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

Gracie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

When I got started in the business side of photography and film I had no idea how to market myself, let alone what my niche was. It really began as me reaching out to other creatives and asking to shadow them. Doing this built up my portfolio. Keep in mind that I was shadowing low-cost senior sessions, not the luxury weddings I had in mind. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, you move on to larger projects as you hone in on your craft and style. It came about that a couple I had met earlier that year was planning on getting married during COVID and their budget was very tight when it came to things like photo and film. I had recently, in that point of my business, switched entirely to 35mm film and Super8 and was still learning the ropes of making sure I didn’t get a blank roll back when they agreed to let me shoot their wedding. I made more than I thought possible, but still a small fraction of what my business makes today. I think by the time I had bought all the film, paid development cost, equipment cost, and second shooter, the profit was maybe 100$! The best investment as that work would land me my next 2 or 3 jobs that would kick start my career. The entire day of that wedding I was just silently praying that my settings were right and that I wouldn’t botch this couples day!

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 am a 21 year old cinematographer and photographer from South Houston. I began working with film in 2020 and have been able to provide a full time income for myself within 2 years of starting the craft. I use film mediums such as 35mm, Super8, or 16mm to document weddings, engagements, family session, and just life in general. Although I run Boettcher Films as a full time business, I am also a student attending Liberty University as well as a wife and momma to a 7 month old little boy. All of it reminds me of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Film is a creative outlet for me that allows me to slow down and see what’ s in front of me. There’s no robust digital interface to distract me, but the manual controls of true machinery. I serve couples who understand the artist process behind immortalizing themselves in film, and who are truly unhurried and in love.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Something I love to do, and it’s old school, is to send out Christmas cards as a brand. It might have me on it, or my family, with a season’s greeting’s or bible verse to encourage my client’s. I believe it’s an authentic and tangible way to remind your past client’s that you remember them and that they were more than just a customer to you. This past Christmas I sent additional cards out to potential clients, the ones who were inquiring but hadn’t yet booked. This simple intentional move booked me my first destination wedding to Phoenix, Arizona! When I facetime’d the couple to go over questions and pricing, the bride shared with me that what drove their final decision was the card. They had been “hounded by multiple photographers, but not one of them had done something as simple and sweet as send us a Christmas card”

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

It is so true that “it takes money to make money”. Sometimes you have to get clever. Not everyone has thousands of dollars laying around to invest in the best gear on the market right away. I essentially emulated that children’s game where you trade smaller objects in for slowly larger ones. I began with a sturdy Canon that I found used on Ebay and went from there. Fortunately, you can get started in film with a smaller budget than you can in digital.

Contact Info:

• Website: boettcherfilms.com
• Instagram: boettcheronfilm
• Facebook: Boettcher Films
• Youtube: Gracie Boettcher
• Other: Pinterest: Boettcher Films

Image Credits
Boettcher Films