Alright, Brooke thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

Rewinding back to 2008, I had re-found my love and passion for photography when I had my first child, a little girl. She was my inspiration because of course I wanted to capture every detail, every smile, every milestone. I have always been an artist, so to create art while freezing these moments in time, gave me this rising energy that I had never felt before. Passion and love. It was beautiful. Of course I shared my imagery with my friends and family on social media, and of course every one of my mommy friends wanted me to capture their little ones. I started to do free shoots for them. I was in my element, photographing children and babies and family’s made me feel so inspired to create art. I just loved it. My images were starting to get around. They were being shared to social media, and next thing you know, I was getting messages asking how much I charge, and if I had availability to photograph their family. So, I decided to start a business. I remember my first paying customer was a couple with their 6 month old baby. I was so nervous and excited all at once. It felt good. I felt proud of myself that I was finally doing something I was so beyond passionate about, while providing for my family, and on top of that, making people smile.

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 started my photography business when my daughter was born, as she was the inspiration that ignited me to get back into my art and photography. Prior to that, I studied photography and art at the Dreyfoos School Of the Arts High School, where I originally learned photography from 1997-2001. Even back then, In the film days, I was always inspired by the innocence and rawness of children. In high school, when I would get photography assignments, I would ask my neighbors if I could photograph their babies and children. After high school, I didn’t pick up a camera again until I had my daughter in 2008. The urge to document her story, while creating artistic imagery, was fueling my creative energy. However, this came with a learning curve. When I originally studied photography, it was all film. It was only in my last year of high school, that digital was introduced, and still, I stuck with film. When I decided to start shooting again, in 2008, I had to teach myself how to use a current DSLR camera, photoshop and all the technicalities that came with doing photography in a digital world- culling, editing, saving, and transferring high quality images. I had to re-educate myself, by myself. On top of that, came the business side; marketing, organizing, scheduling, and communicating with clients. All with a newborn baby.

Looking back, Im so proud of myself for the drive I had to make this all happen. Im grateful for the fire that photography has instilled in my soul, and the pure joy and excitement it brings to me. Im grateful for the opportunity to document childhood in a way that I can express myself, and tell my client’s story all at once. I am also grateful for my children, for allowing me to practice on them for relentless hours, for their patience, and for their forgiveness for the amount of photoshoot adventures I bribed them into going on. I truly believe that they are the reason that I am where I am today in my business, and I know one day they will not only thank me, but truly treasure the images I captured of them over the years.

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

As a photographer, the most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been shooting and sharing. The more I photograph and share to social media, the more my business grows. Images speak for themselves, and sharing my art has landed me an amazing, long term clientele.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

When I started my business, Facebook was a big deal. I spent hours posting, sharing, and writing on my Facebook business page during the early days of my business. I gained over 20,000 followers, and many clients. My product provokes emotion, and having social media platforms has been a way to share not only a product, but the feelings behind that product.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brookelogue.com
• Instagram: brookeloguephotography
• Facebook: Brooke Logue Photography

Image Credits
Brooke Logue