We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Francis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.

Emily , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

When I started Francisphotographs during the pandemic, I had no intention of becoming a licensed business so quickly. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved taking photographs. It started with my Pop Pop, who always had his camera at every family function. He would show me all the cool tricks and ideas he had. As I got older, for Christmas, I would ask for digital cameras and force my younger sisters to do “photoshoots.” As I got older, I found myself on a path as a mental health professional and continuing my education. When I had my babies, I met lots of people, and I watched so many friends become photographers, and I met friends who were photographers. I loved learning, using their cameras, and editing my cell phone photos!

When I was about to have my third daughter, I decided to do months of research and invest in my first camera. It was a giant leap, but I knew I wanted to be able to capture my family on my own time when I wanted. I knew I would eventually upgrade, so I started bigger than most and went all in with my first camera.

During the pandemic, I photographed my kids and family. Once I started editing, I wanted a safe space to share and watch my work grow. That’s when I created Francisphotagraphs_, my Instagram page. Once the pandemic lightened and my daughters were over having their photos taken all the time, I branched out to friends. Slowly my work was being shared by friends who appreciated my talent. Everything just fell into place so naturally. Over time those friends recommended me to more & more friends, and then I would have people message me I didn’t even know. It was terrific. However, taking time from my family was hard for me, and it was a lot of complex work editing and taking photos of a session. So I started to charge small amounts here and there.

When I would make money, it was being turned around right back into Francisphotographs with more courses, editing apps, cameras, lenses, SD cards, and gear to gain an understanding of how to work with clients and deliver top-notch photos. The money was nice, but the outlet of self-care and peace I got from photographing and meeting new people and those individuals appreciating my work filled my heart in a way I didn’t know possible.

Over the last 2.5 years, I have excelled incredibly with a lot of hard work. I have found my worth in my skills, and I have taken the plunge to photograph weddings, something I did not think possible.

When my dad passed in June 2021, I realized life is too short not to chase dreams. It’s too short to listen to others who don’t believe in you or bring you down. I have cut a lot of that negativity out of my life and put my heart and soul into making Francisphotographs a legit business. I wanted to go about it correctly, so I filed to be an LLC! Investing time and more money than I’d like to admit has paid off. I have messages and emails daily for individuals requesting all types of photo shoots.

As I continue to shoot family sessions, newborn life style, boudoir, and now weddings, I can fully say my business is booming.
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The most critical part of running a business however is recognizing that you’re not alone. A business is built off of hard work and education, yes of course. However, It is something that is most successful with the right people behind you encouraging you along the way. My husband, children, parents, sisters, in laws, family, & friends in my life have been the biggest blessing to my business it’s the true reason I succeed because I am pushed to my best potential. I am so incredibly blessed.

With that being said, I am still a mental health professional as a school social worker for homeless students obtaining my LCSW. Photography is also a job but still my outlet to let go and get creative and I love both so incredibly much I don’t see myself leaving either field and both fill my cup in different ways.

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

At the end of the day, photographers have a hard job. It’s not just taking a few pictures and slapping a quick edit. My heart and soul go into each photograph I take.

When I take photos of families, I share all the photos that show each emotion, the quick kiss with mom and dad, the toddlers having a meltdown, and the kids giggling at a funny joke I made. It’s important to me for families to have those memories to look back on. It’s extra work on my end to deliver 50+ average photos for my sessions, but the feedback, love, thankfulness, and appreciation I receive from my clients always pays off.

I want all my clients to love all their photos. I’m not just in this for the money or the quick shoot. I want family photos to be enjoyable for my clients. I’m in this to build relationships, meet new people, experience different things, and watch families grow.

From a totally different perspective, When it comes to weddings, as I have entered into the industry this last year or so, I have seen a lot of businesses and interactions. I like to remind my clients they will become my best friends at the end of their process. I have an incredible amount of personal experience being in friends’ and family’s weddings of how the day runs and what needs to be done, giving me a different perspective. I also have the therapeutic aspect of my mental health side, which is a calming presence on a wedding day.

As a client’s father once told me on her wedding day: “Emily, we didn’t know how much we needed you today. Your quick reaction to take direction but in such a calming, respectful, & smooth way is something many people don’t have.” And honestly, it stuck with me. It was such a nice compliment because it’s true. Taking control to make someone’s most important day of their life run smooth is scary, but I have the courage to do so, with the absolute best intentions. For every couple I work with, I make sure it’s my goal for their day to go as smoothly as possible with every shot they want to be taken seamlessly.

I am very good at setting boundaries and not taking on more than I can handle. I work hard to do so, so nothing is rushed and to build relationships with all my clients. That is what I take the most pride in.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social Media is something I have a love/hate relationship with. I have all the major platforms, and I grew up in a time when social media took off. I fall in that category of people who grew up with no cell phones, which turned into flip phones, and then what feels like overnight turned into everyone’s entire lives being online. I’m guilty of using all the platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for my personal life. It’s a way, as a military family, we share photos with our family, it’s a way I’ve stayed connected with old friends, and it can be a great space.

However, when it comes to my business, I truly only use one social media platform, which is my Instagram Francisphotographs_ to advertise. Occasionally I will write on a Facebook post when I see someone looking for a photographer. Social media is, most of the time, a free platform to advertise your work and learn from other professionals, but social media is not the end-all-be-all. You do not need to have 10,000 followers, and you do not need to post daily with top-of-the-notch videos and reels for some individuals who find joy in that it works. However for myself, it’s something I am active on and definitely how I share my work, but it’s also time-consuming and complex. It’s competitive and hard not to compare to others. It can indeed suck the life out of you with the dos & donts.

Honestly, the biggest platform for how I have gained clients over the years and have built my business is word of mouth from past and present clients. That’s why it is so essential to build rapport with people and have a relationship. Showing people you are genuine and care gets you a lot further than a silly Instagram reel.

How did you build your audience on social media?

If you decide to use Instagram or any social media platform to build a social media presence, a couple of tips to follow are: 1. Always tag your clients
2. Always tag the location
3. Always use hashtags with local towns, the types of photographs you’re taking, your business name, colors or words that describe what’s going on in the photo, and other businesses if they are involved as well.

It’s also super important to encourage others in the same industry. We are all out here working hard. We all know how hard social media can be to keep up with. If you see a post, especially that of a friend or a local business, like it, share it, and comment on it. As my mom always taught me, the golden rule “ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Meaning treat others the way you want to be treated. Encourage your peers because they feel that love and reciprocate it right back. It’s the only way we will continue to build any social media platform, especially if that is your primary source of building clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.Francisphotographs.com
• Instagram: Francisphotographs_
• Other: Zola Unscripted Posing App Shutter Up Magazine