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

Fizzah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The story behind my mission is very personal and goes quite deep. Actually it has been a big part of my life, even before I began photography as a career. However, I didn’t piece it all together until a few months after I went full time with my portrait work.

My parents were born and raised in Kenya. In the 1980s there was an attempt to overthrow then President Moi. This failed uprising involved rioting and raiding of homes. Our home was one that was raided and eventually this event changed the course of our lives. We lost almost everything in the process and lived with relatives for the next year before my uncle in the United States sponsored us. We arrived as a family of 6 with two standard size suitcases to start a new life.

As I began working through my “why” when I drafted my first business plan and other branding elements, such as my about me page, I reflected deeply on what kept drawing me to photography throughout my life. It came down to two things. First is a profound desire to capture moments and preserve them. This applies to my own family as well as my clients. Of all the things we lost in the uprising, photographs were probably the only things that were irreplaceable. The second part of my way revolves around uplifting and empowering women. This means reminding them of their beauty and strength through a transformational portrait experience. It means helping women entrepreneurs, leaders, executives create a personal brand that is simultaneously confident, strong and beautiful. Helping them to break old masculine stereotypes around leadership and success and instead create authentic headshots and branding that inspires other women.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I started my first full time job as an inner city middle school teacher, my first “big” purchase was a prosumer dslr camera. I had wanted to learn photography and own a camera for so long but had never had the means or the opportunity. I was so excited that I literally photographed everything – rocks, trees, friends, skies – all of it on auto of course. I realized I loved it and wanted to learn how to work my camera off of auto. I began taking classes and would spend hours practicing, reading, watching tutorials. I have always had tons of business ideas and this one took root in my heart and never left. I dabbled in wedding photography on the side while maintaining my teaching job. However, once I fully transitioned to full time photography work, I realized I wanted to focus on portraits. I love working closely with my clients to create custom sessions. And I knew eventually I’d start a family and didn’t want to give up weekend.

What sets me apart is that I do not just provide photos. I provide an entire guided experience that starts with my clients vision. We plan the session together and I help them through every step of the way including wardrobe selection and set planning. I offer hair and makeup for every session because I feel strongly that it is part of the magic in easing my client’s pre-shoot nerves AND it sets the stage for beautiful portraits. I also guide my clients through their image selection and serve as a trusted advisor. This process helps take the homework off my client’s plate and also reduces the overwhelm. With nearly every session, my clients express that these are the best photos they’ve ever had of themselves and that the whole experience was easy and fun.

I am most proud of creating a sustainable business. In particular, I relocated to Nashville right before covid pandemic. I launched in January of 2022 in a city where I had no friends or network. We all know how 2020 went and I was shut down for most of the year. I took that time to work on my systems, network, build relationships, etc. As a business that is still new to Nashville, I have done considerably well and have been making my mark here. I also love that in the process, I have made many new connections and friends, including my clients.

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

What has really helped build my reputation in my market is my ability to connect deeply with my clients. On a personal level, I am someone who loves to dive deep into conversations. Throughout my life, I have found that it was easy for me to connect with others and really develop deeper friendships. With my clients, we often talk about things related to self work, body image, balancing motherhood, work and caring for aging parents. We discuss having to work in male dominated fields and the challenges we face as we try to move forward in our industries.

Having portraits created can feel vulnerable and for many people it is a stressful feeling because it brings up lots of emotions and thoughts around how they look. I work through that with my clients and we approach it honestly and with compassion. The goal of the session is to help my clients see themselves in a new light.

Another thing that I am known for is that I set clear expectations and am transparent through the process. The only surprises my clients and I enjoy are bonuses and gifts. I like to surprise and delight them at various stages.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Hands down, the most effective strategy for growing your clientele is networking. Authentic, relationship building in your community is the absolute best way to grow and support your business. If you’re an introvert or feel awkward about networking, check out the book The Introvert’s Guide to Networking. I am more of an ambivert as I cycle through extrovert and introvert. Even as someone who can literally talk to anyone, networking can feel daunting and intimidating. But it is absolutely worth it and if you keep up with it, you won’t be walking into rooms full of strangers. You’ll be walking into rooms full of friends that are happy to see you and find ways to help grow your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fizzahraza.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fizzahrazaphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fizzahrazaphoto/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fizzah-raza/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCieuZiWJQi_8G9peB1je8RQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fizzah-raza-photography-nashville-2
• Other: Tiktok: fizzahrazaphotography