We were lucky to catch up with Erica Allen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Erica, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

I try to always find ways to show people that they are loved and cared for, so it’s no different with my clients. Whether it’s making sure my bride has had a snack and sits down to rest, or filling up their toast glasses when it’s been forgotten. It doesn’t matter if it’s in my job description or not, if it’s something I can do to care for my clients I try to get it done. It’s the little things to show you care. Recently I had a former bride that I found out had gone through a divorce and I reached out to see if she was all right and I could tell things were really hard. I was able to offer her a session for her and her son since she was recently a single mom. I was raised by a single mom and I know how hard that can be. Just doing a mini session for her and her son, meant the world to her. If I’m able to bless people here and there with small gestures of kindness I consider it a blessing to be able to do that. Another bride really stood out to me when I found out her mother had passed from a battle with cancer. I knew how close she was with her mom. I was able to go back into my old files from 7 years prior and find a photo of her and her mom and have it made into a necklace for her. My job gives me special opportunities to care for others and it’s an honor.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started practicing photography clear back in high school when I was about 17. My sister had taken a college class and I would go with her on projects and it ended up with me being involved with the concepts for her assignments and how to view and crop things, I realized oh I really love this. So from then on I pretty much always had a camera in my hand taking my friend’s photos, being on yearbook for my highschool, etc etc. I didn’t quite know what I wanted to say with my work yet. I knew I loved to tell stories though. So I continued on to The University of Kansas where I got my bachelors of fine art. Every class I took there helped shape the way I view light. It pushed me and made me think critically. Why am I taking this image? What do I want to say with this? Why am I lighting it this way? What do I want people to know or feel when they view this image? What I want most for my work to show is the story of the people who are in them. If your grandpa recently passed and you and your grandma share a special moment filled with tears and laughter I want to capture every frame of that so you can remember that particular moment in time. I had that specific interaction at my last wedding. I want to make sure I never forget the gravity, the weight, or the importance of people’s biggest days. This isn’t just a job. It’s an honor and a privilege to tell people stories. I’m a part of their biggest days, sometimes their best day, sometimes their hardest day and I never want that to be lost on me. I take a lot of time preparing for each session mentally thinking about what’s important to this client. What do they care about most? How can I tell their story the most authentic way possible? These are questions I’m always deeply thinking on. I don’t ever want to show up to a job not caring about the people I’m there for. Since I shoot every session personally sometimes clients become more like family to me. I want every person I work with to experience feeling cared for, seen, and heard by me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source for new clients is honestly word of mouth. When you show up to each session yourself, really show up in every way and you put in the work, care, and time people recommend you. I’ve had bridesmaids spend the whole day with me at their bff’s wedding and years later when it’s their turn to be the bride (after being a bridesmaid in a lot of weddings) they choose me for their day.
They see how much I care about my couples being at ease and comfortable. They know I’ll be working with them to get the images they want.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My husband is my second shooter for weddings. We have been married 19 years now. We got married at just 20 and 22 years old, literally babies. That’s what happens when you know your person since 7th grade. He hasn’t always shot with me. It started in 2020 with covid. All of my second shooters I normally hire had either been exposed, were getting sick, or were afraid to be around groups of people. My husband is a firefighter of 15 years and so we had already had covid about 1,000 times before We even knew what it was (just kidding, kinda). So he started coming with me to jobs that didn’t hire a second shooter. He was just there as a bonus. It turned out he was so good. I asked him how he came up with certain shots and he was like “oh I just think about what you would do”. I taught him all the technical side but you can’t teach the eye, so I’m really thrilled and fortunate that he has it because working with him has been such a blessing. I don’t feel as torn leaving my family because my best friend is always with me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eallenphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica_allen_photography?igsh=NnJzanplbzFmY2Iy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DnoTQazFy/