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

Hi Erica , thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I do not define myself and my business by the subject I shoot, I define it by style. I don’t want to be labeled and placed in the standard boxes society has chosen for photographers. Why a person is choosing to get photographed at that time in their life is definitely important. However, choosing a photographer based upon the fact they have photographed people for similar reasons is not enough. Just because a photographer has photographed 15 other graduates doesn’t mean they are the right fit for you.

I often get asked ” what type of photography do you do? Seniors, newborns, maternity?” I reply with “ all of them, I shoot portraits in the same style as my commercial work.” Sometimes this can be difficult for people to grasp because it’s not commonly used, but when they see my work they understand. To me photographing a pregnant woman or a family of five is all the same. It’s about capturing the essence of the subject and translating it into powerful storytelling images. A good photographer should know how to photograph a person that’s age 15 or 95. Therefore, how you want your story told should be the number one thing you consider when choosing your photographer.

That’s why we offer sessions that represent the three styles I shoot. For example, the Editorial Lifestyle session is a collection of non posed photojournalist images that tells the story of human connection. While our Signature styled sessions offer set production and focus on creating a single powerful storytelling image. Similar to what advertising agencies hope to achieve with images for their clients.
What story they tell, well that’s up to the client. It could be how well two people connect ( engagement session) or how their lives are now fulfilled by becoming a family in a newborn session. Maybe you want to present yourself like the athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated, then we make it happen or you want a sexy victoria secret styled session (boudoir) we got you! For us it’s about how we tell YOUR story, the colors, the lighting, and the overall look you want for your portraits. Wash, rinse, repeat is not in our formula. We believe your photographs should be as unique as you are.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi I’m Erica, a portrait photographer based out of Austin, Tx. I began taking photos at age 6 and continued throughout highschool and college where I received my B.F.A. I love creating images that make people stop and ponder. When clients flip through my portfolio I often get asked. “ Who is that?” because they are so intrigued. Our motto is “ #BeEXTRA!” because we are all about the details and building a story with every image. That’s why we are for “people who want more than average.” It doesn’t matter if you’re a graduate or a mom wanting marketing images for your startup, we’ve got you covered. Our studio produces art for families, graduates, businesses, and any one wanting to upscale today’s average. It doesn’t matter why you have chosen to get photographs at this time in your life, it only matters that you want quality. That’s what makes us different. We specialize in bringing production processes that’ve been RSVP for the elitist and using it to customize sessions for our clients. Since we are a full service studio, you don’t just leave with images on a disc. We create beautiful wall art and heirloom albums you can pass on for generations.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

For me it’s been having to educate non-creatives about the reality of what creatives do and how it really works. I think non-creatives think that having a creative job means you enjoy every minute of it. They envision that we spend our time carefree and happy and ideas just flow through us. But the truth is we spend the majority of our time marketing and FINDING work. Yes it can be fun, but just like any job, it has its ups and downs. This may stem from the fact that several creative businesses are also activities non-creatives do to get away from their day to day grind. Another struggle non-creatives don’t always understand is we do not have hours to just sit around and “hang out” with them on their days off. Since most of us work for ourselves we don’t get automatic paid sick days. If we want to go on vacation we have to make sure we have made funds or have secured funds incoming when we come back. For many of us we do not have steady paychecks for a guaranteed about every week like in corporate environments.

Finally non-creatives struggle with thinking of creatives as business owners. Just because what we do brings enjoyment to those we create for doesn’t mean it’s not a business. This means that like all businesses we have set a price for our services. This price is determined by us, and is not up for negation unless we allow it in our process. Just like every other establishment, the price is the price.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been my old clients. Former clients already know how you operate, what you offer and best of all loved what you created for them! They are the best testimonial marketing out there. Former not only see the value in your services, they inform others of that value everytime they proudly display what you produced for them to their family and friends.
Another great source of new clients for me comes from getting out and networking. Meeting people and building relationships. That saying people do business with people they like and trust is true. When you meet people they get to know you and your creative business is an extension of you. When they like you, they retain information about you. So the next time they encounter a situation where they or someone they know could use your services, you’ll be the first in mind!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.epphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/urbanmodernchic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/epphotography
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ericaapayne
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/epphotography
• Other: www.tiktok.com/epphotography

Image Credits
the black and white on the stool is me. but the single image upload said a photo that represents you. The photo of me is a self portrait.