Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Esposito. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?
It’s so important that my clients know they are appreciated. There are so many talented, hard-working photographers out there and yet they chose me, trusted me, to capture their family’s most precious memories. I try to show my appreciation from the outset, by being available to assist with the logistics of their session, with deciding what to wear. By taking the time to learn about them through a real-life over-the-phone conversation, which sets the stage for a certain level of trust and comfort between us. During the session I’ll spend time getting to know their family, playing with their kids, reassuring them along the way. And afterwards I’ll send both a thank you email and an old-fashioned card with a printed photo from their session. Finally, once a year, around the holidays, I’ll send a little “thinking of you” gift, which lets them know they’re appreciated while also keeping me top of mind.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been a family photographer for seven years, but I’ve been into photography and art for as long as I can remember. In sixth grade I took a film photography class, where we learned to develop our film and print our images in a darkroom. I found the whole process so fascinating and magical. I started to get serious about photographing people in 2011, but as a hobby, not turning it into a business until 2016.
I initially feared family photography, thinking that I had to “pose” people or get kids to “behave.” It wasn’t until I began approaching family photography through a documentary lens that things really clicked for me. This coincided with me starting my own family, and realizing that my favorite photographs of my children were ones that captured their personality in places that held sentimental value (at home, on vacation, our favorite hike, etc). I now take this approach with my client families, getting to know what makes them unique, where their favorite places are, what they most want to remember about their children during this season of life. What they want to bottle up for their children to relive in the future. Getting to document that, plus the love and connection between family members, is my greatest honor.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Like so many people, I had to pivot in 2020 during the pandemic. I was working as a hairstylist in addition to running my business. My business had always taken a backseat to what I considered to be my “real job” at the salon. But in 2020 I lost my childcare, and at the same time my photography business boomed. I knew I wanted to remain present and available to my children, and I couldn’t do it all, so something had to give. I ended up leaving the salon to go all-in with my business, which is something I’d wanted to do for a few years, but was too afraid to truly go for it. What if I failed? What if I was lonely working solo? What if I hated running a business? Fortunately, it ended up being the right choice for me. I needed to commit that time and energy to my business in order to get really clear about what I wanted to offer people, and how I wanted to show up in the world.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
There are two key ways I’ve found new clients: referrals and special events. I give my clients incentive to spread the word about me, and they’re happy to help! I also offer a membership to my most loyal clients, which includes a beautiful coffee table album of images from their session, making it easy to share my work with anyone who enters their home. I’ve found that inquiries from referrals are more likely to book a session with me than random people who find me on Google.
I also host special events like mini-sessions 2-3 times per year. This is a great way for people to work with me without investing as much time and money as they would for a full session. I’ve had many mini-session clients go on to book full sessions with me, and they’re always excited to share their photos on social media, Christmas cards, etc, so it’s another great way to get referrals. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heartsungphotography.com/
- Instagram: @heartsungphotography
Image Credits
Daisy Zimmer, all images