We recently connected with Charlie Byers and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlie , thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents have always been supportive of me. My mother has a masters degree in business and marketing and my father once owned his own restaurant and worked in food business his whole life.
Growing up, I found interest in a lot of weird things. I collected coins, pens, and a whole bunch of other odd things. I became obsessed with yo-yoing and competed in many competitions. I didn’t grow up doing a lot of the normal things. But, my parents were always supportive in what I wanted to pursue.
I got into sports early on in life and had to opportunities to go on and play at a high level. My parents were very supportive of that too. That’s the thing. They didn’t care what I did, they just cared about what I was passionate about.
Photography became a passion of mine when I was 16.
Almost immediately I wanted to make it my career. It took me 6 years to become a full time photographer. It was very discounting at times. But my parents supported me so well through those times. When I wanted to give up they would pick me up and give me the advice I needed to keep going. They didn’t care about what I was doing, they just cared that i was doing what I love. I could’ve been many things. It just so happened to be photography.
I am forever grateful for their support.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a freelance photographer. I mainly do brand photography and commercial and residential real estate photography. I also do street and portraiture for my personal work.

I started when I was 16 years old. It was just for fun but I quickly knew I wanted to do it as a career. After years and years of practice and free work, I became a full-time photographer at the age of 22.

Full-time work came from a lot of work and practice. But I believe the main thing was Gods timing. It was something I prayed for and knew that when the time came, it would happen.

What sets me apart from other photographers? I don’t really know. I think it’s just the fact that I am being myself. A lot of people tell me, “your work isn’t like anyone else” but I don’t really see that. I don’t try to be different. I try to be myself. Photography is a way of self expression, if you do use it correctly, people will see you in your work.

I am very proud of not giving up. There was many many many times I’d discouragement and insecurity. I have been told that my work isn’t good or special. I’ve been denied sooo many times. I compare myself to others work all the time.
I’m proud that I continued to believe in me and to always strive to get better at my craft.

I want people to know that I love photography. It’s my obsession.
I hope my clients and followers get something from my work. I hope it makes them feel. Feel happy, sad, angry, funny, etc. I want my photography to give people a serotonin boost.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I don’t have the largest following, but I would say I have genuine fans of my work. This did not come from any marketing tactic or hashtag. It came from being a real human being on social media. I invest in the people that invest in me.
I share my true self with my work. I don’t seek to show a life that doesn’t exist on my social media. I desire to be seen, in order to do that, I must show my true self. I try to treat people well. I believe that can be shown through my social media following.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being a likable person. Show that you care and are interested in the job/person you are shooting for. If your client knows you are just doing it for the paycheck, they won’t hire you again. You never know who other people know.
Treat the small clients well. You never who they know. Some of my best jobs of came from word of mouth from a client that could barely pay me.

Contact Info:

• Website: Charliebyersphotography.com
• Instagram: Jpegcharlie