We recently connected with Andy Contreras and have shared our conversation below.
Andy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.
Our educational system needs a wide variety of changes to better prepare the youth for the workplace. However, I believe the most impactful move is to offer internships as part of the standard curriculum. Starting in high school and regardless of their preferred field. This will help students understand the fundamentals of being part of a team, as well as customer service basics. Then, at the very start of their college journey, they can intern at a company within their field. This will give them insight on what to expect and if they even want to continue with their chosen field. Because let’s be honest, expectations of a career don’t always coincide with the reality of it. And you shouldn’t have to go through 4+ years of college while accumulating debt to realize it.
Additionally, every department should hold workshops from professionals in the industry to answer student’s questions. Although, there are some who don’t feel comfortable disclosing their “business secrets”, it’s my experience that there are many more individuals who do want to share and educate the incoming workforce.
Andy, 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?
My name is Andy and I am foremost a photographer but also a creative overall. I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years and founded Photo Booth Boutique almost 10 years ago. I found myself in love with photography like most, from the first moment I held a professional camera in a high school club. Being able to permanently hold beautiful moments in life was simply intoxicating.
My journey led me through the fashion, portraits and eventually wedding photography field. This is where my second passion emerged- creating. After seeing so many “Mall” style photo booths at weddings that took away from the event’s decor, I knew I wanted to design my own. Now we have from modern to vintage style photo booths made to match all types of events. And this is exactly what sets Photo Booth Boutique apart from others, our booths are all custom designed with no others like ours. We are here for clients who don’t want to settle for what everyone else has, who understands it’s all in the details & who wants to feel confident best efforts will always be provided.
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Unfortunately, technology has made it easy for some people to underestimate the value of what a creator creates. Many believe that because there are tools easily available to create something, that certain things can be easily created. However, if that was true wouldn’t we all be artists?
As a photographer, it’s disheartening to hear so many people refer to our craft as simply pressing a button. But oh, how much more there is to it than that! They’re unaware of the endless hours we spend perfecting just one photo, finding the inspiration for one photo shoot or researching the right equipment to accomplish a vision. Whether it’s an artist, photographer, designer or any creative, what brings forth the final creation is us, the individual. Qualifying or assessing the value of a person’s vision is not an easy task and definitely, not one to make hastily.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The best strategy for growing a business is Consistency. Delivering consistent quality will get you further in the long run than any marketing fad. Word of mouth, in my opinion, will always be the most important propeller of success. There is nothing we love more than to receive a referral, that is how we know we’re doing something right. From one client to the next, that’s how you build a reputation. We’re living in times where competition is fierce yet fleeting, if you’re foundation is shaky/inconsistent, you simply won’t make it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.photoboothboutique.com
- Instagram: @miamiphotoboothboutique
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-contreras-photographer/