We recently connected with Elwena Blom and have shared our conversation below.

Elwena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I provide an all-inclusive (comprehensive) service to my clients from pre-session consultations to final art on their walls. Most photographers just sent clients a bunch of digitals and are done. For me, that is like a chef giving the client the ingredients or the painter giving someone the paint and canvas. It is not finished. On average I spend about 15 hrs on each client.

I have pre-booking conversations with them to determine if I’m the right photographer for their needs and if we are a good match. After booking, we’ll do a session design and planning consultation that includes a discussion on what to wear, I have a virtual stylist that can help with wardrobe – she is especially helpful for personal branding sessions. During this time I may visit a client’s home as well to measure wall space and take photos to use in a state of the art software to show them what their images will look like on their walls before purchasing.

On the day of the session, I have professional hair and makeup artists who get my clients camera-ready at the studio so clients can relax after dealing with traffic before stepping in front of the camera. I also do 99% of my session in the studio after working on my technical craft for years. I guide clients all the way and there is no need to know what to do.

After the session, we’ll arrange a gallery reveal and ordering session during which we’ll go through the gallery of images together and discuss edits and art to be purchased which I then order from printing labs only available to professional photographers.

It was so much more fulfilling to give clients a beautiful framed print to hang on their walls like art or a beautifully designed album that they can keep forever and hand down to generations to come.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I studied graphic design with photography. These were the days before digital cameras, so we learned film and darkroom techniques, and I am grateful to have had that base and experience.

After years of working as a graphic designer, I made photography my full-time business in 2017. It was always a hobby, and when my kids were little, I started photographing kids and families through my mom group, and it grew from there and evolved.

When I started on this journey 14 years ago, I gave all digitals to clients. Later, when I would ask them, I realized that some never did anything with their images or didn’t even know where I gave them that CD or USB. So all the hard work I put into those images was for nothing. The inner artist in me started to feel that I’m not giving my clients the full service they deserve, so I am now providing them with final products (and corresponding digitals). In this busy life – especially with new parents and babies, I do everything for my clients, so this is one less thing they have to do and will create more time to spend with the people they love.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish we had done more small business training back in college – we learned a lot of technical knowledge and worked on our craft, but running a business is a different story.

Having mentors helped, and I have found invaluable training through Sue Bryce’s Education over the years. Especially when it came to self-value, pricing what you are worth, and business training. The community is uplifting and encouraging, something I have never found before in a very competitive market.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I started with absolutely nothing. I had a little Canon rebel camera and used that for many years before upgrading to more professional gear. I started outside with natural light, so I didn’t need any studio equipment at the start, but over the years, as I moved more and more indoors, I started to gather what I needed.

You just have to realize that you don’t need everything to get started. Some photographers have analysis paralysis and watch videos and make lists of what gear to get and eventually don’t do anything because they are too scared to start.

What is important is to start with what you have. A white wall and a phone are sometimes all you need. I am very proud of everything I built over the years, but sometimes I take a step back or wait before I buy the next best things and ask, is it really going to help my business to purchase another light, or can I get by with what I have for now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ellephotostudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellephotodenver
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellephotostudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elwenablom/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr5scFfrNHBFX4ROlF6PstQ

Image Credits
Profile image by Brian Schmittgens (instagram @schmittgens_photo)