We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chrystal Udumukwu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chrystal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

So basically, I wanted to have a photoshoot . But this is kind of where I started getting in my conceptual shooting bag. I planned for sooo long – what felt like ages, how I wanted it to go. I hit up some friends to help creative assist and the necessary models needed to bring the shoot to life. But it seemed like in the most random ways, things were trying to fall apart. Now this shoot meant a lot to me because I wanted to prove to myself that I can literally do anything. Just stay focused, be intentional, and don’t quit on the idea, (moreso myself). About a week or 2 before the shoot, I was ready to book the rental car after saving up enough for it. Mind you, I had been eyeing this car for at least a month and told myself I can’t use any other car but this. BOOM! It was gone! It seemed like someone had already booked it. I told myself it was no way. What are the odds? Why me? But something told me not to free the shoot. (Free- let go of, cancel)

Everyday I was on Turo (luxury car rental app) checking to see if it was back available. And luckily, days leading up to the shoot, it magically appeared. Let me just say, the devil is a liar. You would think everything was smooth sailing from there but just a few days before the shoot, my camera breaks. In disbelief, all I could do was laugh. I thought to myself, is this a sign? Then quickly snapped out of it. Pfft nah. I knew I couldn’t afford a camera straight out of best buy or another store at the time so I went hunting on facebook marketplace. At this point I’m scrambling. “I’m under pressure, I’m under pressure” I muttered to myself. I had a Nikon but I had wanted to switch to a sony for some time. So I told myself, “maybe this needed to happen, Chrys.” With just my luck, I found the perfect camera for me. The seller and I discussed the price and pick up arrangements. Everything seemed to be looking up…until it was the day of pick up and the seller had gone ghost.
This just CAN’T be happening. Desperate and in a rush, back to facebook marketplace I went. But to my despair, all the other cameras were either not what I was looking for, way too expensive, or the seller wanted to ship it. At this time, the shoot is tomorrow. With some more digging, I found the next best option. Only thing is, this camera was located in North Carolina. Me and the seller were talking around 11 pm-ish that night and I really had to think to myself. This is it Chrys, you’re either going to free this shoot, or you’re going to NC to get this camera AND be back in time for the shoot. (The shoot was at 12 noon the next day). Well what did I do? Called up my buddy and said we’re going to North Carolina. They didn’t believe me until they saw me parked outside their dorm at 1 am. Just the thought of this seller ghosting me the way the previous one did was bursting my brain so I haaaad to triple confirm with them. They understood and assured me this indeed would not end up how the last one did and that was it. It was settled. We headed on our way.

Just for reference, from Baltimore to North Carolina is a smooth 5 hour-ish commute. Nonetheless, the journey begins. Trying to beat the time, I start bippin through traffic. (Bippin – Baltimore slang, adjective. To rush, to move with haste). Upon arrival, the seller and I had been in constant communication of our whereabouts. FINALLY we reached the meeting point and to my satisfaction, the camera was in perfect condition. I’m talking straight out of the box condition. Step 1, check. Now onto 2, getting back home in time. As I saw the ETA time increase, I immediately told myself “oh nah”. Now, I’m locked in. So locked in that the police almost wanted to lock me up! I didn’t realize how fast I was going nor did I know how strict Virginia was with their driving laws. That day I wasn’t pulled over once, but a total of three times! It’s only me that could accomplish something like that. Even with my great driving history and my oh so apologetic spiel, I thought the officer and I had an unsaid but understood understanding, if you know what I mean. Nope. “93 in a 70 ma’am”. “Oh damn” I thought to myself. “You were doing 93 in a 70.” I hadn’t even realized. “Just take this paper here and I’ll see you at court on the given date”. Talk about a humbling experience.
The rest of the ride was pretty silent. I quietly reflected on my choices and I honestly didn’t have much to say. Clap for yourself I thought, as my Nigerian parents would say. We reached Baltimore around 1pm but it was okay. I had to look at the brighter picture. Things could’ve gone far worse than it did. I got the camera, I got the car, I diiiid get three tickets, but did I die? The shoot turned out to be a success. And most of all, I did it . Through all the trials and tribulations that I went through to accomplish this goal of mine, I let nothing stop me. And to this day that shoot has been my most favorite and memorable shoot. It has also been by far my craziest experience while in this industry. But this goes to show, anything you want in this life you can achieve. There will be obstacles thrown your way but that doesn’t mean you should let them stop you. It kind of makes you more proud of yourself knowing you could’ve stopped, but you pushed through. All in all, keep going.

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.

I’m a Baltimore photographer/videographer and this all started after I realized how much I actually did enjoy being my older sisters cameraman. I never thought I would become so attached to the craft, let alone start running a business off of it. As a freelance photographer, services I provide include lifestyle and studio shoots, as well as brand, graduation, real estate , wedding engagements shoots and more.
Some problems I solve for my client are alleviating the stress of creative work . My clients have great ideas and concepts but sometimes they need help bringing them to life. That is where my help comes in. By offering solutions and suggestions to make their shoot go as smoothly and creative as possible. “Bring me your idea and I will bring it to life”, is a motto I wholeheartedly live up to.
I am most proud of my progress thus far. Some days I have thoughts on if I should keep going, or if I’m doing all of this in vain. But the fact I haven’t stopped is what makes me so proud. I honestly love what I do and that, plus my steadily increasing knowledge and growth keeps me motivated.
I want my potential clients to know that we are bound to have a great time! Although this is my job, I like to have fun and my clients comfortability matters. A consultation is required before each shoot to break the ice and iron all details so the shoot can come out as they expected, or better!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social Media, networking, and collaborations has helped bring me a lot of new clients. Collaborating with other artists on the socials gives more eyes to your work than you might’ve reached on your own. The more eyes, the better chance you have at gaining more potential clientele. As for networking, networking doesn’t always have to be as deep as going to a networking event. Though those are great ways to build clientele, sparking up a conversation can take you a long way. Lots of clients I have worked with have been interested in my work simply off conversing. Having a business card helps them remember you and shows a sense of seriousness in your craft.

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

Consistency and setting yourself apart from the other photographers around you will help grow your audience! When I first started posting my work on socials, being consistent helped get me noticed. People looked forward to what my next post would be and it kept them engaged. The more you engage on socials, it will come right back to you. In the beginning I did a few themed shoots to catch people’s attention and jumping out the gate with these dope shoots, as a new artist, people remembered that. My following began to grow and so did my clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://chrystalclearproductions.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: @_chrys2 & @chrystheshooter
• Youtube: @chrystheshooter

Image Credits

Personal Photo: Victory Okwudiri
Additional Photos: Chrystal Udumukwu