We were lucky to catch up with Emily Harper Petrie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I have always loved photography as a form of self-expression, empowering others, and storytelling. At the beginning I was living in my college town of Columbia, Missouri, and I did a lot of passion projects asking my friends to model for me and style them in vintage clothing pieces, volunteering to photograph music festivals, and local sporting events. At some point the friends I had photographed began referring me out to their friends and word of mouth was my main form of marketing, aside from an online portfolio I kept on a free Weebly site for many years. I eventually moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles and began working in hospitality and events. I have continued working in the event and wedding industry for many years while operating my photography business as my side hustle. While I never had a hard launch of my photography business, I feel like it began to legitimize in 2016 when I photographed my first wedding. Over these years, I have continued to develop strength in both areas of my career, giving my creative side a highly organized edge. I have had to figure out everything along the way and it has been a learning process. I have found my local networking group for event professionals to be a valuable community for me to keep growing in my photography business. I now shoot somewhere around 10 weddings per year, and many other portrait sessions as well, outside my full-time career in Non-Profit Development and Marketing. I anticipate shifting into full-time photography as the wedding industry continues to stabilize from the aftershock of the pandemic.
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 am an Los Angeles native, wedding photographer and event professional, dog/cat/chicken mom, wife, traveler, singer, gardener, and lover of long meandering drives through winding canyons with a great playlist. I covered a bit of my professional story in the previous question, but ultimately, I have gotten to where I am today with patience, perseverance, and support from my community.
I believe part of what has aided in my journey as a photographer is that I am passionate about the humanity and compassion I infuse into my work and making genuine connections with the people. As an LGBTQ+ identifying individual, I am also inspired to create images that break down societal norms and show that all kinds of people and love are valid and beautiful. My desire is to reach the clients that need a photographer who holds a safe and non-judgmental space allowing them to express themselves in a way that is authentic to who they are and the story they want to tell through photos.
I mostly photograph couples for engagements, elopements, and weddings, although I also do environmental portraiture, family sessions, and other types of lifestyle events and fundraisers. My style is modern, natural, romantic, whimsical, candid, and bold. Having 6 years’ experience in the event industry, I feel like my skill set aids my photography clients. I can truly assist and help them navigate their planning, refer them to other types of vendors in my network, troubleshoot interpersonal dynamics on event day, and also provide them with gorgeous images to cherish.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
It seems small but I love posting on a client’s anniversary and celebrating with them year after year. Another thing in the social media realm is that I post photos of all my clients to show the range of diversity I can celebrate through my lens. I typically honor and hold pricing structures steady for a few years at a time for returning clients. Aside from those things, I keep an authentic presence, and keep my work in alignment with my values, and the clients I like working with recognize that.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I think there is so much great media out there to take kernels of knowledge from. Lately, my biggest inspiration has been listening to “Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.” For me, being able to get into the psyche and understand different types of people is to come from a place of genuine curiosity. Jonathan does this in such a fluid and effervescent way, and I find myself working towards doing this more and more in my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.capturedbyecp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturedbyemilycpetrie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capturedbyecp/
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Captured+By+Emily+C.+Petrie/@46.423669,-129.9427086,3z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x8738c980c8b4d7d3?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgtebQr6aBAxW3ADQIHaN1AxUQ_BJ6BAgwEAA&ved=2ahUKEwjgtebQr6aBAxW3ADQIHaN1AxUQ_BJ6BAg3EAg
Image Credits
Portrait taken by Holly Castillo All others taken by me, Captured By Emily C. Petrie