How to Establish and Re-Establish Your Photography Business- With Danette Chappell
Tools on how to establish and re-establish your photography business!
Tune in today with friend and mentor Danette Chappell of The Amberlight Collective who specializes in adventure elopements and listen in as we chat about our days at the Vegas wedding chapel, What resources to look for to establish a business, equipment to invest in, and what to focus on- and of course some laughs with this incredible photographer
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Photos provided By Danette Chappell The Amberlight Collective
today on the show is especially exciting because i have one of my dearest friends, mentors, and photographer who is has taught me so much in friendship and business and I cannot wait for her to share some tools for starting a photography business, insight to her story, and resources for you along the way.
Danette, i am so excited you’re here today. I feel already like we could chat forever about business so i already know i want you back sometime to chat about the next subject but when i started writing about photographer’s first starting out, i knew i had to ask you to be on the show - because you helped me SO much!
Now as a friend and stalker i know how incredibly talented you are, but talk to us a little about about you!
D- Where to start, it’s been an adventure and up and down in the past 12 years.
S- You’ve moved and had so much, talk a little about how you started
D- I’ve always had a creative mind, so i knew the 9-5 job wasn’t for me. I loved anything creative. I started with magic, and as i got older i was into music and photography and that as a creative way. There was a point where i knew i wanted to get into music or photography. Photography was the more plausible of the two, and it was something i could pursue right now.
I chose photography, and decided to do an internship in Chicago with Sarah Barlow and where i could learn it could be a business. She gave me my first taste of being an actual professional photographer, before that i just took pictures, i wasn’t into branding, technique or any of that.
My wedding photography business just was word of mouth right away, and i was really lucky so my business was all over the country as a destination wedding photography business- to do friends’ weddings. And then after that i moved to Las Vegas from New Mexico.
It was going to be the first time i was going to have a mortgage and that’s when i started to work at the wedding chapel.
S- So you tried out to be a photographer at the chapel- talk about that
D- i really wanted to impress the wedding chapel- and i only knew that had their own reality show, and i thought it would be so cool to be there, but i was scared and to be honest- i didn’t have a great portfolio. i had a Canon Rebel and a kit lens, so i was nervous. And i didn’t even live there yet. I drove out there, booked an interview, called a lens rental place- rented a 70-200 to look more legit.
Element of truth to fake it till you make it- to portray the confidence you don’t feel yourself but can convey to other people so they have confidence in you. Then you become in that cycle what you wanted in the first place.
i didn’t know what they were talking about to be honest. But i got the job and moved to Vegas and the rest is history.
S- Something we have to have is the confidence, because looking back i was terrible- but without that confidence i wouldn’t have pushed forward.
D- It was super beneficial- it was a hard environment and it forced us to adapt quickly and talking about wedding photography specifically- you do have to learn to adapt quickly. There’s always going to be a curve ball to think of a solution very quickly. There are singular moments in weddings that you can’t miss and it helps you adapt quickly.
I hadn’t been around criticism in that way- we had a team and we were tight and close and they required you to edit all of those weddings before you leave. Sometimes 16 hours a day until it was finished. You learn how to get a variety in a short amount of time with posing and adapt to criticism, and we were always trying to one up each other and as a result we had a healthy competition and got better quickly and we are lucky because a lot of photographers won’t have that experience. it’s a great place for photographers starting out- but move on from those places.
S- So you moved around a couple times- let’s move into that. starting over is similar to starting out- what’s some advice for starting over.
D- It’s so hard, to establish a brand and then re-establish a brand. I moved very shortly before the pandemic hit- and it takes a specific amount of time to establish a brand. You said it takes 3 years, i’ve heard up to 5 years to actually have an established business. You go into it not knowing it. So it can be discouraging because you know the 3-5 years to build a business. You have some tools to help kickstart but it can be disheartening still. It takes work and motivation and it’s okay to be discouraged, Maybe you need to rest too.
S- Will you talk about your Niche and how you shifted and attract those clients?
D- From the get go of realizing i wanted to do photography- the idea of branding was always mentioned- even in my internship. At the mall - we took photos of patterns that were our style. I didn’t understanding branding but it was always mentioned, and it planted a seed of what’s unique about me to speak that. when you start out, you want any and all business to come your way- but it’s not sustainable. It’s years of experience to figure it out.
it’s a learning process- you have to be brave with it. You get inquiries and they say or want something that you learn to listen to yourself and have the courage to tell them no.
S- What’s some advice for those starting over or starting out?
D- For both, you need to research your market. Look at other photographer’s pages in the market that you’re doing your business in, that you like and admire and see where they’re shooting, their venues, etc. Considering reaching out to them and doing a piece on them/ blog post. it allows you into the venue, starts that relationship. It’s okay to look at other websites and see where they’re going and what they’re doing. this goes for all businesses in your community and market to start establishing
S-Absolutely, i still do that! i saw an event that popped up and that vendor i wanted to work with- so i reached out.
D- Don’t normally do free shoots but the benefit could be worth it. Consider your end goal. you do it by going out of your comfort zone. If you’re discouraged, it’s okay to take a break, see where you’re at, give yourself time and then go back at it.
S- What is your go to camera lens and equipment and then what people should start to invest in right away.
D- Canon D Mark4, with a 70-200 and a Mark 3 with a 24-70 or a 17-40 attached. In wedding photography i think it’s really important to have versatility as an option. You don’t have the luxury of switching out the prime lenses. I niched down in adventure elopements, and you’re not always in a big space for a prime lens, and things change quickly in weddings.
number 1 mistake is photographers think the camera body is the most important, and it’s actually the glass/lens that’s most important. invest in an entry level body and then invest in high quality lens. Invest in lenses in what’s going to be beneficial to what niche you’ll be in.
S- i agree with those two lenses- they should be in every photographer’s kit. But past that, the first is 50mm
So moving into how to build portfolio advice
D- Start reaching out to photographer’s and be a second shooter but go back to your why about this. The best way is to really start reaching out. Ask up front to make sure you can use them. Your time is valuable and you should be getting paid, but when you’re building portfolio, do that! Just be up front and put out your intentions.
And be up front with the clients too about setting expectations - if you’re just starting out. And setting that, it’s going make a better experience for both of you.
S- What’s something about photography business that ISN’T true?
D- That all we do is show up and take photos and why does it cost that much?
S- I get to give the talk about i teach the equipment everything it knows, it’s stupid without me.
D- It’s so much more than being behind it and clicking the button. You have to take into account your time to edit, overhead and cost, any subscription services and delivery of images, and businesses expenses. And all of that costs money- it’s okay to tell clients that.
S- So you touched on resources but what are some to help photograph’s launch or continue their business
D- F-Stoppers, and groups on facebook- they’re so invaluable. To have a community that’s established that’s going to be the biggest tool in your tool box. There’s a ton of local groups, wherever you’re at. Get in a photography group in business and marketing too. And Rising Tide Society, they have local Tuesday’s Together groups all over the world. Their mission is to bring community together.
S- How can we find YOU?
D- Amberlight Collective
Amerlight_Collective_photo
amberlightcollective.com
Photos provided By Danette Chappell The Amberlight Collective
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