We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anne Giebel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anne below.

Hi Anne, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I picked up a camera first when I was in college. I’d always loved visual arts and growing up, I’d experienced my mom (who is an artist) make beautiful things and take them to art shows across the state. I realized quickly that photography was much more complex than knowing how to click the shutter button. So I became fully invested in learning all I could about photography and working a camera. I don’t judge anyone for how they got to being a photographer, because I know first-hand the pros and cons of all avenues; from going to school for it, to getting a certificate, to being self-taught. I personally learn best by doing, so while it took me upwards of 5 years, I’m proud to talk about my journey in being self-taught in the craft. Once I learned, I asked to photograph any and everyone. From friends to family members to pets, I took my camera everywhere. It slowly escalated from fun to people liking my passion and work, to me shooting my friends’ engagements. After lots of practice, I realized the joy that the work brought me, and remember thinking to myself how wonderful it was to see the joy it brought others. At that point, I realized that my love for photography paired with my learned skillset was the start of a small business; I realized I could be a portrait photographer that people hire and pay. I hesitated at first, scared that attaching profit to my passion would make me dislike it over time. But I let myself gradually launch AGP (Anne Giebel Photography) so that I was intentional and in tune with my passion along the way. Across the next year, I had a lot of help building a brand, a website, a portfolio, and a social media specifically for AGP. I had many friends help me along the way. I had to learn a lot and I also had to fight many moments of imposters syndrome, something commonly discussed among creatives and business owners. I rebranded in the last 5 years and thoroughly enjoyed the process of seeing all of my work, shoots, and previously-formed foundation come together. My brand aims to be accessible, high-quality, and personal and in some ways, ever-developing. To this day, AGP is one of the things I’m most proud of in my life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a portrait photographer who lives in Washington, DC. I’ve lived in the city since 2013 and have a strong base here. I love working with people and double as a mental health therapist. Doing both jobs is incredibly rewarding and showcases my love for interacting and engaging with different people. Photography is that plus visual art and creativity, which I was always drawn to growing up. I photograph anything that involves people (headshots, weddings, family, personal portrait, etc). I think two things may set me apart from other portrait photographers: One, as previously mentioned, I’m also a mental health therapist. While the two roles are different, the overlap in skills is one that I’ve been complimented on by my photography clients. They share how comfortable I make the process and how I seem to know and anticipate my clients and their needs. Two, I don’t try to over-market myself as a wedding photographer. I love working weddings and working with couples but I’ve also never wanted my work to be just one thing. As a portrait photographer, I get to still shoot some weddings per year, but also have time for other kinds of projects and work. I’m most proud of working personal projects into hired shoots in my schedule. I think the balance of the two is essential for creativity.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is tricky; I don’t think I’m alone saying that I have a love/hate relationship with it. Because of this, I had a hard time building a consistent platform where my branding, voice, and personal desire to engage with it could all align. I had help with this and across the years and have figured out a way to be myself and use social media to market and build a small following. The nice part is that being myself looks less like posting “perfectly” (i.e.daily or at certain times of day etc) and more like posting organically (i.e. when I feel moved or inspired to share an image). The challenging part is that I have to remind myself that Instagram can be a useful tool and helps to showcase my work, despite how I feel about it.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing clientele as a photographer in DC has been word of mouth referrals. And how I’ve gotten so many clients this way (I’ve gathered and been told) is this simple, yet easy to overlook factor: people will remember how you made them feel during a photoshoot. They will remember when you go out of your way know and listen to them, and when you make them feel empowered during the planning process and the shoot. They will remember when you genuinely care about making the shoot personal to them and when you remind them that they’re part of the process. Most people are not comfortable in front of the camera. Learning how to work with someone to feel more comfortable is important, but it’s even cooler if they leave a shoot feeling confident too. Not only does it come from a genuine place (I love working with and getting to know people!), but then they will rebook you and tell all of their friends about their experience with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annegiebel.com
• Instagram: @annegiebel
• Facebook: Anne Giebel Photography
• Linkedin: Anne Giebel
• Twitter: None
• Youtube: None
• Yelp: None
• Soundcloud: None
• Other: None

Image Credits

My friend took this on my camera! I edited and it’s taken on my equipment.