We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Ranes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.

Hi Courtney, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

First I just want to start off by saying I absolutely LOVE being a photographer! It was my dream ever since I was 13 years old and I am so very grateful I get to do something I love and make a living doing it. But there are definitely hard times like I’m sure there is with any job. One time in particular I got kind of frustrated with not having a typical 9-5 job was definitely when Covid first happened and the lockdown started. Everyone with a regular 9-5 could get unemployment benefits where as us small business owners, its almost impossible to be qualified for that because the government still doesn’t see it as an “actual” job because its hard to prove you run a successful business when there isn’t a paystub to show even if you are legal and registered with your state. Thankfully I was still living at home at the time and I was able to get a retail job a few months after lockdown started but it was still very frustrating and annoying that everything is harder for someone like me who owns and runs their business by themselves.

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

I got started in photography officially as a profitable business back in 2017 so I have been in the “game” for 9 years now but I really fell in love with photography when my parents gave me my very own camera for my 13th birthday. Anytime I had a free moment and a friend to hang out with we would always go to a park do photoshoots. Were they amazing? No probably not lol but it was so much fun and made me really fall in love with wanting to photograph different moments in peoples lives. I am a wedding photographer who also offers lifestyle sessions such as families, grads, etc. But weddings are truly where my heart is. There is just something so special about a couple choosing you to capture one of the most important days of their lives. Whether it’s a huge wedding at a beautiful venue or a small intimate ceremony at your local courthouse or even an elopement at your favorite park, I am always absolutely honored to capture it. I love getting to capture my couples and their love as I see it because every love story is different. Some love is shy and tend to enjoy the more candid or reserved posing where as some couples are expressive and want to show off their love in a fun or charismatic way and I am there to capture any and all love that hires me to do so. That’s why I offer a complimentary engagement session in all of my wedding packages, I love getting to meet all of my couples before their wedding day so they can not only get comfortable in front of my camera but so I can also see what kind of couple they are together and how I can best capture them through my eyes.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Definitely having a community around you. I’m not just talking about having supportive friends and family because while that is important, they can’t always understand what running your own creative business is like. I am a part of multiple Facebook groups and also an instagram group chat that is specifically for people like me. Two of my best friends are also photographers and to be honest having other photographers in your corner is huge and can definitely change the game for you and 100% make running a business like mine feel less lonely. I will always be community over competition and will gladly help any other photographers the best I can! I even offer mentor sessions for beginners and it’s honestly one of my favorite sessions to work!!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Word of mouth 100%!! You can have thousands of followers on social media which is great and can definitely get you leads and bookings but I have found that most of my clientele is from either past clients I have worked with or even just your fiends and family sharing a post on socials or giving a colleague your business card. It all comes back to community for me and that’s why I think its really important to share on social media and also give out business cards to other small business to display. Social media can definitely be tricky sometimes and is a learning curve for some people but I think if you just keep at it and keep posting and get your friends, family and past clients to also share, leave reviews and recommend you to others, it will really make your business grow and become the success you want it to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://photographybycourt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosby.courtney
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AXPJf3exZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits

All images photographed and edited by me, Photography By Courtney.