We were lucky to catch up with Jack Horsley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jack, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

When I was around eight or nine years old, I discovered my mom’s digital camera, a little point-and-shoot one, and my obsession with picture taking began. I loved playing around with it and thought to begin this journey of taking photos. When I was 12 years old, I got my own digital P&S camera, kept shooting and at 15 years old, discovered photo editing by playing around with Instagram filters. I learned from there, it was fun to make photos look more colorful or dramatic or vibrant than they had started. Beginning to understand my passion for taking pictures, I sparked attention from my family. When I would go to family events, everyone expected a camera around my neck. For a high school graduation present, I received my first DSLR camera. It was then I decided to learn more about photography and go into it as a full time career!

Jack, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In order to understand who I am and where I am in life, you’ll have to know where I began. Twenty-six years ago, on the day I was born, my life with Autism began. My disability has challenged me to be the best person I can be by navigating childhood, adolescence and young adulthood quite differently than others. I have had to learn how to manage overwhelming sights and sounds, adapt to awkward social situations, and forge relationships when opening myself up to rejection is a very real and debilitating notion.

For this reason, it has been my mission to be a photographer of inclusiveness…regardless of your age, race, religion, sexual orientation or intellectual ability! Additionally, my work ethic includes a provision to provide professional services to those in need of a photographer without the worry of unaffordable expense. My service and print packages have been thoughtfully constructed so that capturing special moments does not become a matter of cost. I believe there should never be a time when shooting pictures at your event depends on a price tag. Everyone’s memories matter.

I am proud of my work as a Knoxville (and travel) wedding and portrait photographer.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy I have used for growing clientele is using social media, particularly Instagram and Facebook. When using these two platforms, the biggest strategy I learned is the best time on when to post. My goal is to always post around lunchtime, the time where people like to check out social media to unwind for a little bit from their busy everyday lives. If there was a second best time I try to post, it would be around 4:00pm, the time people start getting done with their work days and want to check social media to unwind.

Another big strategy I have grown clientele is word of mouth. I cannot explain enough how many of my clients have been so impressed with my work, they start sharing it with their friends who are looking for photographers to take their photos. It always makes me happy when a new client messages me and they mention a mutual friend referring them to me!

Have you ever had to pivot?

This wasn’t a business related “pivot”, but a photography related switch I made for my personal growth in my career.

A great pivot I had with my photography journey was shifting from a regular DSLR camera to a mirrorless DSLR. Last fall, I purchased the Nikon Z5 after only using my Nikon D750 for three years. It has been a big game changer to my photography! Since moving to it, I’ve learned how different it is from a regular DSLR. An example…seeing the light going in and out of the camera when I change my settings. My D750 does not show what the light looks like when it goes in and out of the camera.

If people were ever curious and wondering what the difference is between a mirrorless camera and a DSLR camera, the best way to explain is the biggest difference I got when I started using my Z5…the regular DSLR has a mirror inside, which does not let you see the settings change before you even take a photo. The mirrorless camera does not have the mirror and DOES let you preview the lighting before taking a photo! Also, the weight difference is crazy different, too!

Contact Info:

• Website: jackhorsleyphotography.zenfolio.com
• Instagram: @jackhorsleyphotography
• Facebook: Jack Horsley Photography

Image Credits
Jack Horsley Photography