We were lucky to catch up with Claire Thom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire , thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?

If I could go back in time I would have started my business much sooner. Photography and business are two things that I have always had an interest in. And if I had just had more faith in myself I could have had a fulfilling business for much longer.

Before I had my photography business I had a kids clothing company in Scotland. Which I did enjoy, however, photography is where my passion has always been.

When we moved to Houston I took the leap and started my business. I hadn’t taken the leap in the past because of imposter syndrome. Which I feel that so many people suffer from. But you never know if you don’t try. And now I have started their is nothing holding me back.

I hope that other people that have a business idea or passion move forward with it.

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

I am a Scottish Mum who moved to Houston almost 5 years ago. I have always been the designated photographer from when we all carried cameras around with us. My Grandad was into photography and he gave me my first camera. Once my daughter was born (2010) I bought my first dslr and did loads of photography workshops and courses. I was hooked! I am still learning, I love a course or workshop.

I love capturing families in all their stages, from newborn up to seniors. I especially love seeing the same families year after year and experiencing how their children are growing and family changing. It happens so fast it is wonderful to be able to document it.

My artwork captures families interacting and the love between them. I do capture everyone looking at the camera, but those are not usually my favourite photos in a gallery, I love the photos full of joy, laughter and love.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think that my reputation has been built on customer service. I love my clients and I feel that my customer service shows this. I keep them up-to-date with my process along the way, provide support in any decisions and ensure that they know that their satisfaction is my top priority.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have a love hate relationship with social media. I love so many parts of it but I always struggled with the posting everyday and the changing algorithm. However, once I found later the app it has made my social media so much easier to mange. It allows me to plan and automatically post on a daily basis. I would encourage anyone starting out to do this, it allows you to be more consistent in posting without having the figure out what to post each day. You can spend a couple of hours on a Monday planning your week and then you can concentrate on other parts of your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clairethomphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/clairethomphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/clairethomphotography