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

Amy , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

In August of 2017 I decided to start my business. I wanted to choose a business name that was able to be used as a domain name as well. I searched for my name as a business and discovered that it was already being used by another photographer. I started a list of possible business names that would work for my photography. I must have worked on that list for a month. Nothing felt right. Nothing sounded like me. It was so early in my business process that I didn’t have branding colors, a logo or a name to speak of. At one point I just got frustrated with trying to identify myself with a name that I put it on the back burner and focused on building my portfolio. A friend of mine had asked if I could create some sensual photos of her and we both agreed that I had to incorporate this chair that I had purchased as a prop. It was a lovely shade of pink with a beautiful textured damask pattern in the fabric. Needless to say, the photo shoot images turned out beautifully and as we talked about my business together she asked if I had settled on a name. I told her about my struggle and that I couldn’t use my own name. She thought about it and as we reviewed her images her face suddenly lit up. She said, ” Why don’t you call yourself Pink Chair Photography? ” I thought it was a brilliant idea. That chair gave me my name, my branding colors and my logo all at once. My style has changed since then and I no longer use the chair that gave my company its name but I still have it. It reminds me of a time when I was less certain of who I was as a business owner but just as excited to create art as I am today. It reminds me that inspiration can come from just about anything.

Amy , 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 wife to a Navy veteran and I am also a veteran. I was a hospital corpsman in the Navy for 14 years. I’m a graduate of the College of Charleston. I have five children and two stepchildren. My husband and I have seven grandchildren. I’m a native of Charleston though my military career took me everywhere. Moving so frequently and having so many children turned me into a photographer out of necessity. As my hobby photography improved over time I found myself becoming a more serious artist and decided that I might be talented enough to charge money for what I created. Like all photographers before me I explored every niche. Doing it that way, however, meant that I wasn’t really good at any one type of photography. It wasn’t until I attended a fine art photography workshop that I found what would become my calling. Studio Fine Art portraiture allowed me to create images that look more like paintings in a gallery than photos in an album. I could give people a work of art that could be handed down through generations of their family. There would be no need to update the portraits that I make because they are intended to be timeless. One doesn’t buy a painting and replace it every year. My work, I hope, is something that will stay in a place of honor in the home. A legacy. I give people the ability to curate their family’s visual history by rendering a moment of time as a statement of art rather than a photograph. It has taken me many years to believe in my own ability to do this for others. My most proud moment was achieving South Carolina photographer of the year in 2021. It’s very important to me that people understand that I am probably more artist than photographer. That I use my camera in the process of creating A work of art. Ansel Adams said, quote You don’t take pictures, you make pictures. I’m hoping to extend that concept past the idea of a photograph. What I do is not just my job-It’s my life and I am so blessed to be able to do this for others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m sure it’s no surprise that the pandemic was a moment I had to pivot. I am still a young business compared to many of my colleagues but the pandemic came just 3 years into my journey as a professional photographer. Photographing clients on location was easy enough because the 6 ft apart rule for social distancing could easily be maintained in that situation. But for studio work… I had to pivot. Christmas pictures with Santa were the hardest hit for many photographers. How was I supposed to photograph someone sitting on Santa’s lap when they couldn’t even be within 6 ft of another person? That is when I was introduced to digital composite art. I could take a gorgeous digital file complete with a Santa Claus and all the Christmas trimming and put people there. It was so popular that the very next year I offered it again. I enjoy doing it so much that it has become an annual holiday tradition.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

One of the most important aspects of running a business is a website. It’s just the language that we speak these days, everything is on the internet. Had I known what the impact of a well-designed website would be on my business I would have invested earlier in a professional service to design the face of my company on the internet. Good search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just something to be lackadaisical about. It’s critical. I wish that I had known that when I first started because it takes time to develop. That would be my first recommendation to anyone considering the leap from a 9:00 to 5:00 to owning their own business. Invest your money wisely into a professional website design service.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pinkchairphotography.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/pinkchair_photography
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/pinkchairphotozz

Image Credits
One of the bridal images with the long veil and the blue flowers features professional model Emily Jo. I’m sure she would appreciate being mentioned for that particular image. The veil is an original design by Natalie Gomer of Forget me knot alteration and design.