By Cat Ford-Coates
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The podcast currently has 44 episodes available.
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Jenna shares how she started her photography business with her husband with weddings in the northwest US. As they worked together more and more, and she stepped farther into her role as the Creative Director with setting scenes and posing during wedding creatives and realized they could make far more of an impact if she were also shooting.
Diving deeper into learning the technical side of her camera work, she fell more and more in love with the craft and shares all about how they mad mistakes which taught them exactly the lessons they needed to learn in order to not only build a portrait business she adores, discovered her love of building personal brands with C-suite executives and professionals, and moved from Washington to Arizona to build her business in a new location.
Hers is an inspiring journey!
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Starting as a "momographer" in 2009 simply because she wanted real imagery of her four children and uncovered a LOVE in the medium which she turned into a business the way many of us do; at $100 per session.
After practicing and learning posing, lighting, post production she has grown her business into a source of confidence with her repeat customers year after year capturing moments and milestones for families.
Colleen also contributes to a charity known as Kids In Focus where she mentors children within her community in photography. As a mentor she's discovered how she gets to share the love of photography to instill confidence in the youth of Arizona.
Colleen got involved with The KNOW Women through her local photography connections in the Phoenix area and stepped into a network of ambitious and collaborative female business leaders and is excited to continue growing the relationships there for a deeper impact within her community.
Find Colleen Here:
Find The KNOW Women here: theknowwomen.com
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Having lost everything on more than one occasion, Keri innovated her life and how she was showing up for her family, her business, and herself.
At times it felt like she was creating something from nothing; her photography business, she wrote a book, stepping forward to teach manifestation online during the pandemic, and then in 2022 she created a 40 Over 40 campaign and she discovered her impact on a larger scale.
"I didnt want models. I didnt want influencers. I wanted real people! And these women who hadn't been photographed in 15 years or more were showing up and shining!"
Find Keri Here:
Find out more about The KNOW Women here: theknowwomen.com
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Get OBSESSED. Like so obsessed within your creative process that you grow, evolve, and become more as an Artist. Jerry shares how if you're only considerate of the outcome; the final shot, the revenue, then the joy experienced from achievement is only from the result. It lasts for a fraction of a second, and it is in his obsession with the process of creating that he stays IN the joy of being a professional Artist. That's the key.
There are seasons, & one of those seasons is in building the workflows and systems required to maintain and grow a business BUT, we chose to create the business because we love creating. Photography is the vehicle in which we create for ourselves, and our clients. Without our connection to the creativity, we cannot grow. The season of creative exploration should never sideline for long. Arguably, it should be a priority in every season.
There are multiple ways in which we can grow creatively; workshops, conferences, studying under a mentor, but one of the ways in which this photographer has found to be effective in that exploration is through awards submissions and accreditation. Can we play and grow in that exploration without it? Sure. Of course you can, but something shifts a bit in your mindset when you're submitting for review in these spaces: you obsess over details, you push yourself and hold yourself accountable TO every step of the process of creating. You're competing with yourself.
Having entered into the photo space in the 90's, Jerry discovered how he loved being in the room with the Olympians of photography. And so many can feel intimidated in competition spaces because of those "heavyweights" however Jerry took it from a different approach, he was inspired by them.
He took that inspiration and dove into unearthing his obsession with the creative process to deepen his love and connection with his work and those he was creating with and for.
Jerry became immersed in the awards space that he connected to his client work with the mindset that "Today will be the album of the year!" because he was in competition with himself at every step, and has since elevated that connection to the photo industry in carrying the torch for WPPI and The Portrait Masters with the ICON Awards, led by he and his wife Melissa.
Buy yourself some creative freedom. In the beginning stages of our businesses, our work doesn't always fit the vision we have in our heads and hearts. But in the business, we HAVE to serve, we have to connect, we have to get clients - but it is in that work that we are able to buy ourselves a bit of freedom to yes, sustain the business, but also to create on our terms as we grow as Artists too.
Join us for this year's ICON Award submissions
Early Bird deadline is August 31
Find more about Jerry Ghionis here:
Full conversation on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/y8kTZqgiaPM
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In business now for ten years, Kimberly has found her stride as a boudoir photographer based out of Raleigh, NC. She has this enthusiasm for her work and what she does for her clients that is magnetic and her studio is finding new heights.
She's spent the past ten years loving on her community and clients and finding that is paying off in more than just referrals but in authority. Just this summer Kimberly was recognized as one of The KNOW Women's "Women to KNOW in North Carolina" and celebrated at their annual gala in Charlotte.
She has also come so far as to diversify her offerings outside of photo in having her own lingerie store to serve women as well.
Hearing her discuss how she would advise herself ten years ago, starting her business in having faith, and trusting in herself was so very true for anyone beginning on this journey. Entrepreneurship isn't for the faint of heart but as Kimberly says around what is meant for you will find you, even when it doesn't happen on your timeline. And when it doesn't go your way, or the way you expected, there is value in the lessons you will learn.
Find Kimberly Here:
Find out more about The KNOW Women here:
Full conversation on YouTube Here:
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Once Darina started seeing the aha moments and transformations her clients were experiencing in their portrait sessions with her, she dove deeper into WHY.
As photographers we sort of know on a subconscious level that we are also mindset coaches, therapists, and more in addition to being photographers. Darina has taken that role beyond the subconscious level and developed her expertise also in the neuroplasticity space. She has done this to be able to provide the most impactful experience in her portrait sessions for her clients.
With a rich history in yoga and her own transformational experiences through travel and previous careers she digs deeper with her clients with homework in a journaling practice just to simply begin so they can choose to change.
We all carry our lives with us in the body; the body knows the proverbial score. And as photographers we have a very keen ability to help people change their lives and the byproduct of that is changing the WORLD. As Darina says "One healed woman is POWERFUL..." and that can be true in your portrait business too.
Find Darina Here:
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Is the value of our work as portrait artists in the medium of print? In the digital file(s)? Or in HOW your clients FEEL when they experience that work day in and day out in their homes and where they choose to display that work?
Now, we compound that experience in the materials we use to source and produce that artwork however, Andrew is the head of Fundy, and if you are at all familiar with Fundy you know how powerful the program is in time savings and streamlining your customer's experience with you.
A lifelong entrepreneur, he knows the value of every hour entrepreneurs spend in running their businesses and portrait businesses are no exception. So many of us run head first into business ownership and are even excited to do so. But there comes a time where we have to start prioritizing where we invest that energy so that we can maintain our growth as artists and as CEO's.
And once that comes into play you start to realize what you're missing out on; picking your kids up from school, paying for college tuition, going on a walk even! How is your business supporting the life you want to be living?
Fundy is powerful! Since this episode was recorded I have personally dived deeper into the Fundy programs and used their software with four different clients. Now, in full transparency, I did fumble through the first image selection appointment however once I got the hang of things, not only does having examples of my Graphi artwork on the wall in front of my clients and then three different wall art mock ups with the client's images - It is an obvious choice. Gasps and all.
Find Andrew and Fundy here:
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Between discovering her pregnancy and the pandemic occurring almost simultaneously, Amanda could exit the wedding space and begin to build her portrait business.
The wedding industry taught her alot about valuing her business, her service, and her products which she incorporated into her portraits, especially in her love of her motherhood sessions.
She and Cat go through her Motherhood marketing campaign and where she's struggling with her lead generation and discuss her advertising strategy and sales psychology too.
So often we want our efforts to have an immediate ROI (return on investment), but when it comes to building relationships ROI is had as those relationships build and cannot be accrued always with direct correlation to a single investment (time or money).
Looking at the year, Amanda has opportunities and plans and we cannot wait to see where she takes 2024!
Find Amanda Here:
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An introvert's introvert, Ivana has learned that she COULD make excuses about not doing what's required for a portrait business owner to become successful:
But she also knows that SHE is responsible for the growth and success she's after for her business & she doesn't let fear stop her. She shows up for networking, is consistent in her organic efforts on social, and employs paid advertising for her campaigns.
Ivana had a "successful" business my the overall metrics of her business in 22 and 23. She was booked three months in advance, she was reaching her 6 figure goals...but there was more at play.
The HOW of finding that success.
Toward the end of 23 she was realizing how burnt out she was as it was deeply affecting her mental and physical health. Exhausted, sick, tired...and she knew something had to change.
Ivana came to the US in 2017 from Bosnia and officially started her business in 2019. An Artist, as many of us are she thought her focus needed to be in the creative aspects of her work; refining her camera tech and Photoshop skills which garnered the success and recognition from Adobe. However, as many of us do we expect that the creative recognition will open the flood gates of paid clients. And while that to some extent can be true, if you don't have a sustainable business model to support those leads then you very quickly realize that you find overwhelm & even resentment.
Her next step was in building out a business model that by 2023 where she was working 80 hr weeks and was no longer able to tap into the love her clients deserved.
Another beautiful insight Ivana brings is in comparison: of others work, of others businesses and instead of looking at those successes others are experiencing as evidence that she couldn't achieve the success she desired, she chose to see those successes as evidence that she COULD. It's proof of concept that it can and will work.
Now after working with Cat for 6 months in 2024 she has made more money and is working with half the clients than in 2023. She reached her highest revenue month ever in April of 2024, moved from NC to Chicago, IL and booked out through July in May AND took a month off to visit her home in Bosnia.
Relocating your portrait business doesn't immediately mean a wild dip in revenue. You CAN establish yourself before you move a single box. Ivana is proof of that and as her Mentor, I am so very proud of her tenacity and love for her work and her Art.
Be a part of Ivana's project FACES in Chicago! You can find Ivana and her work:
Want results for your portrait business like Ivana? DM Cat directly on instagram to see if she can help you. https://www.instagram.com/catfordcoates/
Full video interview available on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/xjZJl0gKoKI
Support the show
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Coming from a career as a piano teacher in Texas, and growing her portrait business to full time alongside her very supportive husband, Paula has discovered that having a sustainable foundation is the first step but her growth of that business is in discovering WHO she loves to photograph.
Working from her home studio to keep her overhead low her next goal is to purchase a new space (commercial or a second house) to create an epic location with multiple concept opportunities to grow in her craft and the variety she offers for her clients.
Where she's been challenged has been in work/life balance and discovering how she manages her time to ensure that she stays present for her life; time with her husband and to have the space to enjoy her meditation, and prioritize her manifestation practice. She stays in control of how her energy is directed to achieve the goals she has in place.
Paula has a beautiful vision for her business and understands the pieces of her workflows that are to be outsourced so she can enjoy concept development, set design, and growth.
You can find Paula Here:
Support the show
Become a supporter of The Studio Takeover podcast here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2284439/supporters/new
The podcast currently has 44 episodes available.
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