We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Romero. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.
Hi Andrea, thanks for joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
In 2010, I hadn’t the slightest idea of what my side hustle would turn into. I was in college, constantly changing my major and working desk jobs when I got my first camera. I always loved art, but had never considered photography as a medium before. For extra cash, I offered friends and family free sessions of all kinds and gladly accepted donations. I started with a cheap website and posted my work on social media until I got my first “big” break, a small backyard wedding that someone was willing to pay me $200 for. I had no idea what I was doing, but the process thrilled me. I took more paying jobs on the weekends: weddings, baptisms, birthdays, engagement and family sessions. A couple years in and I decided to quit my full time job as a teacher and pursue photography. By 2014, I felt completely stuck. I was grateful for the clientele I had, but I wanted to scale up in price and in quality. I was casting a large net and accepting any kind of session for a low price. I knew I needed help from an expert, but there were limited sources at the time. So I took a risk and booked a trip across the country to a big photography workshop in CA, where I would learn from the industry’s best. I came back with so many fresh ideas and new goals for my business. I finally had the tools to get the clientele and the work that I really wanted to make. Looking back, the biggest problem I overcame was limiting myself and believing that I simply wasn’t good enough to reach the level I desired. I changed my prices and marketing strategies, and trusted the process of targeting a different audience. It took time, but eventually casting a smaller net to a more specific clientele paid off. I was booking gigs all over the US and working with people who really valued what I was making. Every year I refine the customer experience because I know that I’m not just a photographer, but a space holder. I get to form bonds with my clients and see them grow families and document their milestones. It’s very special.
Andrea, 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 knew very early in life that I was a creative. I just never thought that I could use my gifts to make a living, at least that’s what I was told. In my college years, I tried to study practical things like education and nutrition, but none of it fulfilled me or kept my interest for long. I didn’t discover my love for photography until I was gifted a camera at 23 years old. I knew that I wanted to master this craft and spent years just photographing things that brought me joy. I immediately realized that people were going to be my lifelong subject. I love the complexity of the human experience. I wanted to see every facet of life through my lens: marriage, divorce, birth, death, aging, love, loneliness, etc. I attended workshops all over the US, watched series of tutorials, purchased mentorships, and put myself into new opportunities – whether I felt completely prepared or not.
After nearly 13 years of photographing mostly weddings, I’m choosing to step into the world of portraiture on film. I work mostly with my DSLR, but I am incorporating more 35 mm and medium format film into my sessions. I want to document more life events, especially the “mundane” ones. I love spending an afternoon with families of all types and photographing their daily activities. I hold space for people to open up and show me their life and their love. as it really is. I’m uninterested in the cloyingly sweet moments that tend to be set up or scripted. I don’t advise anyone to dress in a certain way, or coordinate colors unless we are planning a certain concept. I don’t ask that the home be cleaned up or decorated for the benefit of the pictures.
The most meaningful work I’ve made to date is a session I did for an elderly couple in their 80’s, Their daughter hired me to document a typical Sunday afternoon with their whole family. Everyone (children, grandchildren and great grandchildren) would typically attend church and visit the couple for lunch afterward. We talked about their life in Cuba, and how they left to the US to start their family. I photographed the couple in their element, as they cut avocados from their tree, cooked lunch, shared a Diet Coke, and held their great grandbabies. I learned a couple years later that the elderly man had passed away. The family thanked me for giving them those memories to look at. It was then that I realized how invaluable my work can be.
That is where my heart is. I want to make more of that.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
There are many times that I wanted to throw in the towel and start over. Owning a business can feel so freeing and at the same time nerve wracking. I’ve had to carefully manage my work life balance and instill boundaries with my work. I’ve always said I love making pictures, but I hated the backend part of my business, like invoicing, budgeting, and marketing. At some point every single year, I’d experience some sort of burnout, and every year I’d create a new system to prevent that burnout.
For instance, early on in my career I was taking on more work than I could mentally handle, which resulted in many mistakes and hiccups. I didn’t have a solid customer management system and I would often lose track of dates, payments and contracts. I let customers text me or call me at any hour of the day. My contract wasn’t specific enough for my business or my own terms. I would book two weddings in one weekend. It burned me out quickly.
I made it a point to prioritize myself and my needs, so that I could serve my clients better. I enforced new boundaries between myself and my clients, like work hours and I stopped offering text messaging. I fixed my contract, and signed up with Honeybook, a customer management system that made my process flow so much easier. I increased my prices and took less work throughout the year. These changes have been pivotal to my growth as a business owner and a creative.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A major lesson I had to unlearn is to make my brand look and feel like everyone else’s. 2014 was a time when photography workshops were very popular, and it wasn’t uncommon to attend one per year. Although they were very helpful in gaining knowledge and experience, they were almost detrimental to my brand and who I was as a creative. I felt like I had to fit into a mold or certain aesthetic when I went back to the drawing board. It felt very streamlined, “salesy” and a bit shallow. I felt the need to present myself to the world as someone else, and that also reflected in my work. I was constantly comparing myself to others in the industry. Although the work looked good, it wasn’t truly my own and I ended up working with some clients who were not a good match for me. I felt like I had been robbed of creative control for a long time.
Life experience and doing a lot of inner work has naturally removed my disguise. I’ve had to take small steps of bravery to stay authentic, even if it meant losing some of my audience and going back to the world of film photography. The people who love my work, truly value what I do and my motive behind the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.andrielle.com
- Instagram: @andriellephoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndriellePhotography/
Image Credits
Black and white photo of me (holding the chicken) is by Anastasia Pagonas