We were lucky to catch up with David Hakamaki recently and have shared our conversation below.

David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The photography industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Before the digital revolution, most people had to go to a professional photographer to get quality portraits. When they got photos with a photographer, or when they took photographs themselves with their personal film camera, people regularly had photographic prints made. This has created a unique challenge for photographers, who relied upon print sales as their primary means of revenue.

Since digital cameras and digital imaging came about, people have had less and less photographs printed. They either keep them on their digital device, such as a phone or tablet, on a computer hard drive, or an external media storage location (photo CD, flash drive, cloud storage, etc.). Unfortunately, this type of storage is very volatile and has created gaps in many families photographic memories, due to device corruption, loss of images, hard drive failures, accidental deletion.

I have been a professional full-time photographer for over 20 years. My primary focus has been in high school senior portraits, weddings, families, and youth sports. Each of these areas of photography have always been very reliant upon printed photographs as their end product. I also did baby/children photos, event photography, and commercial photography. For the past 5-7 years, there appeared a new trend in photography was emerging and I knew I needed to adjust my business approach to remain viable and profitable.

When Covid hit in 2020, all photography activities came to a standstill. Shockingly, my income stream completely dried up. Instead of morosely waiting for Covid to end, I took the opportunity to look at my photography business and see what aspects were the most/least profitable. I found that there were several areas that were declining in overall sales, so I eliminated several those areas of photography. This was not only due to people printing less photos, but also the influx of more photographers into the digital photography world. There were now many more people offering services as a photographer, whether it be a full-time professional or a hobbyist. Digital photography also became much more affordable and approachable from the consumer standpoint. Digital cameras seemed to be in everyone’s hands. Cameras on cell phones becoming much more common and producing higher quality images. All of these created a perfect storm for the decline in overall professional photography services and profitability.

By eliminating several lines of services that I previously offered, while focusing on the ones that were stable or growing, I was able to transition beyond the rapid closure or declining profitability of many longtime photographers. Currently, I concentrate primarily on high school seniors, as well as youth and high school sports. These are two industries that people still want to have printed photos and have a hard time getting them on their own. In addition, I found that my ideal client still wants high-quality printed photos, which they cannot get from a part-time or hobby photographer.

Building on that, I also looked at my sports photography and found there was a desire for uniquely staged team photos, which I call “sandlot photos”, as well as High School Sports senior banners. These are completely unique items that the parent cannot get on their own, which further increases my profitability beyond traditional printed photo offerings.

Another important aspect has been the client relation aspect of my business. Coaches, athletic directors, schools, and high school seniors are not interested in the low cost or “new and popular” photographer. My clients want the reliability and longevity of my business, which they know will provide them with service year after year. They do not want to take the chance of a part-time or hobby photographer moving on after a few years of photography or getting lower quality photographs than they get from me. I have watched many photographers come and go over the years, including several long-standing or credentialed photographers, whose business model did not keep them afloat.

Thankfully, my business has continue to grow each year, with revenues increasing in the 10%-20% rate each year since Covid. This has been due to the elimination of lower profit services, offering unique products. and having a solid client retention model. A good business always looks at ways to improve their business.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in the business world. I went to college and obtained my Bachelors degree from Northern Michigan University and Masters degree from the University of Michigan. I have worked for several businesses, opened and sold several retail stores, as well as taught business, marketing, and micro and macro economics at the college level as an adjunct professor. Along the way, I obtained my photography degree from the New York Institute of Photography and opened my photography studio in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 2001.

I currently run Cutting Edge Photography, a full-time, home-based photography studio in Iron Mountain, Michigan. My primary focus is now high school senior portraiture, as well as high school/youth sports photography. I also do some commercial and professional portraiture, as well as photo restoration.

I’m a Speaker & Educator on photography, lighting, and business topics at local, state, and national Photography conventions and workshops across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. I am also a brand ambassador and beta tester for several prominent photography companies.

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

The first part that helped build my reputation within my market area was my education. Not only did I obtain an undergraduate and graduate degree, but I also hold a photography degree. This provided me with a solid foundation for both business as well as photography technique. It insured that I knew what I was doing when I took a job. The background in business gave the client and instantly familiar process from booking through session to the sales session. My photography degree gave my client the confidence that I would consistently produce high quality imagery.

The second part has been my longevity and interaction with my clients. They know my business is here to stay and they can rely on my services for a long time. Also, my interaction with clients and school officials allows them to understand the process and know that I will meet their needs.

Lastly, by being invited as a Speaker at some of the largest photography conventions in the world, has further bolstered my reputation as a high quality photographer.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most satisfying part of being a photographer is to capture that one moment in time that cannot easily be recreated. People grow older, families move apart, kids graduate from high school. By me being there and capturing their senior portraits or their participation in a youth or high school sport, and providing those photos to the parent, I know that the child or parent can always look back on that fleeting moment and have wonderful memories.

Especially with my sports photography, some kids do not continue to participate in certain or any sports after their youth community leagues are done. It is always fun to look back on how that youngster looked and the group they participated with. Then, seeing them as a high school senior, all grown up, provides a fun conversation piece and knowing how they have grown from a small kid into adulthood.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cuttingedgephoto.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DaveHakamaki
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CuttingEdgePhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hakamaki-photography-industry-speaker-and-educator-47960136/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaveHakamaki