Introduction

Hello my people! Today we have the pleasure of having our very first guest, Toni G Photo! Toni is a wedding and elopement photographer based out of Fresno, California. Toni shares her journey & gives us all the deets that got her to where she is now!

How it all started

Toni went to college at Fresno State for business management & entrepreneurship! She tells me about her senior year in college, when she told her professor she wanted to start a photography business but quickly got turned down and was told to choose something else. (How many of us have heard that before?) Toni went on to working a 9-5 job she was really good at and even reached a management position but was not in love with her job. After quitting & going through a very hard time in her life, Toni attended her first photography meetup & was HOOKED. After the workshop, Toni got started on her portfolio by taking pictures of her close friends for free! She got so creative with her shoots that she even went to Yosemite with her sister for a bridal shoot! She started a community called#Fresnophotogs, which I myself am a part of & I absolutely love! We are both definitely all about community over competition. I asked Toni what the story behind #FresnoPhotogs was and she tells me it came from her own experience, when she was starting out she was discouraged by local big photographers. She then met up with smaller local photographers, with time opening up their meetups to the public which resulted in more people showing up. It is now such a big, beautiful & inspiring community.

The elephant in the Room

A fun little question that I got to ask Toni, was what’s something she would not be caught doing now that she is more experienced, she tells us to learn our camera before taking pictures of others! I totally agree and actually have a course teaching others just because learning your camera is SO IMPORTANT. We address the elephant in the room (COVID) and I asked how it affected her business, she says she feels mostly bad for the brides, some have postponed their special day and some went through with it but of course with precautions. Thankfully her clients have supported her through this time! She gives some advice for other photographers, and it's to work on the things you never have time for, update your websites and clean your work up to be able to come back stronger, which I think is such great advice!

Q&A’s

We wrapped up the episode with some super fun questions & got our brain working! Favorite Color? Starbucks Drink? 3 Words you want people to think of when they see your work? If you had no choice but to switch careers what would you do? Photography pet-peeves? Your favorite part about your job? 

Advice for new photographers who are a little intimidated? Her advice for new photographers is “practice makes perfect, get those things down ahead of time, take photos of your friends until you find your style, people will eventually book you it’s just a matter of time”. Woow, this was such a beautiful interview with a beautiful soul! Thank you guys for joining us and listening today! If you loved this episode make sure to leave a review, it would be grtaly appreciated! ♡

Links

ToniGPhoto’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonigphoto/?hl=en

#FresnoPhotogs Instagram:       https://www.instagram.com/fresnophotogs/?hl=en

Toni’s Website: 

https://tonigphoto.com/insta 

My photography Instagram: https://www.instagram