We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tausha Dickinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tausha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I was starting my photography business over, I would focus more on learning how to run a profitable business and on the client experience instead of investing so much money, time and energy into becoming a “BETTER” photographer. The honest truth is talent is definietly important, but it’s more important to create a great experience for your clients and to do so with the knowledge of your CODB (cost of doing business).

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always loved photography! I am 100% going to date myself, but when I was a teenager, we had only film and I was constantly taking photos, so much so the one-hour film people knew me by name. The truth is back then I had no idea how to shoot professionally, I just shot on auto and managed to get some pretty decent images. Once I moved to Nashville in 2007 I was doing all kinds of odd jobs. At one point I was working at a restauraunt, a bagel shop and a cosmetics store all at the same time. I decided to get back into banking, which allowed me to have weekends free. I took one 4-hour workshop from Nashville fellow photographer, Justin Wright, and learned to shoot in Manual and shortly after that I started doing free shoots for friends and after I got comfortable with that, I decided I’d start my own photography business.

I started with wedding and family photography. There are some pretty embarrassing photos from the early days, but we all have those. If you want to be challenged as a photographer… shoot weddings and families. It was a whole lot of trial and error! There are so many variables and it will make you quicker on your toes, that’s for sure!

Over time, I started picking up commercial work doing headshots, product, food and fashion photography. My passion for truly capturing the essence of the people I photographed grew and I started a second brand of my photography, which was my name, Tausha Dickinson. This brand only showcased commercial and creative portraits and advertising type photo shoots. For a few years I managed both brands, but eventually had so much headshot/branding and commercial work that I shut down my original brand completely.

MANY people truly do not like being photographed. They feel uncomfortable or if they do feel comfortable they don’t want their images to come across as FAKE or POSED. They want someone who will truly capture who they are. Or if it is a brand they want their message conveyed in a way that aligns with their mission. This is the problem I solve for people… I am part photographer/part therapist and my superpower is making people feel comfortable and capturing them in a way they may have never been captured before.

I am most proud when my clients look at the computer screen after a shot and say something like “what… that is me” or “Oh my, I love that photo… I’ve never loved a photo of myself”

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My ultimate goal is to be shooting larger advertising campaigns and celebrity shoots, so that way I can spend the majority of my downtime giving back to my community and the charities I serve.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is seeing people light up about photos of themselves. That may sound weird, but I really do photograph many people who do not like the way they look currently or have never had a photo they love… or their have been times while working with various charities that the photo I took of them is their first professional photo ever. The most rewarding part is seeing people view themselves the way that I view them, which is beautiful the way they are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taushadickinson.com
• Instagram: @taushadickinson
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaushaDickinson
• Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/taushadickinson/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaushaDickinson

Image Credits
Photos by Tausha Dickinson