comfortable with shooting and using light, I set my sights on generating revenue. I have officially been in business since 2009.
How would you describe your style?
Mine. So many adjectives are thrown around in our industry, emotive, organic, lifestyle, etc. I’m not one to have specific descriptive words for what I do. I genuinely struggle with using words to hone in on my style. All I can say is that what I do comes from my heart and it is uniquely mine.
What’s in your gear bag?
Canon 5D Mark iii, 85mm f/1.2L + 35mm f/1.4L
One lens you can’t live without?
I use the 85mm probably 70% of the time.
How did you know when the right time to start charging was?
It took over three years of working hard on my craft before I felt comfortable accepting payment for my work. I only began charging when I was confident in manual mode and had a fair grasp of manipulating light.
How much did you charge for your first session and how much are you charging for the same type of session now?
My first session was very memorable for me. I was crazy nervous and I think I charged appropriately based on my skill set at the time. The session was $125 and the disc of 50 edited images was an additional $125. Sadly I was working at least 10 hours on these types of shoots and after cost of goods I was making less than $6 per hour. Granted, this business model did allow me to evolve tremendously and catapulted me into my first client base. However, after less than a year this “client base” was no longer my target market. It’s so tough in the beginning to know what to do.
Sessions are now $275. I offer a small digital collection of seven (7) files, starting at $650. Full collections of images, with a couple studio products, begin at $1,200 and go up to nearly $3,000. I’m blessed to have clients that trust me enough to make this investment. I do not take my journey (full of so much hard work) for granted.
How did you market yourself when you started out?
My initial marketing strategy is also my continuing marketing strategy. I shoot unconventional school portraits and build relationships with local schools that have parents in my target market. I don’t necessarily love shooting these types of portraits, but it has been a brilliant tool for exposure and year round revenue. You can read about how I use this business model in my first e-book, The unPacked Catalogue.
We’re going to play a game. Name the first person you think of when we say:
newborn photographer –> Megan Elizabeth Portraits + Andrea Zoll Photography
wedding photographer –> Sassyfras Studios
lifestyle photographer –> DeAnna McCasland
most inspirational person –> Katie Meehan
photography book –> The Open Book
photography blog –> Humans of New York
Did you go to school for photography or were you self-taught? If self-taught, what helped you the most?
100% self taught. The combination of daily practice, soul searching, saturating my mind with books, tutorial videos and articles helped the most.
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business?
This is easy. The hardest thing for me is (and has always been) balancing my desire to be a great mom + wife while still pursuing my career and necessary revenue stream.
Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out?
Practice. Take your time. Don’t put the cart before the horse.
What’s the best lesson in photography (business or shooting) that you have learned so far?
Remembering what I do is a business, not a charity. My family needs me and if I’m taking extraordinary hours away from them I have to turn a substantial profit to justify the opportunity cost.
What are your thoughts on props?
Typically, the only props I like to use are the God given environment around me and occasionally childhood play toys that cohesively blend with the expressiveness of the child. But more often than not I don’t like props.
Find Michelle on the Web:
Portfolio | For Photographers | Facebook | Instagram | Google +
