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

Erin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I manage my own social media and it is a major struggle and area of concern for my business. Photography should be right at home on Instagram, right? Well most of my time spent in my business is managing my business and turning out beautiful galleries for my clients. I send newsletters, create new sessions for booking, respond to client inquiries, scout locations, manage my studio equipment, props, and client closet, shoot sessions, and edit each and every image. This is where my focus is and over the last few years I’ve had the defiant attitude that “this is how it should be, instagram is a distraction.” I’ve noticed that very few people actually visit my website and new clients peruse your social media to see your recent work. My instagram page is not where I’d like it to be in comparison to my website. To fix that the solution is more than just uploading photos to instagram. The expectation for photographers on Instagram today, in my opinion, is outrageous. Behind the scenes reels, before and after editing, going live during sessions, and so much more. I work alone and I do not have an assistant at my disposal to help film while I work. Furthermore, the time I spend creating elaborate reels to entertain my followers on my page, the less time I’m spending growing my actual business. Do my entertaining reels create more business for me? As of yet, no. Do my newsletters and client contacts outside of social media grow my business? Absolutely. I am begrudgingly working to make my instagram page more of a reflection of who I am, what I offer, and what clients can experience when working with me, all the while keeping my grid looking cohesive and pleasing. This is a mountain of work. It sometimes feels like I’m diverting my energy to the wrong place, but when I’m out meeting new people and they ask “are you on instagram?” the answer needs to be a proud “yes” so they can see my work. It’s taking real planning. I have a calendar devoted to the planning and content. It’s a little bit of a side job adjacent to running my actual business, and I’ve learned to accept and make time for it.

Erin, 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 enjoyed a career as a High School History teacher straight out of college. I never had any intentions of pivoting away from education and even obtained a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. After teaching for 6 years I was given the opportunity to teach all my classes online, full time. With new flexibility working from home I found that I had more time to explore hobbies and passions.

I picked up my camera and started shooting everything I could. I started taking classes and workshops. During these years I’d describe my relationship with photography as a hobby without a focus. I loved capturing well composed images, exploring light, and learning about editing. A new focus emerged once I had a baby I discovered the joy of capturing little ones on camera. From there it spun out and like any entrepreneur you live, breath, and sleep your business. I had an insatiable desire to learn about lighting, studio photography, newborn posing, family portraits and composition.

I decided to start promoting myself and accepting clients shortly after our first son was born in 2016. We created a newborn photography studio out of a room in our home and I began meeting clients for outdoor family sessions all over town.

Connecting with kids is one of my most lucrative talents. As a former teacher I can command a room while also making everyone comfortable. During a photo shoot I can provide direction, create an atmosphere of lighthearted fun, and draw out personality so that the final images look and feel just like ‘you.” This is what I want potential clients to know prior to working with me. I have years and years of experience working with kids of all ages, personality types, demeanors, and temperaments and I can make anyone comfortable in front of the camera.

Most recently I’ve branched out in new directions. For years I used my studio for newborns and babies up to one year. I’ve spent a lot of time learning how to transform the space and now I am offering fine art maternity sessions. I have a client closet with fabrics for draping and tossing for that billowing glamour look in addition to gowns and bodysuits. It has been a worthwhile investment that’s also sent me back to the classroom to learn more about fine art portraiture and lighting. Exploring this new area has been incredibly satisfying and I am so thrilled to offer it to clients.

My session offerings now range from maternity, newborns, babies, children’s portraits, and families. My sessions are high energy and fun. At the end of a session my clients and I are always laughing and we leave feeling like we’ve formed a friendship. And I always see them again for a future session. These relationships are one of the many reasons I love my business.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When I meet you and/or your family for a photo session I see happy smiles, gorgeous faces, and so much love. It may not feel like that when you’re the subject in front of the camera. This is particularly true during family sessions when toddlers might be moving all around, noses are running, the baby is drooling, and we’re starting and stopping to make sure everyone is clean and ready. That said, one of the most rewarding aspects of photographing families, babies, and kids is always when the client sees their images and they finally get to see what I see. They see the love, personality, and special candid moments that make them “them”. This also rings true for maternity sessions. My subjects are not professional models they are real women trying to document this unique time in their life. When I drape you in fabric and toss it around and tell you to arch your back and point your toes it feels like a lot and my subject can’t see what I see. When they do, it’s magic for all of us.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth is still the best source of new clients. I keep my social media updated with all of my session offerings and send monthly newsletters. Clients often forward this information on to friends. I am a mom of two young boys and this also helps my business as I am always around other families, expecting mothers, and babies and kids. From chatting at a kid’s birthday party to chatting on a random afternoon at the park I can find a way to talk about my business and it always peaks interest. People then often ask to be added to my newsletter list. Being seen in the community is another way to spread word of mouth. For example, I have volunteered to take photos at events happening at my kid’s preschools. I was able to display my business cards, samples of my work, while also obtaining a huge list of emails. In the end it’s really quite simple: talk about your business and be seen.

Contact Info:

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