We recently connected with Emily Carter and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I manage my own social media (mostly Instagram, and some TikTok and Pinterest). At first, it was because being a small business I just didn’t have the financials to constitute hiring a team or company, but it quickly evolved into me loving it AND my brand becoming a personal brand so it just made sense for me to run my own social media. People see my face, they hear my voice, they connect with ME, not just the service I provide. I feel like it’s easier for bigger companies or companies who sell products to have a team/company manage them, but when it comes to hiring a PERSON to do a job, it’s so important that it’s a personal brand and that person shows up on their social media consistently.

So far, the results have been really amazing. I am still growing and still figuring out my ideal client and how to talk to them, but I LOVE showing up on social media and sharing my life and behind-the-scenes and my work. My photography business is a little extension of myself, and my social media pages reflect that.

If you are thinking about starting a business or you are a business and need some direction as far as social media management goes, here are my thoughts:

1. If you’re just starting, do it yourself. It saves money AND also gives you exposure to another part of your business. Even if you learn that you hate it, you’ve at least learned something and can appreciate the work it takes.

2. If you don’t love it, hire it out. Seriously. Social media (when done right) can have a HUGE impact on your business and gaining new clients/more audience members. There are people who are social media gurus and know ALL the ins and outs and stay on top of the trends and make everything look neat and nice and cohesive. It’s like, if you walked into a messy store that doesn’t really have a style, you’re confused and don’t really want to spend time there. BUT, if you walk into a store that looks neat, someone greats you, there’s a style and it shows you what YOU can get out of it and the experience it offers…you’re gonna stay and shop. So if you can’t make your “store” (social media & website) look nice and attract those customers, get someone who will.

3. Have fun with it! Long gone are the days of super perfect Instagram feeds and putting on a face that is social media perfect. Now-a-days (and depending on the platform), everything is more down-t0-earth and real. Although, that also means that you REALLY have to show who YOU are/what you do and what you offer/what people get from you. There’s no relying on pretty photos to sell a product. What does it do? Why did you make it? Why do we need it? What’s in it? Share all the things authentically and have fun with it! (Or, hire someone to have fun with it.)

All in all, the photography industry is heavy on social media presence (I mean, that’s all Instagram is is photos and video). So I’ve seen a lot and have been learning a lot. At the end of the day, people want to connect with people, get inspiration, education, and maybe a little entertainment, so tailor your content to fit one of those pillars of the social media world and you’ll be on the right track.

Emily, 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 Colorado-based Photographer & Videographer, specializing in capturing the most memorable chapters of your life. Whether it’s to capture the big and small moments of your wedding day, celebrate your senior’s amazing achievements, or cherish the unique relationship between you and your love, I create beautiful, true-to-color photos while making sure you have a smooth experience from inquiry to gallery delivery.

I started photography in high school (right around the time my cousin and I got Instagram on our phones) and fell in love with coming up with fun, creative shoots for me and my friends to do. I loved experimenting with posing people in camera and then messing with editing on my laptop. At first, I just wanted to create pretty, Instagramable photos, but I quickly fell in love with how my photography made people feel, both during the photoshoot and then after seeing their finished photos.

I really pride myself on being flexible, communicative, and transparent about everything that happens within my business. I want people to feel comfortable from the moment they click on my website to getting in front of my camera and then to receiving their final gallery of images. I have my entire booking process, package pricing, and even editing process on my website so people can see exactly how it will feel to work with me.

I also want people to know that I really take into account what photos they are wanting and looking for. I want my clients to look at their final gallery of photos and feel like I really captured them, their day, and their relationship without it feeling forced or “posey”. I want the photos to reflect the authentic moments they lived. If someone comes to me wanting couples’ photos, I take the time to ask questions to get to know them, their relationship, and their style so we can find a location that fits them and what they’re looking for. If a couple wants an “epic adventure” feel in their photos, I’ll suggest my favorite Colorado hikes, give them some outfit ideas, and plan for a longer session that way they can actually HAVE the adventure, instead of just pretending we did it for the photos. I’m all about capturing AND making the memories.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Fortunately, with a service-based business, there is not a ton of initial capital required to start. I don’t need a brick-and-mortar building, I don’t need inventory to sell to customers, and there’s not a ton of overhead costs. Really, the bulk of my “starting costs” really lies in the equipment.

Photography equipment can get expensive FAST, especially as you look into the newer technology and the really nice lenses and camera accessories. The very first camera I ever had was a Canon EOS Rebel T5, and at the time I got it the kit was probably $600 total for a camera body and 2 kit lenses. I had asked for a camera for Christmas of 2013 and my parents pitched in with my grandparents and that was the year I got my first camera.

From there, I was really fortunate to have family that supported my hobby and liked pitching in for different lenses and camera accessories for me. Anything else I wanted I paid out of pocket for from income from my summer or college jobs. It wasn’t until probably 2020 or 2021 that I really started making money from my photography and putting it all into a separate section of my bank account and keeping track. For the past 2 years, my business has been self-sustaining: any money I made from photography clients all went back into the business to pay for supplies, programs I use (Adobe Suite, Canva, Website domain…etc.), and any upgrades I wanted to make to my camera equipment. I haven’t needed to dip into my “personal pocket” of expenses in 2 years for anything business related, but I’m still not quite at the level of being able to pay myself a personal cut (like a paycheck). Working towards it this year!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had known about the educational leaders in my industry and the fact that styled shoots exist. (Don’t worry, I’ll elaborate.)

When I first started photography, I learned pretty much everything from trial-and-error or watching a few YouTube videos. There are SO many more resources out there now, but I wish I had known that there were photographers who were jumping into the educational world. Now, I follow quite a few podcasts from other photographers or colleagues in the wedding industry. They’ve been SUCH amazing resources as far as developing mindset and giving me direction as to what to focus on and how to grow the kind of business I want. There are guides and classes and mentorship sessions which is just amazing. I know photography now has a HUGE educational side to the industry that a lot of people pivot to after a few years of running a successful fulltime business. If your industry doesn’t have a big education side to it, GET ON IT! It’s amazing and seriously so helpful (and also a wonderful stream of extra income if you sell guides & classes and courses).

And styled shoots: I had NO idea what these were until 2 years ago. One of the local photographers I followed said they were selling tickets to a styled elopement shoot in Boulder and I got a ticket, showed up, and had an AMAZING time connecting with and learning from other photographers. I had the opportunity to get photos to build my wedding portfolio (something that is hard to build just with clients), got to mess with my editing, and just get really creative. Ever since that shoot, I’ve joined quite a few others and even hosted 2 myself! Styled shoots can be a little expensive if you’re just starting off but the content, portfolio building, and connections you make on the shoots are so worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emilytcarterphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/e.t.c._photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/etcphotography98
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5QGi5Vf1XBafNLYTPJBzTg