We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Zamora a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?

The best investment I have ever made (and continue to make) is education for myself. Whether that be the entrepreneurship and online business courses I took when I first started my business to recent courses on SEO and social media marketing. I feel like they have laid the groundwork for me and my business while also continuing to grow and expand me and my knowledge as a small business owner. A few other investments that I’ve never regretted for my business are mentorships with photographers and entrepreneurs that I aspire to be like and anything portfolio building (like styled shoots and free sessions).

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?

My name is Emily and I am a portrait and wedding photographer based in Portland, Oregon. I started my wedding photography business full-time 4.5 years ago and can’t imagine doing anything else! In addition to weddings I also photograph elopements, small business branding and products, families, and couples. I specialize in shooting in natural light, keeping my editing style true to color (with a touch of warmth), and focusing on the natural surroundings as well as the candid joy of my clients. I always like to tell prospective clients that I want to feel like more than just their photographer, I want to feel like their new best friend. And this is because I feel like the more comfortable they are with me, the more natural and “true to them” their photos will be. Plus, I love getting to know people on a more personal level and create relationships beyond a sterile professional one.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Going above and beyond for all of my clients! Word of mouth has been a huge source of clients for me the last couple of years and has also helped create an influx of clients who show up ready to book with me and already raving about how excited they are to work with me. Not only is it a huge confidence boost, but it also means that I spend less time/resources trying to get them to book with me or marketing elsewhere. And usually they are similar to the clients that referred them so I automatically get along with them so much easier and they fit in with my ideal clients.

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

Be yourself! Even when I don’t feel like it or I get embarrassed sharing about my personal life on the internet, showing up consistently and as authentically as possible is a huge attraction point for my clients. Clients who find me through instagram usually always mention in their inquiry how they feel like they already know me and how we have this or that in common. One of my favorite compliments is when I meet my clients in person and they tell me that I’m exactly what they pictured – all because I show up as I am and it in turn helps them feel just as comfortable with themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://simplywanderingphoto.com/
• Instagram: @simplywanderingphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimplyWanderingPhoto/

Image Credits
All photos are mine.