We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Crystal Ryan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Crystal below.

Alright, Crystal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

When I first began my journey as a full time photographer & business owner it was early 2020. I had quit my secure/corporate job as in… walked off mid-shift as it was not a healthy relationship/job to be in. I decided this was the time I would do photography full time, what could go wrong? Two weeks later, the world shut down because of Covid. I didn’t even have a client in my new state yet – because did I mention, I had just left my home state and moved across the country less than 6 months prior. The first day I wasn’t sure what to do, how could I begin and grow a business in a place where I know absolutely nobody and now everything is shut down? Well, within 3-4 days, I was reading an article before bed about the pandemic and it popped up that a local photographer in their area (I want to say it was somewhere in the mid-west) was doing these “Front Porch Sessions”. You would go around and take social distanced photos of families on their front porch! I posted on my local city Facebook page & within 6 hours I had 60+ sessions lined up for the next week! I went from panicking that I’d never be able to start a business to realizing the universe is always working for me & I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to get my name out there. My story was picked up by the local news & I still have many of these same clients I met through the front porch sessions today!

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?

I am Crystal & I am a mom of two, a wife and a photographer. I love to say I am a lifestyle photographer, but really I photograph all the things and my goal is to make you feel powerful and beautiful. I work with a lot of moms because I feel as women, when we step into this major role of being a mom, we forget how absolutely beautiful and powerful WE are as people. You forget how your children look at you, how your husband looks at you – more in love than before you two became parents and you forget how to feel good about yourself! Thats where I come in, whether its your wedding, you’re having a baby, you JUST had a baby, you need perfect branding photos for your business or you just want to capture the pure love and state of your family as it is here and now – I’m honored to be a part of your journey and help you remember everything that is great about you!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I personally use a lot of word of mouth – so the way I treat and handle my clients is a big factor in growing my business. I also work with a lot of kids and parents, so not being afraid to be silly during these sessions to genuine laughs out of kids is important. I actually do try to create a relationship with the kiddo so they trust me during the photo process and want to play! Most parents think kids have to be serious and follow rules during a photoshoot but after working with me – even the dads are saying how fun the sessions are & many tell me its the best photos they’ve ever had of their kids because they are GENUINE smiles.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I make sure I post all sorts of sneak peaks and tag my families online, run contests that including sharing posts – its all about getting interactions on social media so you have to think how you can foster interaction with your pages. I also do a lot of traveling (with specific clients and without), so I join pages of places I frequently go to advertise my photoshoots in those areas when I am traveling for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: crystalphotographsitall.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/crystalphotographsitall
• Facebook: facebook.com/crystalmariephotomemories
• Other: linktr.ee/crystalphotographsitall