We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brendan Trogdon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brendan, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

I have always managed all aspects of my social media, which includes my photo/video brand and my personal brand, totaling to 10+ accounts on at least 5 different social channels – and do so because I enjoy being able to connect more personally with my audiences. I also don’t have the need to hire someone else to manage this for me at the moment.

My biggest piece of advice when it comes to social media is to research which channels your target audience uses most, and focus on those. Choosing 1-3 channels to focus on increases the efforts you can put into each, therefore increasing the quality of the work you produce on each. As your audience grows you can connect with them and others through different channels, like a blog or other type of social network, but start simple and build it up.

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?

Hello there, I’m Brendan Luke Trogdon, the driving force behind the business & lead creative behind the camera here at Royal Photos – your go-to wedding, sports, & portrait photography and videography service. Originally from North Carolina, now living in Missouri with my amazing partner, our focus markets are those two states but we travel all over.

Since before I can remember, I’ve always had a thing for storytelling, whether that be drawing a comic in elementary school or writing a college level fictional narrative to using my old Nokia smartphone or a disposable camera to capture photos during my childhood adventures. I’ve also always had a thing for design, whether that be digital art, illustration, painting, or architectural design. And to top it all off, I have tons of interests – sports, nature and wildlife, travel, cars, reading – I could go on for hours. By diving into the world of photography so many years ago, I’m now able to combine these three aspects, along with many of my interests, into something I love to do, and I’m able to share that love with all of my clients through a one-of-a-kind experience and one-of-a-kind photos and videos.

Founded in May of 2022, Royal Photos has worked with clients up and down the East coast, and now in the Midwest – delivering unique, exceptional experiences & beautifully curated galleries. At Royal Photos we are dedicated to turning your special, once-in-a-lifetime moments into tangible memories that you can cherish forever. Beyond delivering stunning images that tell your story, Royal Photos is also a growing online resource for all things photo/video and all things wedding related, for clients and non-clients alike. We want you to be informed! You can search our blog or reach out to us today with your questions!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The biggest expense I’ve had as a business owner and photographer is gear. Photography equipment (camera bodies, lenses, lighting, etc.), especially in the quality and standard I want for my clients, doesn’t come cheap – like at all.

I did a ton of research on what gear was best for what I wanted to shoot within the budget that I had from working full-time and saving, and started small. After booking sessions and bringing in revenue I’ve been able to get better and better gear, improve my systems, invest in websites and other software, and more! Everyone has to start somewhere, right? Well I started with a couple thousand dollars and a laptop.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes! The time that comes to mind first when approached with this question would have to be my big move from North Carolina to Missouri. There was no time for any planning or preparation and I’ve had to completely restart from scratch with the exception of my portfolio.

My audience, after seven months, is still mostly based in North Carolina as I had invested so much into building my business there, but I’ve definitely seen growth here too!

Anyone in business will tell you they’ve seen their fair share of ups and downs, it’s all about how you handle each situation.

Contact Info:

• Website: theofficialroyalphotos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficialroyalphotos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theofficialroyalphotos/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/royal-photos/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/theroyalphotos
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theofficialroyalphotos?si=VpeKxIL-oMq4jy__
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/royal-photos-troy