We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Powell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
I’ve spent much of my life working and leaning towards creative outlets.
I started playing guitar when I was eleven and started playing piano and singing shortly after. My early to mid-twenties were spent working as a worship leader in full-time ministry. I’ve always had a desire to create.
In 2019, I stepped away from full-time ministry and worked a job that paid the bills but wasn’t fulfilling. I drove an hour to work each day and an hour back. Fast forward to 2022, and I landed a salaried remote job flexible enough to work on a passion project. So, what did I do? I picked up a camera and spent months learning everything I could.
My first step of execution was to learn anything and everything I could about a camera. I am naturally creative, so composition came natural to me. So, I took photos for of my family, my city, and showed up and took photos for businesses for free.
My second step of execution was about eight months after I purchased a camera. I launched a website with a contact form, a gallery of images I had completed for free, and posted the link to my social media platforms. From that point on, people have been reaching out nonstop.
After launching my website, I remember thinking that it was a dumb idea and I shouldn’t have done it. I was afraid of rejection and was afraid that I had put myself out there and no one would consider paying me to capture special moments for them.
Fast forward to 2023 and I have completed over 60 photo sessions and 11 wedding videos.
The biggest step to getting where we want is to actually just take a step. For me, the first step was picking up a camera. Then, it was launching a site. Then it was shooting my first paid session.
Daniel, 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?
I am a photographer and videographer from Florence (The Shoals Area), Alabama.
I capture photos for families, graduations, events, and weddings.
For video, I focus on wedding films.
One of the things I’ve always told my clients is this:
Film helps us to remember.
Film takes us back in time.
Film tells stories to future generations about the past.
I feel honored that I get to capture moments for people that they will be able to look back and reflect on for the rest of their lives.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of what I get to do is connecting with my community and using my gift to serve the people who make up my community. We’ve all been given gifts, and I hope to use what’s placed in my hands to serve the people around me.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The best strategy for growing my clientele is simply caring for people.
John Maxwell said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Another way to think about it is that people don’t care what services you offer or how good your work is if you don’t know the importance of treating people well and valuing people.
The best advice I could give any business owner or creative trying to build a clientele is to love people and treat the clients you have with honor and respect. Do whatever you can to go above and beyond, and business will naturally come your way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thisisdanielpowell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisdanielpowell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielpowellphotography
Image Credits
www.thisisdanielpowell.com