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

Alright, Alaina Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

This is such a great question. It’s actually part of the reason why I now mentor other photographers!

I went to a well known art school in Vancouver that has some prestige attached to it. As great as it was to have the opportunity to be in a sought-after program, it only focused on the conceptual side of art-making. It wasn’t until I’d finished my 4 year bachelor program that reality struck me upside the head. I had a fancy degree under my belt – but I didn’t have any real clients or art galleries begging to buy my work. I had to figure out the logistics of making it as a not-so-starving-artist on my own.

If I were to do it all over, I would’ve found a mentor in the creative portrait field and taken a basic business course. It was the business side of things that I needed the most help with. Finding the right CRM system, website builder, book keeping program and other resources to organize my finances was what created the backbone of my business. Having those in order (after years of trial and error) has allowed me to focus on the fun creative side of things.

I’m really passionate about talking about pricing and how to quote. It’s something I noticed not many liked to openly speak about in the photography industry. I understand the difficulty many creatives face when it comes to monetizing their craft. Your vision, experience, type of service you want to offer and the type of clientele you are looking to serve all play a role in this. Although many in the creative field think of it as taboo to share pricing info, the reality of the situation is when there is transparency and we level the playing field by not under-cutting each other, it lifts the industry as a whole and everyone benefits.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When I was little, if my parents told me TV time was over, I thought to myself – who cares about TV when I can paint or draw. I was always drawn to the arts and felt it was how I best expressed myself. In high-school there was an analogue photography class offered, and truth be told, it was known for being one of those classes you could half-ass your way through without much effort. Sign me up I thought!

I remember the first roll of film I developed that actually turned out (after many failed attempts). The negatives were hung up to dry in a cupboard where dust wouldn’t settle on them. I was so excited to look at the negatives that I kept leaving my other classes that day to go take a peak. From there I started working in the darkroom. I would submerge my exposed blank piece of paper into a water bath of chemicals, and my image would appear. I was enthralled with this – it was the closest thing to magic I’d ever experienced. I never looked back from there.

I work as a Creative Portrait Specialist with both brands and individuals. When it comes to brand work, I create imagery that reflects the brand’s values with an editorial flair that evokes emotion. My client’s often come to me with sentiments of how they want their business or client experience to feel, and through a consultation I build on how to bring the vision to life. So much of a shoot happens before I pick up my camera. As someone who is interested in beauty, health, wellness and personal development, most of my brand clients fall within these categories.

For individuals, I document extremely intimate milestones in their lives. Some examples are overcoming or dealing with illness, becoming a mother, love stories, periods of extreme joy or loss, or entering a new phase of life. Due to the tender nature of these sessions, providing a safe space to allow people to be vulnerable is something crucial in my line of work. The power of photography is the ability to highlight something – to give it time and space to breathe – so the viewer can experience it in a different way. More than any technical camera ability, my job is to be aware. This is a constant exercise in presence – to notice the in-between moments and subtleties that make up the human experience and to express it as art. It’s an honour to follow people through life and have my images be a cherished part of people’s lived history.

Photography hasn’t only provided me with a career, but with the ability to become connected to people in a way that truly fills me up.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth has been incredibly valuable for me in gaining new clients. I’ve actually never spent any money on paid ads. Posting regularly on Instagram has also helped new clients find me. By posting material that truly makes me excited, I attract clients that want to hire me purely based on the work and aesthetic they see on my page. It feels great to have people trust my vision and unique angle. If I’m asked to provide work in a style that doesn’t feel authentic to me, I provide other photographers that would be a better fit. I shifted my mindset from the fear of losing work by saying ‘no’, to simply making more space for my ideal clients.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had more knowledge on printing rights, alternate revenue steams and outsourcing earlier in my journey.

Selling Printing Rights can be lucrative and should be priced out depending on the image usage, usage specs and target market. The Getty Image Calculator (https://www.gettyimages.ca/purchase/price-calculator/1292580029) is a great industry resource to gain information on how to quote when a client requests to use an image for print advertising.

As a sole proprietor, my time is limited and there are only so many shoots I can fit into one week while maintaining the level of service I want to provide. Selling prints, hosting workshops/mentoring and selling images to stock sites are all valuable ways to add alternative revenue streams to your photography business.

On a similar note, outsourcing parts of your business that are cumbersome when your time could be put to better use is so helpful! On sites like UpWork, you can post jobs that freelancers in software development, writing, marketing and culling/editing can take off your plate so you can free up time to grow your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alainamichelle.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwasyoungandneededthemoney/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlainaMichellePhotography

Image Credits
All images by Alaina Michelle Photography