We recently connected with Ellen Stark and have shared our conversation below.

Ellen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My hero is my grandmother, Betty. In every aspect of life, my grandma showed the greatest devotion. She was beyond devoted to loving and helping others in every way possible. Whether it be friends, family, or strangers. She poured out her love to so many that she became “Grandma Betty” to more than just family. She was a devoted nurse, school secretary, and volunteer. She helped so many in Peru and Vietnam on medical mission trips. She helped others and spread joy as a clown in nursing homes and hospitals. She volunteered at schools, her church, and so many other avenues. She was always looking for ways to help and serve others all while making genuine connections. She was devoted to adding joy to anyone’s day with her contagious smile, her silliness, her wisdom, and her warm heart. She was the definition of a “servant’s heart” and always served with joy.

As I witnessed countless times how her joyful serving powerfully impacted the lives of others, it made an impact on me. Just as Grandma Betty made genuine connections with everyone she met and joyfully sought ways to serve others, I hope to do the same in my life. And I most certainly wish to carry that into my business as a photographer. On my website, it says “Serving and connecting with genuine hearts.” That is definitely inspired by Grandma Betty’s life. As a photographer, I hope to serve my clients well and genuinely connect with them to add joy to their day.

Ellen, 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 am a portrait photographer for seniors, families, and couples serving in Mankato, MN and the surrounding southern Minnesota area. I love that photography gives me the opportunity to serve others. My goal is always to serve and love my clients well in the ways they need and to the best of my ability. As a result, I’ve implemented a few things in my business for the sole purpose of serving and helping the client.

When a client chooses to work with me, I aim to make the whole process a memorable experience.To serve them well, all of my clients receive a Client Experience Guide before their session. I created the guide for all of my clients in order to provide the best possible experience. I’m all about planning ahead so we can simply focus on having fun and making memories during our session together! This guide includes all they need to prep for their session. It shares more information on what they can expect before, during, and after our session together. It also includes styling tips to assist with picking the perfect outfits for photos. For my family clients, their guide also has tips and tricks to set their kiddos up for success and to make the most of their experience as a family.

I also use a questionnaire with all of my clients so I can personalize their session. Plus it allows me to learn more about them. I love making genuine connections with my clients!

Overall, my main goal is to simply serve my clients well. Of course, I have the goal of providing beautiful photos for my clients to cherish for years and years, but what I hope for most is that my clients have a memorable, enjoyable experience that serves them in the way they need.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think my overall experience and my desire to genuinely serve others has created my reputation within the photography market. While my clients express their happiness about the photos they receive, the reviews they share typically focus more on the experience such as how I helped them in the planning process or how I made them feel comfortable at their session. Beautiful photos are most certainly important and a driving factor for reputation, but ultimately the way the photographer serves and loves their client will be the factor that sets their experience apart.

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

Serving and loving my clients is definitely the most rewarding aspect of being a photographer. It brings me joy to help my clients. I am often in awe when I think about how people give me the honor to freeze their memories for them. People invite me into their lives to capture images of their loved ones or their special life moments. It is so rewarding to be able to provide these frozen memories so they can cherish them now, 10 years down the road, or to pass them on to future generations to share their story.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ellenstarkphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellenstarkphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellenstarkphotography

Image Credits
All photos taken by me (Ellen Stark of Ellen Stark Photography)