Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cameron Marshall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cameron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
A big risk I took was quitting my full time corporate job while still trying to get my photography business off the ground. Most people will say I made the wrong choice because I didn’t have a back up plan and because I was leaving a stable income with benefits to nothing in the course of a day it seemed like. It was a risk I took for more reasons than one, I was unhappy at my job and everyday felt like a dread. I knew where my heart was so I fervently prayed for direction about if it was even the right choice to leave my job or if I was just making an emotional decision. There were multiple confirmations I got after praying which let me know that it was in fact time to leave and invest in myself and invest in my business. I always say staying in your comfort zone kills you but stepping out and being uncomfortable is where you grow. It was uncomfortable and a little scary leaving stability and going to uncertainty, but It is a decision I would make again and again because of what I learned about myself and my circle once I left my job.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Im Cameron Marshall. I was interviewed by Voyage Raleigh recently and I operated under the name CAM Photography. Since then I have rebranded to Moments By Cam. I am a portrait and wedding photographer and videographer based out of Raleigh, North Carolina but serving anywhere your love takes you.
I got into the industry by chance really. I had just quit working at Best Buy, but while I was there I wanted to buy a camera for fun and to record Youtube videos. I bought myself a camera for Christmas with no initial intention of getting into photography but I told myself, “I may as well take some pictures to see what I can do.” I reached out to my sister and brother and law to be my models for the day and the rest is history. At the first click of the shutter a nerve was struck and a love was found in photography. I always had a creative mind and always said I was not made to work a 9-5. Photography gives me a chance to work with people, make people smile, solve their problems, and be creative and make art with my camera. From there I attended Imaging USA to learn all things photography/videography and business so I could launch my website and start taking on clients.
The type of services I offer are portrait and wedding photography. I love shooting weddings because I get the chance to document a couples special day and turn special moments into everlasting memories. I love shooting portraits, headshots, and engagements because it allows me to connect with people and build relationships while also letting them in on my creative mind. I love having a vision, seeing it come to life, and the client love the outcome.
The photo/video market is very saturated as most may know. There is a creative on every corner, so there has to be something that sets me apart from the rest of the crowd to make me more appealing than the rest. The main thing I believe that sets me apart is my promised turnaround time for wedding photos. Most photographers promise 4-8 weeks which is industry standard. I promise 7 days. I promise a quick turnaround time because I know that it will be that much more special for a couple to look back at their best day of their lives on their honeymoon versus when life goes back to normal and they’re looking at them after a long day of work. I was at one point that client that got my wedding pictures back on the honeymoon and it makes such a big difference versus the long wait of 2 months. With that being said, quality is not sacrificed, I just work as hard after the wedding day as I do before and during.
The main thing I want potential clients and followers to know is that I am not into photography for money, I am in it for connection and relationships. A great relationship between couple and photographer really shows in the final product. I approach every session as if we are family to make everyone relaxed and comfortable so you can love the images and videos that you are getting back. My mom always says, “a stranger is just a friend you never met” which is why I speak to everyone like I have known them forever even if we just met. My brand name, Moments By Cam, emphasizes that I want to capture all of your finest moments and turn them into memories. There is a reason why when you first click on my website the message is, “Moments You Feel… Memories That Last.” I want my brand and my work to be a reflection on who I am, who I was created to be, and the relationship we were able to build during our session.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn is that the income from clients will fund my business. That is a very wrong way of thinking and it trains your mind to look at people as money rather than what they are; people. When I first started, I did not want to put money into a website, domain, insurance, marketing, ads, etc. I just wanted to buy fancy camera equipment and say, “hey pick me because I have a fancy camera.” I told myself for months that I would invest in that stuff later when I started getting clients, but the truth is that no client is going to want to invest in a brand or business before the owner does. No successful business had that mindset so why did I? It was a common misconception amongst a lot of creatives and in turn, some of us blamed clients when in reality we had to look in the mirror. Once I unlearned that, I got a lot more confidence in my business, I didn’t second guess putting my website out, I didn’t second guess marketing, I had the confidence to tell people this is my business, and this is what I do. I think if somebody out there has the mindset that I had, the hard truth is nobody cares until you give them a reason to care, and that won’t happen unless you invest in yourself FIRST.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to be the best I can possibly be and make a living doing what I love to do. My mission is to capture authentic moments and create amazing memories. I want every one of my clients to know that I put my all into their sessions and did everything in my power to give them the best possible product. There are many reasons why moments should be captured often, and in a way that you love looking back on them. A big reason is that you never know when you won’t be able to have those moments anymore. I lost my best friend February 2022 to cancer. I think often about how I wish we had more moments that were captured together. I don’t want anybody to have a birthday, wedding, engagement, or any other significant event and look past having that moment engraved in memory through pictures and videos. Not only is that something that you will be able to relive again and again, but that is something you can hold onto if a loved one is no longer here to experience that with you. That is why I am driven to turn moments into memories and leave a legacy for generations to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.momentsbycam.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momentsbycam_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cammarshall1
