Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gary Flom. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

As a wedding photographer, I have a unique privilege of photographing and preserving the memory of the wedding day for my clients. To many couples, their wedding day is one if not the most important day in their lives and I am always honored when the couple selects me to photograph this very special day in their lives. I know that as the years go by, they will always look back at their wedding photos, so I as a wedding photographer I am always mindful to capture not only the big moments but also little details as well as take photos of all the family and guests.

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

Ever since I was little I was always interested in photography. Our lives are full of many beautiful, precious moments, interactions, details and the camera gives me a chance to preserve these special moments of time that we might otherwise forget. Be it a beautiful sunset, or the sunrise or a hint of a smile, they way people connect to each other, look at each other, I feeling that we get when we look at the person we love, I want to capture it all. Two of my favorite moments to photograph in a wedding is the moment of the “first look” – when the couple see each other on the day of the wedding. The emotions, the connection, the tears of joy, the look in the partner’s yes, the love – it is so beautiful to capture on camera. My second favorite moment is during the wedding ceremony. It is the way the couple looks at each other as they stand in front of their guests about to become husband and wife. That look is unique – it is full of excitement and pure happiness and most guests can’t really see it as the couple is facing each other. But I see it because I can move around the couple and I can photograph and preserve this moment. I absolutely love it.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was working for a corporation in the broadcasting field – a job that offered stability, good benefits and a chance to grow. At the same time I started taking small weekend photography jobs, not so much for income – those gigs paid very little, but more for fun. I soon discovered that putting on a photographer’s hat on the weekend felt much more rewarding and fulfilling. I then applied to a few local studios to see if they would hire me and a couple of them did, which gave me even more chances to work as a photographer. I worked for a number of photographers this way, learning the business and some of those lessons were not always positive – I learned things “to do” and “not to do”. For example, paying people with 3-4 months delay is definitely a “not to do” that I learned. Being positive, encouraging and helpful to other photographers was something that I also learned in those early days and I still try to very much apply that lesson as I worked with other photographers and assistants, especially those who are just starting in this business. What you say to someone who is just learning the craft can have a very strong impact, and I always try to be as helpful and encouraging as I can to them. I remember who uneasy those early steps in the business can feel, the self-doubt and the challenges of starting in this industry can be overwhelming and intimidating.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

As with many photography studios, the business started as a small business, a one man LLC and then grew from there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.garyflom.com
• Instagram: @garyflomphotography
• Facebook: Gary Flom Photography

Image Credits

Photos by Gary Flom (Gary Flom Photography)