We recently connected with Crystale Vail Spearman and have shared our conversation below.
Crystale, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
I went for awhile without a name. When I was researching photography businesses, I noticed that many people just used “Photography by XXX” and it was actually suggested that this is the way to go. But as I grew in the amount of photography sessions I was doing, and more specifically, as I started attracting clients who were not connected to me (i.e. not friends or family) I started noticing a trend. A lot of the feedback I was receiving was mostly centered around the experience the client had (because more times than not, they hadn’t received the photos from the session yet). Clients would rave about the fun they had or how they felt comfortable for their photoshoot, and I found my self often responding by saying “I’m so glad you enjoyed your experience.” Once I noticed this trend, I felt like I should somehow incorporate it in my business tagline or something of the like. But after some thought, I decided to take it a step further and incorporate it into my business name. That’s where the EYE in EYEImagery came from. The “EYE” stood for “Enjoy Your Experience”. Early only, I had dots in the acronym (i.e. E.Y.E. Imagery). But over time, I dropped the dots for a sleeker look. I kept the meaning though. And something I didn’t expect was that having this acronym as my business name actually served as a reminder for me to always provide a great experience for my clients so that I could continue to live up to the foundation of my business.
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 name is Crystale and the name of my professional photography business is EYEImagery, where the “EYE” stands for “Enjoy Your Experience”.
I have worked as a full time professional studio photographer for the past 12 years after working as a test and systems engineer for 10 years. I feel that my background in engineering as given me a special edge in the world of photography as my skills in problem solving have influenced my way of thinking when it comes to lighting, style, creativity, and fixing issues as they arise.
I have had a long interest in photography, mostly starting in high school when I was responsible for capturing candid images of fellow students for our yearbook. I always had such a good time coming up with fun poses for people to do, or catching friends in their natural state doing everyday activities. I used to get a kick out of the fact that people loved to see me coming and got excited to jump in front of my lens for some cool shot that would ultimately frame their high school experience. Once in college, my passion for photography continued as I documented my journey through my pursuit of higher education. My friends always wanted me to share my pics with them as they bragged on my skills and how I always seemed to get the good shots. It was during this time that I realized that some things came naturally to me that didn’t necessarily come naturally to others when it came to taking pictures. After graduating with my Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and then my Master’s in Computer Engineering, I continued to pursue photography on the side. I started off with a couple of workshops I found online. Then I took a community college course to help me get familiar with the basics once I had invested in my first DLSR. From there, I invested in my first couple of strobes and got to practicing. I used any spare time and any human I could get my hands on to practice on. I got better and better and honed in on my particular style. And it eventually got to the point where people were willing to pay me for what I could produce. After awhile, balancing a full time job and then doing photography as much as possible started to get overwhelming. But I wasn’t ready to leave my job just yet. I first wanted to be sure I knew what having an actual photography BUSINESS would look like. So I decided to start working at the Sears Portrait Studio at night so that I could get hands on experience with running a studio, having systems, working with customers in high volumes, and generating consistent results over and over again. I would dare say that the part time job because my best teacher and may be a reason why I often get comments from other photographers on how I’m able to shoot so fast, come up with poses so quickly, create an almost seamless client experience, and turn over galleries containing such a large variety of unique images for my clients to choose from. After surviving an extremely busy holiday season at Sears Portrait Studio, I finally decided that I was ready to become a full time entrepreneur and have my own portrait studio. That was over 12 years ago.
My style of photography is simple yet bold. I like to focus on the client and bring their personality to the forefront to create images that are dynamic and personal. I also love for my images to be fun by injecting expressions and movement. Props and the use of color are the icing on the cake for me. I work with a lot of small business owners who are looking to break through the sea of content and grab the attention of their potential consumers. I feel that a great way to make that happen is to create an image that is so clean, concise, and vibrant that it almost screams “stop scrolling and check this out!”.
When clients describe me and EYEImagery to others, they often use phrases like “great experience”, “fun”, “friendly and personable”, “amazing photos”, “talented”, “energetic”, “good vibes”, etc. No cap… check my Google reviews! LOL! This honestly makes me so happy because over the years, it’s actually been my clients who have shaped and defined my brand for me. When I saw how people described me over and over again, it started to be how I describe myself. Because it made me realize that these are the things that people must be looking for and can find in my services. I love how my clients have shaped my brand and now I work hard to live up to those accolades and expectations.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is the instant gratification I receive to know that I’m still on the right path. Most people don’t get to find out right away if a client likes or dislikes what you’ve done for them. But with photography, I can show them the back of my camera so they can see the images I’ve captured of them, and I get to know right away if they are pleased. It feels really good to know that I was able to bring their vision to light and that all of their photoshoot worries can be washed away because they realize they’re in great hands.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I am not a sales person, AT ALL. The idea of owning a business always scared me because I knew I did not have the anatomy of a great salesperson. It just wasn’t in me. I didn’t like hearing no. I didn’t like going up to strangers and talking about myself. I didn’t like having to explain why me and not them. Because of this, I’m so happy that photography became my career. And I’m so happy that it happened during a time where social media was becoming a whole thing! Because I didn’t have to sell. It was like every previous client I had was selling for me without even trying. I would pour my all into any photoshoot I did, whether paid or not. And 9.9 times out of 10, the client would love their photos and couldn’t wait to share them on social media. Once they posted their images and tagged their new favorite photographer (ME), the inquiries would start coming in. My clientele is consistently growing right before my eyes.
People trust the recommendations of their friends, family, and peers when it comes to spending their money with a business that they are unfamiliar with. I know that “word of mouth” is not always a dependable marketing strategy since you can’t necessarily control it, but it’s been gold for me. It’s marketing that I don’t have to put extra energy into. Energy that I can use in a million other places. And with social media, word of mouth marketing becomes so easy and organic when you have clients who legitimately love you and your services. So, when it comes to growing your clientele via word of mouth and social media, my recommendation would be to focus on your client experience and make those clients fall in love with you. Make them feel like they will never get this type of service if they went to someone else. Make every client your number one VIP client.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eye-imagery.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/eyeimagery
- Facebook: facebook.com/PhotographybyCrystale
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/eyeimagery
- Twitter: twitter.com/eyeimagery
Image Credits
EYEImagery | Photography by Crystale