We were lucky to catch up with Bryan Esler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bryan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. So, we’d appreciate if you could open up about your growth story and the nitty, gritty details that went into scaling up.

One of the first photoshoots I did was for a local brewery, who was hosting a local tasting. From that point on, I knew that photographing corporate events was what I wanted to do. I started photographing for a local social media company, and corporate events quickly became my bread and butter. I learned everything from composition to lighting, mostly by reading articles, watching videos, and trial and error.

It took about 3-4 years until I was comfortable to go out on my own and fully pursue photography. I had already built up some good clients over the years, and I knew the strategy on how to continue that process. Word of mouth was key for me. I never once advertised online. I met with connections I had made over the years, and the word spread. I started off small, and quickly became known for a fast turnaround time of quality images.

In 2017, I was asked to fill in for a friend of mine, who was working with our local downtown development authority. As he left to pursue other full-time work, I took over his workload, and started photographing their events. I was hooked. Being able to work with the DDA opened up my network, and let me reach those that I hadn’t met yet. Today, I still work regularly with the DDA, but also a large law firm, local restaurants, publications and even Google.

For me, word of mouth was key, and continues to be to this day. At the same time, I knew the type of client I could work with well, and I targeted those over the years with a lot of success.

Bryan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For almost a decade, I’ve partnered with corporations, community organizations and non-profits to capture their special moments. My work takes me across the midwest and pride myself on delivering my work in a timely matter, regardless of my shooting location.

My photographs can be seen on global corporate communications such as Delta Airlines, The New York Times, NBC, Microsoft, LiveStrong, CNN, The Washington Post and Pure Michigan.

In 2020, I was ranked as the top food photographer in Grand Rapids by PeerSpace. In 2022, I was rated as a top event photographer in Grand Rapids by Giggster. In my spare time, I enjoy capturing landscapes, cityscapes, still life and more.

I’m most known for photographing corporate and community events, but I also work with local restaurants, publications and companies in capturing professional portraits, documentary images and food/drink photos. Recently I’ve started working with a drone to capture events, landscapes and everything in-between.

Clients I’ve worked with include Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Google, CNBC, Varnum LLP, Michigan State University, ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Magazine, Van Eerden Foodservice, Mister Car Wash, Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation, WOOD TV8, Crain’s Detroit Business, Aquinas College, the State Bar of Michigan and more.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, events were shut down. As an event photographer, this meant my primary source of income literally disappeared overnight.

To make it through this difficult time, I did a few things. First and foremost, I worked with my clients to ensure that when events did start opening up again, their rescheduled events were first on my calendar. They let me keep deposits, and I checked in with them regularly.

But most importantly, I shifted how I went about working with some of my clients. I reached out to a local publication, knowing that they’d still need photos for their monthly magazine. I asked them if I could be considered for an upcoming feature, and if they’d provide me with paperwork to ensure I was photographing legally during the pandemic shutdown.

I was able to utilize this and also capture the scenes around me. Empty streets, closed storefronts … I had the goal of capturing what this pandemic was doing to our community. And then, I approached one of my largest clients — our local DDA — and worked with them to publish these images and collect more over the coming months.

Those decisions kept me in business, and made me thrive in the months that followed.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

By far, word of mouth has been the most constant and best source of new clients. But more importantly, communication with existing clients — before, during and after photoshoots — has led to my name getting out there more and more. I’m now known as one of the top event and food photographers in the area, and I’ve grown year over year because of that reputation of being a good communicator and delivering a quality product.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bryanesler.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bryanesler
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryaneslerphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bryan-esler-photo/