We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bailee Lewis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bailee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I have been a photographer for many years now but I find that I am still constantly expanding and needing to take steps to further my business. One thing I focused on this summer was how I had all this free time but summer is such a slow season for photography in the Arizona heat. I wanted to find a way around this so I could take advantage of the free time I have for productivity despite the slower business since most people don’t love the idea of posing for photos in 110+ degree heat. The first of two risks I took this summer was deciding to expand my business geographically. Throughout the years, I have done photos for clients out of state but it was more so of a rare occasion either while on vacation or when booked for a wedding out of state. However, this summer while I was on a trip to Durango, Colorado I told my boyfriend I really wanted to expand my photography to Colorado as a starting point since I was loving it on the trip. I tried my best to advertise that I would be in the area but did not get much response. By our second to last night there I kind of gave up and decided to just spend the last day of my trip relaxing although I was bummed I had not done any client shoots there. However, we went to a hot spring and while we were there I saw a couple and offered them a free shoot for the next day before I headed home. The girl contacted me that night and although her boyfriend was unable to make it, she and her friend agreed to do a shoot. It’s always intimidating reaching out to strangers especially when you are unsure of how you might come across or if they might reject your offer but those photos have brought me so much business in Colorado including two upcoming weddings. It is still a risk as sometimes the travel expenses limit the profit but it is worth it to branch out and get to fulfill my goal of being not only an Arizona-based but a travel photographer.
The more recent and bigger risk I took just this past August was hosting a “Content Day”. A content day is a styled shoot or multiple shoot set-ups in which photographers attend to take photos to build their portfolio and to be able to advertise the kind of photos they would like to be taking. This was a big risk for me as I did not have much of a photographer following since most of my posts were targeted toward potential clients. There is also a lot of confusion surrounding content days and why a photographer would want to pay to attend this kind of thing. However, I impulsively started advertising for it and asking around before I even had items for the shoot or models. As I got some interest I got models scheduled and began my hunt for the items needed. I decided to have a bridal/elopement style set up, 2 wedding flat lay setups, and a picnic style engagement set up. I bought wedding dresses, a veil, wedding invitations, a picnic set up, lanterns, accessories, and a ton of other props for the attendees to photograph. It felt like I was planning a real wedding. It was definitely scary spending so much money on something before I even had sold all of the tickets for the content day. I did not know if I would even come clean on the costs for producing the event let alone if I would make any profit. I had a couple of photographers cancel, models cancel, and even on the day of it was raining in Sedona where we were going to shoot. However more photographers filled the spots, another set of models was able to join and the rain cleared up right in time. It was so much fun getting to meet other incredible photographers and to see their photos of everything as well as take my own photos of the setups and headshots for the attendees. It was a huge risk and incredibly nerve-wracking but I loved it and I am planning on hosting another content day in February of 2024.
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 Bailee and I started photography when I was 14 years old as a freshman in high school when I took my first film photography class. I am currently 21 years old and although film will always have a special place in my heart, digital photography is where my real passion is and I have been doing this as a business for 4 or 5 years now. I specialize in all things portrait and specifically weddings. I am also in college getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts with emphasis in Photography at the Herberger Institute of Art at ASU. On the side for my own personal art, I specialize in conceptual narrative portraits that have a cinematic feel that lets your mind create a story around the images. I really try to use this storytelling approach in my commercial work as well so that my clients get more intimate and compelling photos. I want my clients to feel like their photos belong on pinterest or a magazine. I want even those least concerned with art to be impressed by how artistic their photos can look even if it is as simple as a graduation session. Something I find really important as a photography is the mission of making my clients feel beautiful/handsome, confident and seen. I know it can be a struggle for many to feel secure in their appearance and getting photos taken can be intimidating and even dreaded by some. I have studied poses and angles for years to equip myself to showcase my clients’ true beauty so that they can feel excited when looking at their photos instead of insecure or disappointed. Although I have been trained thoroughly on the mechanics of a camera and never send off work I am not proud of, I find that clients care so much more about how they feel about themselves in the photo than they do if the lighting or composition is just right. As a woman of faith I find my way of loving others and honoring Christ is to show people how truly beautiful they are despite their insecurities. I also feel fulfilled in this same way when capturing major life events like weddings and creating the bonds I get to experience with grooms and brides. Even boudoir is really special as I get to be a part of something so sacred and special and it is such an honor to know my clients feel safe and comfortable enough with me to trust me with their photos for all sorts of occasions. I also just love getting to interact with people and joke around so photography is a perfect occupation for me. I feel proudest when someone confides in me that the photos I took of them emotionally touched them in an unexpected way whether its because they love how they look, feel their story was well captured or even through edits of lost loved ones that they now get to feel even slightly more connected to. Photography is a much more personal industry than it might seem at a glance and I am so blessed to be in this business.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing clientele for me has been word of mouth and just making connections. That sounds so vague but in specific things like offering free or discounted shoots to people you know will spread the word (more so for the beginning stages of business), offering incentives for referring friends to you such as discounted shoots, coupons, and even vocalizing the appreciation for those who help promote your business is super important. Another thing I have learned is that people need help visualizing your abilities so if you do not have any photos taken in the mountains, a couple who is planning an elopement in the mountains might just pass by your work. Or if you do not have any product photos, a brand is not going to reach out to have you take their product photos. Even if it is a free service it might make you more money in the future to offer, in my case, a free shoot at the beach because then a couple might see those photos and be able to visualize me taking their photos for their beach wedding. Always take photos or make the content of what you want to be paid for even if it takes some time before you start getting inquiries for that kind of work.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Most of my advertising and communication with clients is through Instagram which makes it easy to maintain connections with my clients. I try to like and comment on their posts whenever I can just to maintain the bond we had from their shoot and so they feel supported even with stuff unrelated to their photography needs. I like to treat my clients as friends and staying connected through social media is an effective and easy way to do it. I also think rewarding repeat customers can be beneficial. For example, with some of my engagement shoots, I will offer a discount on their wedding since they booked their engagement photos with me. I don’t advertise this or anything but I also tend to give repeat clients extra photos as a thank you for their loyalty.
Contact Info:
- Website: baileelewisphotography.com
- Instagram: baileelewisphotography
- Tiktok: @baileelewisphotography
Image Credits
Bailee Lewis