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

Bruce, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Faith, time, effort, and connections. I’m big on faith, I know without it and without the help of God none of the things I’m able to do is possible. I put so much faith until building my brand and I’ve seen how it has worked out in my favor. Time and effort really go hand in hand, I used to just get up and create or shoot without actually putting the proper time and effort into what I was trying to illustrate through pictures. I used to be an athlete, so everyday you would hear the coaches tell us about putting in the work which demands time and effort from yourself. That’s what it took for me to start climbing the ladder in this field. Lastly connection and networking, I’ve always been told it’s not always what you know but who you know. That statement is very true, it’s not always about how much knowledge you have, being around the right people can shape and build your brand up in ways you can’t and there’s nothing wrong with having that circle of friends or colleagues you can gain that support from. It’s helped me in so many different ways and because of that it has blessed my brand.

Bruce, 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 was in college, I was broke, and I honestly needed money just to survive off the little resource help I was receiving. There was a friend of mine back in my hometown of Sherman, TX who was taking pictures at the time and he made it look cool, like his swagger and creativity was intriguing to me, so it made me wonder could I do it too. A friend of mine at the time bought me a camera as a gift, it wasn’t a dslr so the lens couldn’t be switched, my dad loaned me $200 to get equipment and to get the software to help me edit, it was history from there. I’m a creative portrait, sports, and wedding photographer. Discipline in this business can come in many forms like for instance dealing with difficult clients, being on time, problem solving, managing your time, and so forth. It can take a toll on you at times but once you’ve been in this field long enough you’ll learn how to handle all of it. I love my brand, I recently changed my name from 6’2 Shots Photography to Sincerely Yours Photography for one reason and that was because I was able to put a LLC to my new acquired name. I loved the 6’2 brand but I was never able to own it so while I’m making revenue I’m always having to pay it towards not being able to own it and flourish within the business side of things through the brand name. That’s why I could never do anything but shoot because the name couldn’t be bought but thankfully Sincerely Yours Photography is on a LLC. What sets me apart is my work ethic, I’m still learning the ins and out of business and just becoming a better shooter. You can tell I’ve grown as a photographer from the looks of my work, creativity, ideas, and how I handle business. I want to become more as an creative and business owner. I don’t want to see this as a money making machine but an opportunity to go heights that not many has gone, and I have the desire, work ethic, and discipline to make it there.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Recently I had went through something that almost cost more than my business unfortunately. I was accused of doing something that wasn’t true. Through that time I honestly lost a lot of support, people were discrediting me and my brand, also it took a toll on me mentally because of how much negativity I was receiving from something that wasn’t even true. I had to dig deep, that’s where my faith kicked in, that’s where my work ethic kicked in. I had to learn to understand when you’re at your highest in whatever field people will grab you or attempt to just to pull you down where they are. It doesn’t matter what your business ir profession is, they just don’t want to see you flourish. I pressed my way through the situation and I’ve gained more from support and revenue now than I was then and that’s all thanks to God! I stayed prayerful and I kept my faith in myself and the brand, I heard the noise but I zoned the negativity out and stayed resilient through it. Because if I only depended on me to make a way through it I wouldn’t have been successful to deal with it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Seeing the people happy. It’s not always about the money to me. It’s a about the experience. All I want is for people to love the pictures they get from me and when they do that’s more rewarding than the money.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: yourstruly.p_
• Facebook: Sincerely Yours Photography

Image Credits
Sincerely Yours Photography