We recently connected with Ansley Pacetti and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ansley, thanks for joining us today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

Over the last several years I would leave shoots and feel like I was overflowing with gratitude for my clients. I always experienced the biggest serotonin boost after shooting and I have distinct memories driving home feeling abundantly thankful for the joy these people brought me and for the joy my career has allowed me to have. I realized after one night driving home that I needed to do something to show my appreciation to the people who make my dream a reality everyday. My love language is gift giving and so naturally my mind began to trail off thinking the different items I would want to include as gifts. After much consideration and brainstorming I decided I would put together gift boxes and include things from my favorite small businesses. My largest client group is graduating seniors so I tried to include things like coupons to my favorite florist, customizable cookies and other things they could use around graduation season. It is really important to me to not only make my clients feel good about themselves during the shoot but to leave them with a lasting impression that they are uniquely beautiful and intentionally designed individuals. My favorite item I included in the gift boxes was a hand pressed keychain from a friend’s company called Of Great Value. The keychain is stamped with the phrase “You are of great value”. This simple phrase perfectly captures what I wish to emphasize to every client I meet–that they in their own way are essential being and called to be themselves. I hope that every client that leaves after working with me feels as though they are good enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, simply enough just as they are.

Ansley, 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 doing photography as a hobby when I was around 11 years old. The moment a camera came into my hands I was addicted. I took my first paid commissioned shoot at age 13 and it has been a whirlwind ever since. Photography has led me all over the world and country. I have been blessed enough to have been able to quit my other jobs and take on my photography business full time at age 19. My background in photography includes anything from portraits to underwater/surf, documentary, dance and special events photos. I have worked for companies like Artist Simply Human, The Surf Station, HydrateSpark and more as well as traveling with Haiti Child Sponsorship to capture the stories of poverty stricken individuals in Haiti. The thing that drew me to photography I think was the people I was getting to photograph. I was getting to tell their story while developing relationships with them. Some clients I have had for years and have been given the gift to be able to photograph multiple milestones throughout their lives. People are definitely my purpose over anything and I think that is what has set me aside from some of the other people in my industry. Over everything I prioritize creating genuine relationships with the people I get to meet through work and doing my best to get to know them. I think that by doing this I get a much better understanding of how to capture them in really true and authentic moments.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Personally I find the most rewarding moments to be the conversations I have with my clients after working with them. My favorite thing to hear is a client tell me that they had fun. Ironically enough I get high levels of anxiety when having my photo taken so hearing that I could create a not only stress free environment but also a fun one is so rewarding. I thrive off of hyping my clients up and getting them excited to be in front of the camera. Taking photos that make people see their beauty beyond the surface is probably the most rewarding job in the world. On the same note knowing my work can make a difference in the world is greatly rewarding as well. During my time in Haiti my goal was to capture the faces of the people that organizations would be funding for. I was providing a way for potential donors to put a face to the name of the person they were helping. In a sense it felt like I was wrapping up their story in a way that could be delivered so that people could more deeply identify with those in need. Photos are so powerful in provoking emotion and reminding us of the common trait of humanity that we all share.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I honestly wish I would have invested in workshops earlier in my career. There are so many wonderful resources for photographers and small business owners to get hands on experience in their field. I feel like workshops provide not only educational opportunities but also the chance to build communities. I think art is often so unnecessarily competitive when we really should all be supporting and pushing each other as artists. I wish I would have taken the time and become part of different communities through workshops while also enhancing my business knowledge.

Contact Info:

• Website: ansleypacettiphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ansleypacettiphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ansleypacettiphotography/

Image Credits
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