Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Viara Mileva. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi VIARA, thanks for joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
Okay, my first client wasn’t even a wedding client. It was way before I even considered I could do photography as a career. I was teaching psychology as an adjunct professor, and wondering what on Earth I’d do with my life if my professor gig didn’t pan out long term.
Around that time, I had an old friend message me that she was having a baby, and could I please photograph her baby being born at the hospital?
Oh, and she was willing to pay me.
Wow…
This was the first time I really considered that I might have something here.
This friend had seen the personal photographs I’d taken of my own kids, and loved my style, so she trusted me enough to task me with photographing one of the most important events in their life – the birth of their first child.
And, knowing almost nothing about the inherent challenges of birth photography, I readily agreed.
I didn’t know what to charge, though, so I left it up to her. And when she suggested $700, my jaw dropped. This could definitely be something!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I never wanted to be a wedding photographer.
I thought weddings were too… grandiose… put upon…
Too much.
But quirky love stories won me over.
I realized that I could serve a niche that fit me perfectly.
Folks who weren’t grandiose, who were just ordinary, kind, honest, quirky or queer people, who just wanted to celebrate their love story.
This is how my brand, Quirky Love Photography, was born.
I offer boutique wedding photography services for people who want to be seen and heard, who want to feel safe, who want their guests and loved ones to feel safe too. Folks who aren’t super comfortable in front of the camera. Folks who aren’t 100% excited to be posed, and yet who want epic and wonderful and real photographs of themselves at their wedding.
It really works out well :)
I’m a nerd at heart, and most of my clients are nerdy, too. It’s the best!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In my first years of being a wedding photographer, I used to deliver client photographs in a digital gallery, via email.
I’d work tirelessly on their edits, then upload them to their gallery, and shoot off a quick email, like “here you go! hope you like them!”…
… and then I’d wait….
If I was lucky, I’d get a reply from my clients, saying “OMG, these are amazing!”
But sometimes, folks got busy with life, and the email didn’t come. Or came days or weeks after I’d sent the gallery.
And most of all, I realized, I wasn’t sharing in their experience. I wasn’t helping anyone navigate through their gallery, nor through the printing choices.
I wasn’t helping folks ENJOY their wedding stories to the max.
This realization didn’t come to me out of the blue.
It came to me during a Zoom group session with my photography coach, who very directly called me out in front of the whole group. She said, “if you don’t want to spend the extra ten hours it would take with each client to give them a full experience and maximize their enjoyment of their photos, AND make more money in the process, then that’s on you”.
My cheeks went deep red.
She was telling me I wasn’t making my clients as happy as I possibly could have been?
I had been really and truly called out.
About 24 hours later, I purchased a projector and a projector screen, album samples, and album-making software, and from that day on, I never ever sent a photo gallery in an email without first showing my clients their photos in a slideshow with music, taking them through their choices, and pre-designing a wedding album for them, from which we could work on a final design they loved.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Just good and honest work.
I try and put my heart into every wedding I photograph. I truly get to know my clients’ wishes, and I respect whatever is important to them.
I am the best version of myself with them and with their guests, because I want everyone to truly be present for the wedding day, without feeling threatened by my camera. It’s hard work being photographed, and if I can make it a fraction easier, then this is what I must do.
Over the years, that kind of boots on the ground work has been instrumental to getting me more like-minded clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.quirkylovephotography.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/quirkylovephotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viara-mileva-phd-9707a33/
Image Credits
My profile image, credit Liz Cooper Photography
All other images are taken by me.