We recently connected with Elliot Andre and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Elliot thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

There are many different ways to learn a specific art form, regardless if it’s photography, painting, etc. Fully immersing yourself into the art and surrounding yourself with individuals within the same scene, I feel, is the best way to develop skills and learn about where you fit in this space. I spent 2 years being an assistant to a photographer who happens to be one of my best friends. Being a shadow and picking his brain helped me out in the long run. I also dedicated countless hours watching photographers on Youtube. Youtube has the answers to mostly all questions and most importantly, IT’S FREE!

There were a few things that I learned later in my career that could have helped me out in the beginning. Not comparing myself to other photographers in the city is one. In the beginning, all I did was look and see what my peers were doing and what I could do to compete. Comparison is a path that leads you nowhere. Once I started to focus on myself, that is when I began to prosper in my field. I had to unfollow all the photographers on social media and stick to indulging myself in the art. Once I did this, I learned a lot and never looked back.

An essential skill that I learned was to have the client enjoy the process of a photoshoot. Most clients have not been a model or been in front of a professional camera. It’s new to them and just like photography was once new to me, I had someone make me comfortable and actually enjoy the art of photography. Taking time to engage with the client, talking with them and fully understanding their vision made the process smooth for both the client and I.

Being afraid of making mistakes was an obstacle that stood in my way of learning in the beginning. Once I began to understand that making mistakes was okay, I began to learn quicker than I ever did. Making mistakes is fine, however, you must learn from them and better yourself. In the beginning, I did free photoshoots for friends and family because I knew I would make mistakes. I’d much rather make the mistakes with people I knew so that I can learn and not make them with a client who was paying a lot of money for my services and professionalism. Definitely glad I did that looking back on it now.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I graduated from college in 2016 and did not know what I wanted to do with my life. Yes, I have a degree and I could get a typical 9 – 5. But in this day and age, most of the time a regular job wont cut it. I knew I had something to rely on but I did not have a skill, a hobby, something that I could use to express myself. One of my best friends is a photographer/videographer and I really owe everything to him. I moved back to San Antonio and all I did was hang out with him. He invited me one night to go with him on a gig he had booked. He asked if I wanted to help and I was bored and had nothing to do. I agreed and that is when it all started. Watching him work, watching him create a scene out of nothing, amazed me. His ability to tell a story with one single image blew my mind. Seeing him work with the client to encapsulate their vision in a single image was something I knew I wanted to do myself.

After that night, I asked to go with him to help anytime I could. I would learn about lenses, focal lengths, lighting, gear, poses for models and everything else that comes with photography. Those two years of being his assistant helped me out a lot. I don’t think I would be the photographer I am today without it. After saving up some money and along with him paying for half, I was able to purchase my first camera. At the time, I thought this was the best camera in the world. Looking back at it, that was not the case at all. It did not matter. It was my camera and I was going to create art with it. A lot easier said than done. That is when the real work started.

A few months later, after shooting some BTS for him and doing free photoshoots for friends and family, is when I got my first client. This gave me so much confidence! Someone was actually willing to pay me money to take photos of them. This is what I wanted and this is why I put in those hours of assisting my friend and doing free shoots. Looking back at it, I would have been pissed if I was that girl who hired me. Shoutout to her, but I still have those photos and they are TRASH! Out of focus, bad lighting, the list goes on. I came to a quick realization. I either quit and go get a 9 – 5 or keep pushing. I chose the latter.

In 2018, Elliot Andre Photography was started. I kept working and saved up for a new, better camera. This helped out, however, it’s the photographer that sets up the model, sets up the background, sets up the lighting and takes the photo; telling a story with a single image.

I specialize in portraits, weddings, professional/lifestyle, street and fashion photography. Working with a client to make their vision come to life is something I like to do. I am constantly striving to reach the goal of creating a story from a single image; a pause in time. I pride myself in professionalism and producing clean and sophisticated work. My work is unique due to this.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Social media. This has been key to promoting myself and growing my clientele. You will hear people say you need a website to be a legit business, so people can see your work. Although a website helps, why not use a platform that does just that, for free? Social media has pushed me in the right direction with clientele. They are able to see my work and contact me all in one place. I can constantly promote myself, the way I want to. On top of that, social media makes it very easy to push out paid ads. This is another tool I use to promote myself to new potential clients. Not only in San Antonio, but all around Texas and the rest of the country.

You can promote all you want but if you don’t have the work to prove it, nobody will book with you or buy your product. Fill your social media with content. You have to keep posting. The more content you have the more the client can see. They will be inclined to book with me due to the fact I have various types of shoots on my Instagram.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Word of mouth helped build my reputation. With a constant flow of content on social media and satisfied customers, I was able to grow my reputation and build my clientele. Give your client a reason to talk about your work, your professionalism, how you made them feel and the experience of working with you. I try my best to show my client they made the right choice by booking with me. Most importantly, they will come back next time they need a photographer.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ea.photo4