We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cristina Pelino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cristina below.
Cristina, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To be a successful photographer, you must differentiate yourself from everyone else in the industry. Show your personality, create a personal relationship with your clients, and develop your own special and unique style of photography. In order to achieve this, you must open your full heart to the client’s you are photographing. Take photos that capture and display emotion and make the viewer “feel” something. Stay creative and be sure to make your clients feel comfortable in front of the camera. Be sure that you understand their needs and vision regarding what kind of photo session they are booking with you. All of these techniques and aspects combined will enable you to stand out and create your own success and market of clientele.
Cristina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, with over 6 years of professional wedding and portrait photography experience, I am so grateful and happy to have the opportunity to capture timeless memories for my clients. The photos I take for people are my PASSION, each one being intentional, to capture their raw, authentic selves and real moments of joy and intimacy. I started my business, Cristina Pelino Photography, about 6 years ago. When I first started photography, I constantly was working with and shadowing other professional photographers, and learned and gained an immense amount of experience doing this! Since then, everything has fallen into place quite naturally!
I believe what sets me apart from other wedding and portrait photographers in South Florida, is how I connect with my clients on a personal level, making them feel comfortable and open with me. I am understanding and flexible to my client’s needs, especially if little ones are involved. I go above and beyond during my sessions and keep the vibe flowing with natural poses and actions that create a combination of beautiful candids and posed shots. I edit, retouch, and deliver as many photos as possible in the client’s final gallery in order for my clients to treasure and enjoy the beautiful and emotional moments I captured during the photoshoot.
My goal is to deliver images that make people “feel” something and relive the moment of when the photo was taken. Memories through photos are so important and precious, especially when it comes to weddings, family, maternity, and engagement sessions.
I feel proud of myself and fulfilled inside when I deliver a gallery that a client adores. It fills my heart with joy to deliver photos to someone that they not only feel beautiful and confident in, but that tell a story and allow them to look back and remember those memories through photographs for a lifetime.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients has been social media and word of mouth! Referrals are a super powerful and effective way of receiving new clients!
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
At first, I did photography part time on the side, until I was comfortable and confident enough to rely on it as my sole income like I do now!
It took a few years until I received enough consistent and new clients to feel comfortable going full time in running my photography business. Through marketing, word of mouth, referrals, and connecting with people, I slowly but surely gained a steady amount of clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cristinapelinophotography.com
- Instagram: @CristinaPelinoPhotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CristinaPelinoPhotography