We were lucky to catch up with Molly Gram recently and have shared our conversation below.

Molly, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I don’t think I consciously “chose” photography, it has always been a passion of mine – the real challenge is in narrowing my passions down and committing to one niche. I’ve learned that one way to tell if your thing is your THING, is by paying attention to your energy levels before and after you do your thing. After working a full day in my corporate office job, I would feel tired and drained by the end of the day. But with photography, I started noticing that at the end of every photoshoot, I left with more energy than I started with. I feel like I’m buzzing by the end of a photoshoot, and the same goes for my editing process. My energy comes from how much I love what I’m doing – it’s contagious, and makes the whole experience so much fun. Not only for me, but my clients too. People leave my photoshoots feeling more confident about themselves than when they walked in. Every career will have periods of stagnation of course, but ultimately when I’m staying busy with photography, it makes me feel fulfilled in life and purpose-driven.

Molly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Molly Gram – I’m a photographer, amongst many other things, born and raised in Colorado. When I think about my journey to how I got where I am, I can’t help but think about how all of my different passions have combined themselves into the unique talents and perspectives that I have now. I went to school for cosmetology and am a licensed hairstylist, which obviously helps me out on set. I’ve acted in national commercials which gave me so much perspective into cinematics and lighting. I’ve also done a good amount of modeling for print advertisements, e-commerce, magazine cover shoots, fashion and runway, so I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the camera in so many different situations. I love doing headshots and test shoots for aspiring models, coaching them on getting started in their career, and helping them get published.

I’m lucky enough to have had my photography published in a few magazines, as well as published photos where I’m the model. It makes me feel like I’ve come so full circle with who I am as a person and what I love to do. It’s such a blessing to combine those things. That experience has also given me such a creative edge with all model and branding clients that I get to work with.

Ultimately what it comes down to is that I love people, I love making people feel amazing about themselves, and I love creating art. In some way or another, I’ll be doing that for the rest of my life.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I first made the decision to turn my hobby into a business, I started very slowly. The first step I ever took was a Facebook post saying that for anyone who wanted photos, I’d take them for free. Quite a few couples and families responded, and for an entire summer I let that be the way to build up my portfolio and my confidence as well. The next year, I charged a small amount for my photoshoots, and everyone who I had done sessions with the year before booked again and not only were they happy to pay the session fee, but also recommended me to their friends. The business grew so organically by recommendations. I took all of the money that I made from these shoots and invested it into upgrading my equipment.

I knew that I would’ve happily been taking photos for free because I love it so much, so I was perfectly content re-investing my profits into my business (purchasing cameras, lenses, editing software, education, gallery hosting site, and my website) and letting it grow very organically and slowly. There was no pressure for my camera to be making me money right away. Over time I slowly increased my prices to match my experience, to eventually become profitable.

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

I have recently built my own website focused on SEO, and I have had organic clients find me on instagram as well, but the funny thing is that most of my business still comes from the place where it first started – word of mouth. I think about when I’m making a purchasing decision, the first thing I usually do is ask my friends if they have any good recommendations. Hearing that someone you trust had a good experience is one of the very easiest ways to choose what’s worth spending money on. As of now, my biggest focus is making sure that I’m over-delivering a great experience for my clients so that it’s something worth talking about and mentioning to friends and family.

As a photographer, a few ways I add extra value are:

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mollygramphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mollygramphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollygramphoto

Image Credits
Regina Foster Photography, Kelly Pfeiffer, Alyssa at Altitude Photography and Molly Gram Photography