We recently connected with Ted Tanis and have shared our conversation below.

Ted, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

My idea for becoming a photographer all started at my church. My friends and family would always love when I take their pictures and I really liked the joy that it brought them when I took their pictures. It felt so rewarding seeing the smiles on their faces each Sunday. So one day I was thinking how I could use that skill to open a business that would help me capture memories for others and put a smile on their faces. I knew that this would be a successful business because I noticed that there were so many occasions that would require a photographer such as weddings, graduations, events, and birthdays etc.
After sitting on the thought for a while I started to feel a discouraged about starting a business because I felt like I was copying my peers. The thought of failure began to cripple me so I just continued taking pictures on my phone for my friends.
One day I was talking to a friend about starting the business and they asked me, “how many toothpaste brands are there”, and I answered “many of course”. With that thought he told me to not worry about other photographers or whether i’m copying others but to start the business and find something that sets it apart from others.
Feeling motivated I decided to launch Royal Focus.
The name comes from me being Royalty and the word focus in terms of photography.
I think a great business idea comes from your passion and what brings you joy! So find what your passionate about and create a business around it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Ted Tanis. I am a photographer based in Orlando, Florida. My business is called Royal Focus and I strive to bring a client’s vision to life through my lens, I started out just casually taking pictures for my friends with my phone then later on learned how to take professional pictures with a camera and edit images. I learned how to take pictures through watching youtube videos and applying it by practicing. I want to make regular people feel like super models when they come behind my camera. I strive to provide the best customer service and make my clients feel as comfortable as ever during the photoshoot. I think it’s more than just capturing images but in order to have a successful photoshoot you must make a connection with the person. So I communicate fast and with my bright personality I bring joy to every photoshoot. I go above and beyond to bring your vision to life such as helping to find the perfect location, giving outfit recommendations and as well as providing some props that may be needed. The joy that my clients have after the photoshoot fuels me to keep going above and beyond to provide the best experience possible.
I love to shoot portraits, engagements, weddings, birthdays, and graduations.

I am most proud of how fast I learned the craft because I did not take any classes but just bought a camera and decided to practice, I am proud of where I am going because of how I started. My brand is entirely for the clients. The focus is on them because they are royalty; so I make them feel as such. So whether you need an event photographer, a photographer for your birthday photoshoot, a wedding photographer or even want to capture your graduation achievement, I am the right one for the job!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I bought my first camera I went on vacation to California and brought it with me to take pictures. Amidst the journey me and my friends got held at gunpoint and I was robbed of my camera along with my SD cards. My camera was not only stolen but I lost all the memories that we took on that trip. I felt very discouraged because the camera was expensive and I was not sure how I would purchase another one because there was no insurance on it. I was traumatized and was out of work for several months. I had to decline some clientele and I was not sure if I was going to risk another investment. It was not until my sister saw how sad I was without the camera and offered to help me purchase another one. I started to save up and she was able to give me most of the money to buy another camera. I felt so loved and was so grateful to have such a supporting sister. I tell this story to say that its hard to make it all alone as an entrepreneur. Sometimes you are going to have moments where you want to give up and if you don’t have the strength to encourage yourself it is always great to hear some kind words from your friends and family. A strong support system is important but you have to also be resilient to get back up and chase your passion. There could be months where you get 0 clients and months where you get several! No matter the month the love for your craft should never die. There’s a famous quote that says “a minor setback for a major comeback”. I looked at the robbery as a minor set back just to bounce back stronger than ever,

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I funded my business through my current job. Some entrepreneurs believe they have to quit their day time job in order to start their business. In reality, unless you have a grant or a lot of capital it is definitely difficult to start a business on your own. I believe you use your 9-5 to fund your business. While you are working you can slowly purchase equipment as your business continues to grow. When it comes to photography it can be easy to get discouraged as there are so many options for gear and they are really expensive as well. I encourage everyone to not get caught up in buying gear or equipment but to focus on learning your camera first. In that way you can really see what equipment is essential. Continue to work your job until you get really consistent clientele from your business. Set a goal for how much money you need to save in order to buy the essential gear you need and when you get each paycheck you set an amount aside. As you begin to get clients you can even reinvest the profits that you made to help you get more clients and elevate your images.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://royalfocus64.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalfocus_/