We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anna Frenkel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To be successful, you need to remember a few things. First, you represent yourself and your brand, impacting how others perceive you. So you need to think about how you are doing this. In the photography industry, the second you walk onto a shoot, the client is observing how you act, how you command a room, and how you are making them feel. My clients always tell me how they appreciate how patient I am. It’s not only about your photos, it’s about how you act during the initial photo shoot.
Anna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Anna Frenkel, starting in 2017 I decided to take my passion for photography and turn it into my career. Frenkelfilms is the name of my company (I know, very creative thank you) I specialize in lifestyle photography: families, newborns, couples, events, and more! I got my first camera at 10 years old, so the love for the art was always there, it just took me a long time to realize I could turn this into my job. Funny enough, I wanted to be in the medical field until about high school, when I took the opportunity to do photos/videos for every project I could. Being creative was a lot more fulfilling for me. I became a film major in college, and in mid-college, I took a photography class and fell in love with it. I started doing photo shoots for class projects and eventually had my first client, a girl graduating high school looking for senior photos. It was such a fun shoot. After that, I knew I wanted to continue doing this. Now, here I am almost 8 years later, still doing what I love doing. I am so proud of how far I’ve come in this industry, and I am excited to continue growing further.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
I keep in touch with clients through social media and or through phone calls/texts. I follow a lot of my clients’ journey on socials and it’s always so heartwarming to see their milestones new baby, job promotions, etc..) I always make sure to comment on those posts, because I am genuinely so happy for them. I like to keep up the relationships outside of just booking the photo shoot.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I follow a large variety of other photographers in the industry on social media for inspiration, educational tips, etc…) I have learned so much from watching others in the same field, it’s helped a lot in growing my own business. My photography professor in college was also a great resource in helping me learn the fundamentals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.frenkelfilms.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frenkelfilms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frenkelfilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@frenkelfilms/videos
Image Credits
My headshot photo: Optimal Angle Photography