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

Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

One of the biggest trends right now in portrait photography is documentary style with photos that feel like they are scenes from a movie. This trend has to be done well to successfully capture the emotion of the subjects. Most times these photos include motion- blur. I recently tried this out on a senior session and saw such a positive reaction from my client during the session. My client mentioned that she felt more comfortable being directed this way. The final photos turned out so great and truly captured her personality.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My passion for photography began at a young age. My grandparents were both photographers, so I grew up playing around with my grandma’s camera. When I graduated high school my grandma gifted me her old camera. I did a few photoshoots with friends, but it wasn’t until I took photos for my grandparents wedding anniversary, that I felt like I wanted to turn this passion into a reality. In 2020 I dedicated my time to teach myself how to properly use a camera’s manual settings. In the spring of 2021 I decided I was comfortable enough to finally launch my photography business! I began doing photos for friends and friends of friends, and then the word began to spread. From there, I decided to use social media as a tool to grow and promote my business.

Today, I offer a range of portrait sessions including seniors, couples, families, maternity, and weddings. I strive to better my business and client experience, and I learn a lot from each and every session. I have found that a great client experience is such a crucial component in being successful. I prioritize creating a connection with my clients before and during their session. This not only helps my clients feel comfortable for their session, but it allows me to capture their personalities and love accurately.

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

I am still working on growing my social media presence, but I have found a few tips that have helped me grow when I felt “stuck”. Social media was so daunting for me. I found that planning out my posts and scheduling my posts are what help me grow my audience and interactions online. For Instagram, I love to use the scheduling and insight tools to plan out the best time to post. I use Canva and My Feed as well to plan out what I would like my content to look like on my page / feed.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth!! This has been the most successful source of new clients. That’s why I believe it is so important to give each client a great experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://courtneygoffphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: @courtneygoffphotography_
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/courtneygoffphotography

Image Credits
Headshots- Photos taken by SEE Images Photography. Photos edited by Courtney Goff Photography. Wedding Photos. Taken & Edited by Courtney Goff Photography.