We were lucky to catch up with Annie Dabbs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie, thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest parts of scaling a business is maintaining quality as you grow. How have you managed to maintain quality? Any stories or advice?

I’m very thankful to say that my business is growing at a rate I didn’t expect, or plan for! I do many different kinds of photography, but most often weddings. Weddings are a lot of work, with many hours on the back end. I’ve had to adjust my work life to accommodate this. Photography is not my only job right now, but I’ve had to reduce the amount I work outside of photography in order to maintain my quality standards. Making sure I deliver galleries in my promised turnaround time, while also preserving the quality of work I pride myself on is a constant learning experience!

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?

My name is Annie, and I am the woman behind the camera of Annie Bell Photography!

I always had an interest in photography growing up, but it wasn’t until I was in high school and a friend of mine asked me to photograph his brother’s wedding that I began to take this hobby seriously! With no prior training or experience, I threw my all at that wedding and fell in love with every moment. From watching the bride’s about-to-be mother-in-law zip up her dress, to celebrating with everyone over dinner after the ceremony. I got home from that wedding and knew this was something I wanted to explore. Fast forward and now photography of all kinds is what I find the most joy in. Families visiting the little beach town I’m lucky to call home, couples prepping to say “I do” with their engagement photos, seniors getting ready to head off on life’s next adventure, brides and grooms celebrating their love, I have such a passion for all of it!

Something that I feel sets me apart, and that I pride myself in, is the priority I place on flexibility and comfort for my clients. When I work with my families and non-wedding couples, I do what I call “untimed sessions.” This means I don’t put any sort of time limit on us. I found that it added more stress to our time together than I felt was necessary. I prefer just hanging out, having fun, and taking pictures! And just like any other photographer, I have packages that I offer, but hey! Don’t see what you need? No problem! I love sitting down with my clients and discussing exactly what they need and creating something that works perfectly for them. Only need coverage for a 15-minute ceremony on the beach and a couple of portraits? Sounds great! Want to skip the traditional posed couple’s portraits and go run through downtown instead? Awesome! I’m game for it all!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are SO many rewarding aspects of being a photographer. So many wow moments that remind me exactly why I do what I do. Photographs touch people’s lives and will continue to do so forever. Nothing means more to me than knowing someone saw my work and chose me to photograph their wedding. That’s the most important day in some people’s lives, and they chose me! It’s a crazy feeling! Knowing that in the far future someone will show their grandchildren their wedding photos that I poured my heart into is the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever had!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One thing I’ve noticed is that non-creatives don’t understand my passion for the art of what I do often surpasses the monetary motivation. I go out of my way to make sure I provide a level of art and service to my clients that I would want to receive! I’m a serial over-shooter. I will leave a family session that should receive a final gallery of 15 photos with over 1,000 on my camera. People ask me why I do that and give myself more work than necessary, but to me, that IS necessary. I want to document every moment of our time together and then cull it down to the highlights later. I want all the in-between moments. Those are where I feel my best work comes from!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anniebellphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniebell_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieBellPhotography
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

Annie Bell Photography