Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chloe Horvath. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chloe, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I (thankfully) have been able to earn a full-time living income from being a wedding and portrait photographer! My journey into photography and earning a full time income from it started six years ago when I was pregnant with my first son. At the time, I was the Kennel Manager at our local dog shelter and I loved it, but it eventually became a job that I no longer felt at peace in and so I decided to quit and do my own thing. I’ve always been interested in photography and often took adoption photos of the dogs at the shelter, so I didn’t think it would be a big stretch to become a photographer and be able to make my own hours and mostly work from home!

I definitely was not making a full time income when I first started my business. I kind of started at a not so great time since I was 8 months pregnant with my son at the time and wasn’t able to take photos right after having him. My business really kicked off when I started second photographing weddings with a friend. Even then, I still wasn’t making anything close to a full time income and I was actually losing money because I had to purchase a camera, SD cards, and a ton of other gear as well as purchasing my website and other advertising.

I truly feel like I only just started earning a full time income 3 years ago. It takes time to learn a new craft and to build a good client base and reputation! Not to mention, when I did start my business, I was also a new wife and a new mom. So I was learning how to balance everything at once.. and years later, I’m still learning! It’s hard to balance the work and life when you work for yourself. I naturally am a workaholic and so after years of building up clientele and my business, I started taking every session and wedding thrown my way. It required a lot of sacrifices; on my end and for my family. I felt very burnt out sometimes and there were a lot of moments that I missed and events I wish I could have been at. However, I truly feel that if I didn’t make those sacrifices, then I wouldn’t be where I am today.

This year is the first year that I’m actually taking a certain number of weddings and sessions a year in order to balance my work and life balance and to be more present with my kids! Even with taking on a set number of weddings and sessions, I still am able to make full-time living income. Over the years, I’ve perfected my art and my style of editing and with that, I’ve been able to raise my prices yearly to reflect my experience. I’m also happy to say that a lot of my clients are repeat clients or have been referred to me by repeat clients so I get to photograph some amazing people every year!

Knowing what I know now, I don’t think I could have sped up the process of making a full time income. It truly takes time to find your style of photographing and editing, building up a good reputation, gathering good reviews, and working with other vendors who will refer you to their clients. I also believe that everything happens for a reason. So everything was meant to happen the way it did, for me to end up here!

Chloe, 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?

My name is Chloe and I’m a photographer, a lover of coffee, and a mother. I’ve lived in my hometown, Lancaster, for the past six years with the love of my life. We have two little boys who bring us so much joy and three dogs! I enjoy good books with huge cups of coffee, hiking, and gardening. Six years ago, I was 8 months pregnant with my first son and had just quit my job of 4 years at our local dog shelter because I no longer felt at peace working there. I had always been interested in photography and often took adoption photos of the dogs so I was pretty familiar with a camera. I wanted a job where I could be home with my son as much as possible while still being able to earn an income and enjoy what I was doing.

I’m a wedding and portrait photographer, but I actually did not want to photograph weddings at all when I first started my business. It felt too stressful for me since you can’t repeat the day if you miss a photo! It wasn’t until a local photographer, Stephanie West, let me shadow her at a wedding when I realized that I loved weddings and wanted to solely focus on them. I then started second photographing weddings for a friend and from there built up my name and business as a wedding photographer. I originally enjoyed weddings because I loved the hustle of the day and capturing beautiful images, but after six years in business, I realized what I love now is just capturing the candid moments full of love. Whether it’s a moment between the bride and her mom as they’re getting ready, or it’s grandpa praying over the meal during the reception, or capturing dad’s tears during the walk down the aisle. I truly enjoy photographing raw, human moments. I believe those moments are what truly make a wedding gallery spectacular.

Not only do I photograph weddings, I also photograph families, couples, seniors, and boudoir sessions too. I kind of do a little bit of everything! I think what sets me apart from others is that I believe it’s a tremendous honor to be invited to witness the beginning of a marriage. The fact that couples have chosen me to photograph such a huge day for them and their families is never lost on me. I am always so grateful to be there and to photograph the memories that I know they will cherish forever. As far as sessions go, I believe I stand out because I capture families and couples as they are. I believe kids should be able to run around during sessions and be themselves. I strive for laid back sessions where everyone is having fun! For boudoir sessions, I try to make every woman who steps in front of my camera feel comfortable and beautiful.

I once read a quote that I’m sure many others have also read, that said, “People will forget what you did and what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” I live by that quote. My clients may forget the poses that we did or what our conversation was about, but I hope that they never forget how I made them feel during their time with me. I hope that I made them feel strong, powerful, happy, good, and most importantly, loved.

What I’m most proud of honestly changes throughout the years! This year, I’m most proud of how many of my clients this year are repeats from last year or even years ago. It makes me so incredibly happy that they’ve chosen to come back. I truly enjoy seeing my clients lives unfold and I cheer them all on as they travel or grow their families or whatever it is they choose to do. I also am so proud of how far I’ve come. Looking back to where I started, I was so lost and felt like I was never going to make my dreams come true, and I did!

The main thing I would like potential clients to know about me and my business, is that you are not just another number to me. I truly cherish and love all my clients; I want to be lifelong friends with all of them. If you book with me, even if it’s just a session, I’ll follow you on social media and cheer you on from the sidelines as you go through life and I love hearing about your hopes and dreams. I am so grateful for each and every one of my clients; they are who make my dreams come true.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with clients by following them on social media and cheering them on as they post about their life. I love commenting on my client’s posts or messaging them on their stories. I love seeing them all live their life! Another way I keep in touch is that each client always gets my cell phone number. It just makes it easier for me to text back and forth about session locations and for wedding clients, it gives them peace of mind knowing I’m just a phone call or text away. I also answer emails and text as soon as I can! I think giving my clients open access to me, is a way to foster brand loyalty.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have a tricky relationship with social media. Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I love it. I do think it is important to a business to have a social media presence, but I don’t believe that it’s the only thing that matters in a business. Social media is a tool to be used for marketing and sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game! I honestly don’t have a huge following on social media, but I think honest connections with people is more important than the amount of followers you have. For those who are just starting their social media presence, I would recommend sharing any new work or ideas you have and to just start making honest connections with people. Follow your clients or customers on social media, comment on their posts to show them that you care about them, and share snit bits of your life posts or on your stories. Don’t get caught up in posting all the time and forget to live your life and remember; it’s a tool!

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloehorvathphotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chloehorvathphotography/

Image Credits
The headshot photo of myself was taken by Samantha Forget Me Knots Photography, but was edited by me