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

Alright, Chad thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

My friends and family have helped support my business in so many different way. From simple acts like sharing my work on social media, to referring me to clients and hiring me for different shoots.

I set up many different shoots with friends as I was learning my craft, which helped me become a much better photographer. Countless friends have helped me by filling in for shoots when a subject was needed – specifically for commercial photoshoots. All my family and friends played a huge role in helping me to become the photographer I am today. Your relationships are the most important aspect of your life, so your friends and family are usually happy to help. They want you to succeed and it is a great experience having them be part of you business’s/craft’s success.

Chad, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started photography about four years ago and full-time just under two years ago. I studied biology for undergrad and then immediately started working for a large hospital in Charleston after graduation. I worked there for five years, where I slowly realized over the time that I was not cut out for the medical field. It is an extremely tough field and I believe takes a special will power to be a part of. While I have a huge amount of respect for everyone working in the medical field, I knew it wasn’t for me and felt stuck.

One day I helped a friend with a photoshoot for their portfolio and became interested in photography right away. I took a while longer before I actually bought a camera and continued helping other friends with their portfolio to learn about photography. Eventually I got my own camera, but had no intentions of making it a business. Over time people asked if I charged for shoots. After that I spent a couple more years at the hospital while building the foundation of my business.

I always enjoyed doing shoots with people, so naturally I fell into shooting a lot of portraits. This led me to the commercial side of photography – where I typically do headshots, branding for businesses, editorial, products and fashion shoots. I love helping businesses build a visual brand, which is more important than ever, as everything about your business is online today. You get to interact with all kinds of different and interesting individuals, as well as learn more about their industry/business. Building this brand with a client allows them to see themselves and their business in a new, more professional, light. This is extremely rewarding and a great experience to see their business expand with new marketing material. Even something as simple as a headshot for someone that wants to bolster their professional presence is a rewarding project to help with.

My craft and always working to become better is very important to me. I believe that to be true for anyone that is fortunate enough to do their passion as their job. But more importantly than that, and what I believe sets me apart, is my personality. I love working with people on projects, coming up with new creative ideas and finding a way to best portray my client’s vision.
Being personable is key to a lot of what I do. In order to break down barriers, get past insecurities and allow a person to become comfortable around you is crucial for a successful photoshoot. The more comfortable and invested both parties are, the better the shoot will be. This is why I always stress the importance of hiring a photographer that you feel comfortable with. Regardless of what the shoot is for – you always want to enjoy your time on set for the best results!

I am most proud of taking a chance on myself. I always envied people that knew what they were meant to do, but never thought I would be fortunate enough to find something for myself. I especially never thought I would be able to make that passion into a business. I always avoided businesses courses and the idea of having that responsibility. It has made me extremely proud to believe in myself enough to get here. I take that belief and passion into every shoot, so I want any potential clients to know that they will have full energy and attention to help make their vision come to life.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Art, Money, Success by Maria Brophy significantly impacted my entrepreneurial thinking early on. I read that book as a recommendation and it helped in many different ways. That book specifically discussed running a business based around art, which helped me to build a stronger foundation in the beginning. Running a business is difficult, but finding a way to allow your passion to run as a business is a completely different battle. This book was an awesome introduction into how I can balance the two moving forward.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

I just recently opened my own studio up, which has served as a workspace for myself and a place for others to rent out. I have rented the space out to other photographers, videographers, musicians, artists and many others. That has allowed for a new avenue of income, while also providing me a blank canvas to work in. It took about 5 months of renovations to get the space ready, but has quickly become one of my favorite endeavors in the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chadsavagephoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withsavage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withsavage
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-savage/

Image Credits
Chad Savage Photo – Chad Savage