We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erika Cockerham. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erika below.
Alright, Erika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?
My biggest perceived failure is what led me to where I am now as a photographer. Had I not failed at every other endeavor I set out to accomplish, I would’ve never found photography and it is in photography that I believe my true calling lies! I have a BFA in musical theatre, had dreamed of being on Broadway my whole life, and even moved to NYC right after I graduated college to pursue a life in the theatre. Nothing ever worked out. With a completely shattered heart and broken dreams, I moved back home to St. Louis 2 1/2 years after moving to the City and truly believed my life was over and that there was nothing left for me. I began teaching voice, piano, and acting and pouring myself into my students and into my Bible study and little by little, year after year, I experienced more and more healing. After 10 years of being back home in St. Louis, I got married and realized just 2 months after my own wedding that what I am ACTUALLY supposed to do is be a wedding photographer! I went all in with no back up plan and no room to fail (my husband and my wellbeing literally depend on the success of my photography business as covid killed 2/3 of my teaching studio and I never recovered from that). I knew that God created me to be an artist- I’d known that my whole life…I just always thought I’d be a PERFORMING artist! But after a lifetime of failure when it comes to the theatre, what I have actually learned is that the medium through which I get to be an artist is through photography! And I couldn’t love it more! It allows me not only to be an artist, but to love, encourage, and empower people which is what I’ve always felt called to do. Almost 13 years after moving home from NYC, my heart is restored and alive again, my dreams are renewed and bigger than ever, and NONE of the time I invested in the theatre has gone to waste…instead of telling stories from a stage, I am now telling stories from behind the lens of my camera!
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?
Two months after my own wedding in 2020, I found myself STILL on Pinterest obsessing over wedding photography! I thought to myself, “What on earth are you doing? You only get married once and you’ve already had your wedding…why on EARTH are you still looking at wedding photography inspiration?!” And it hit me all at once….back in 2015 (when my theatre dreams were crushed for the umpteenth time), I asked God, “What are you doing NOW? Because I want to be a part of THAT!” I couldn’t reconcile that He’d give me these gifts for singing and performing that He would never use, but at the time, He was not opening doors for me to use those gifts, so I told Him I’d put all of that on the back burner and trust Him to take care of it all in His own time and way, but wanted to know what He was doing NOW! I heard (not audibly), “Live a full life and love people.” Up until that point, I had NOT been living a full life- I had been obsessively longing for what was NOT happening for me which was theatre! Anyway, now its November 2020 and I’m wondering why I’m still looking at wedding photography on Pinterest even though I got married in August of that year, and that’s when it came to me, “LIVE A FULL LIFE AND LOVE PEOPLE!” And wedding photography was how I was going to do it! I immediately picked up a camera, enrolled in The Wedding Photography Masterclass and decided THIS was going to be my life from here on out!
As I fully immersed myself deeper into photography with each passing day, I realized that this was what God had been preparing me for over the past 20+ years of my life. Why do I think photography is so important? Why do I understand the value of a photo? Because tomorrow is not promised. Because there will come a time when a photo is all you have left to hold onto and because I believe that your memories with your loved ones who are here today deserve to be preserved today. I have gone through a tremendous amount of loss in my life- I lost 8 family members just in 2 1/2 years of college alone, so I KNOW how important documenting memories is. One of the most tragic losses of my entire life was that of my precious Aunt, Mary who went to meet the Lord when I was 22 and a senior in college. That came at the end of the line of 7 deaths prior to her, but the loss of Mary is what shattered me the most….Would you believe it if I told you I don’t have a SINGLE photo of Mary and me together??? Its true. And that is one of the most heartbreaking realities of my life. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to have even a single photo of us together to hold onto until I am reunited with her!
Its funny- looking back at my life, you’d see me as the friend who always had camera in your face. I was always taking photos of my friends and me together no matter how seemingly insignificant the event or day was. And now, I have a REAL camera (and I know how to use it!) and I consider it one of my life’s greatest privileges to walk through one of the most special seasons of life with people (engaged couples and seniors in high school and college) and document their stories!
What sets me apart from others is my heart. Yes, I’ve had over a thousand hours of education when it comes to photography, yes, I practice all the time, yes, its my goal to outdo myself in creativity every time I pick up my camera, and its a given that I will deliver amazing work to all of the people that I work with. But the most important thing about me is the heart I have for people and the way I love and serve them. People are not just a number to me. I care deeply about everyone who comes to me and chooses me to document their memories. I don’t limit the time I spend with them getting to know them, their vision, or their story. I like surprising them along the way whether that’s with gifts in the mail, hand written notes, gifting extra hours of my time, or anything else, my goal is for everything I do for each person I work with to make them feel like they are the most special person in my life. I want each couple to feel like they are the only couple in my life, and I want each senior to feel like they are the only one in my life. It is my mission to empower people to walk in their God-given identity and to show them the masterpiece they are. I do that through the relationships I create with them and through the photo sessions that take place. My photography business is also a full service studio which means I am not just going to hand you over a thumb drive of digital photos at the end of your session to get lost on a folder on your computer forever. I am going to bring you into my office, bake you your favorite homemade baked good and serve that to you while you watch a slideshow of all your images with your favorite music playing in the background. I am going to sit there and help you decide which images to put in an album, which images to hang on your walls, and help you decide what other heirloom products will adorn the walls and shelves of your home. I am then going to design your album and hand deliver all of your products to your home when they come in from the lab.
Once all is said and done, I believe that everyone who has ever worked with me knows that they can come to me if they need anything- a listening ear, a friend, someone who cares….relationships are truly not only the most important aspect of my business, but the foundation of my business. My goal is to glorify the Lord in all that I do and for people to walk away from out time together feeling more seen, heard, loved, and known than ever before!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I am almost 40 years old and have failed at everything I’ve ever touched in my life. I thought I’d be on Broadway….I never booked a single job after living in NYC for 2 1/2 years. I’ve never done anything other than barely make ends meet. And yet, I’ve ALWAYS believed (and still believe even though it gets harder to with each passing year) that I AM going to be successful. I believe I am going to have a thriving photography business that not only helps people personally but gives back and inspires the world at large. I have made very little impact so far, and haven’t quite yet found the open door for me to walk through and truly thrive and expand because of, but I am striving every day to be better than I was the day before. I hold onto the hope of Jesus because when all is said and done, He is the only one that can’t be taken from me anyway. Its very easy to get depressed and discouraged because of nothing ever working out, but the fact that I get up every day and work hard every day, and continue to put myself out there with the belief that my business WILL explode, WILL take off, WILL make an impact, and WILL be successful despite not seeing any of this come to fruition YET is certainly more resilience than I ever thought humanly possible of myself.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
In a short sentence: leaving the house.
Let me expand on that….
While I LOVE people deeply and value relationships more than words can properly express, at the same time, I am terrified of people. Which keeps me from reaching out a lot of the time. I really have to force myself to “send the email” “send the text” “send the DM” “make the ask” or “make the connection.” Once I DO leave my house, I am more often than not greeted with the most wonderful people who I make the most amazing connections with! And every time, I ask myself, “Why don’t I just reach out more often!?” I supposed its because I’m horribly afraid of rejection. (You’d think I’d be immune to it after a lifetime of it!) Every time I’ve overcome my fear and just put myself out there, I make incredible connections with people. For me, this has been an extremely slow build because word of mouth is the slowest way to grow when you start from nothing. But, the more people I put myself front of, show my heart to, serve, and give my photography services to, the more people I have singing my praises from the rooftops. I’m sure its only a matter of time before my name gets out there in more significant ways!
The experience I give combined with word of mouth is ultimately what I believe will enormously grow my clientele. The experience I give is one that leaves people feeling loved, cherished, cared for, and like they are AMAZING (because they are!) and its that experience that will travel by word of mouth the more I get out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: erikarenephotography.com seniors.erikarenephotography.com slu.erikarenephotography.com
- Instagram: www.instgram.com/erikarenephotography www.instagram.com/erikareneseniorphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikarenesingingphotograher
Image Credits
Erika Rene Photography