We were lucky to catch up with Brooklyn Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brooklyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Growing up, I had no idea what my life’s mission was, but one Christmas, my family got me a camera that I had been wanting for months, and the following month, I launched my own photography business, beginning with landscape photography. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to photograph, but I knew I wanted to photograph something. I started taking images of people in college and it took me a long way, then I started learning how to edit. I learned how to use my camera from other photographers who helped me along the way and taught me a lot about the basic information of photography. Comprehending that photography is more than just taking images, and more about comprehending the joy of taking pictures and making a vision come to life using a lens. I have cherished every step of my journey more than anything else; the journey itself is the best part of starting any business, and I would encourage anyone to start being their own boss.
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 female photographer from St. Louis, Missouri. I recently relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to pursue my ambition of being a photographer. Since moving here, I’ve had numerous opportunities as a photographer, which I am grateful for. I was afraid to move to a new place at first, but taking risks as an entrepreneur will be your best investment. My company is called bkvisaul.z, and we specialize in bringing our clients’ visions to life. When striving to construct a blueprint of my clients’ idea, I make sure they are satisfied and feel heard. I specialize in lifestyle photography, which means I photograph events outside rather than in a studio. I am motivated to making my business stand out from the crowd by ensuring that my customers are satisfied enough to return and that my craft style is unique.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When I first started my business, one lesson I had to unlearn was that I had to shoot for free. I’d been told numerous times that I should shoot for free when I first started, but in actuality, I should have charged my worth. Most of the time, when you first start out, you can be better than some of the city’s finest photographers, but because you’re new, you assume you shouldn’t charge, which is not true. You should charge what you are worth, not what others think you are worth. There were many times when I didn’t charge anything because I felt like I needed to shoot for free in order to build a portfolio, but once I realized my worth and charged what I was supposed to, my business grew tremendously, and I took my profit and invested it in better equipment than when I first started.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The first question a beginner photographer has is, “What is the cheapest camera I can get that will be just as effective as an expensive camera?” and “How can I start a photography business with no money?” I advise them that photography is an investment and that they should not be concerned about the cost of a camera because they can purchase an inexpensive camera and go far in their business. It’s not about the camera or the equipment you buy; it’s about the person behind the camera; once you learn the skill of photography, you’ll be amazing and gain more clientele who will pay you enough to invest in your business.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @bkvisual.z