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

Johnny, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

I have managed the social media for my photography business since the start. My social media began as a creative outlet for me to post pictures I took and edited on my iPhone. Then it evolved into my official page for my photography business which began in the summer of 2022. I bought my first camera with the help of my parents and began taking pictures of anyone and everyone for free to build my portfolio. Not long after I started taking photography seriously with my camera and began CapturedbyCashman, I posted my work consistently on the page. My account grew slowly but surely in following, and interaction and sessions began to ramp up. While social media can be challenging to keep up in posting consistently, answering direct messages, and trying new ways to interact with followers, it is an essential component in developing a thriving small business, such as a photography business. It has been so rewarding to run my social media on my own and to see it grow. It may be discouraging at first when there is limited growth, but it has been so fulfilling to have people book or inquire about sessions through my social media. Even if you do not particularly enjoy social media, it can bring out a different creative side. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! When I first started, I would reach out to other photographers who inspired me and ask their opinions on different aspects of their job including how they ran their social medias. While I learned so much from them by asking questions, I also learned from them by watching their Instagram grow substantially through mainly posting their work consistently. Don’t overthink it. Have fun with it. Find the way you like to post and develop it with your creative touch. I like to play around with different styles and arrangements of carousels and then other times I just post a single picture or multiple slides with no creative arrangement. You have freedom to do whatever when you run your own social media. Keep at it, post consistently, and watch results happen right in front of your eyes. And do not forget to post yourself! People want to know who you are before they even inquire or book with you. Get on your Instagram stories and share that funny session story. Hop on social media and share the new recipe you tried for dinner last night. People want to see the real YOU!

Johnny, 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?

Beginning in my childhood years, I began to take pictures of everyone and everything with whatever I could get my hands on. From snapping shots on my DSiXL to my mom’s iPad to my iPhone to a digital camera to my Canon, I have always enjoyed capturing the moment. To me, pictures are memories! I am all for living in the moment but there is something about going back through physical copies of photos or even the photos app on my phone and reliving special moments of my life and others’. While I was a dedicated athlete and intermediate pianist, I always wanted to find my artistic and creative side. I began to consider seriously getting into photography since I had always loved taking photos as well as running my personal social media. In the summer of 2022, my parents assisted me in purchasing my first professional camera and lens. Since the start, my parents have been completely supportive. They have helped me pursue this passion of mine and I could not thank them enough. After securing my first professional camera, I began to take photos of friends and family for free in efforts to build my portfolio and share my work. Not long after that, I booked my first session capturing a 5th anniversary for some friends of mine in Pensacola, Florida. The rest has been history! I have done many sessions since then capturing a wide array of people, locations, and businesses. While I have come to thoroughly enjoy capturing the love between couples and celebrating the end of an era for seniors, I have also found so much joy in helping small businesses by providing quality work for their promotion efforts. My editing style could be described as true to color. love emphasizing the intricately designed colors that God created, especially greens. I am a natural light enthusiast. A touch of warmth creates a cozy and intimate feel that can be cherished forever. My goal is to make each client feel heard, have a good time, and be confident in their unique selves. Each person wears a smile that God gave them. I want clients to not just be clients, but friends. I want them to walk away from a session feeling happy and excited to see the moments I had the honor to capture for them. I want to be able to capture the same people throughout the years as their families grow and they enter different phases of life. Being around people fuels me. You can ask anyone who knows me and I think they would tell you that I love to talk, laugh, and drink a good cup of coffee. Meeting new people and developing friendships is so refreshing. I cannot comprehend how grateful I am for my small business and the people I have gotten to meet. It has been so rewarding to see CapturedbyCashman come so far and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Awhile ago, I booked a 1-hour senior session deep in Pensacola Beach. The location was about a 35 minute drive from my school and it was in an area with no stores or shops nearby. It was not long after we began her senior session that I realized my SD card had filled. But, the worst part was that I did not have a backup SD card with me and there were no stores around for me to grab one quickly. Disheartened, I informed my client and felt terrible. How embarrassing! How could I have forgotten a very important component of a shoot such as an extra SD card? I apologized over and over again to my client that we drove too far for that to happen, but she responded with kindness and understanding. While we were not able to reschedule, I was able to edit the shots we had already gotten, give her a discount, and provide her with a near full gallery. Things like this are going to happen. You are going to fail or forget something or arrive somewhere late, but it is how you respond that matters. I could have let that whole situation ruin me and cause me to stop pursuing photography yet it taught me a valuable lesson. I learned that I need to prepare ahead of time for my sessions and always make sure I have a backup SD card.

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

Social media and word of mouth have been the two best sources of new clients for me. Through posting consistently and gaining additional followers and interactions, I have developed connections with people on social media. It is a creative outlet for people to go and scout out your work and what makes you unique as a business before they book with you. It is crucial to develop a presence on social media. But, I have also booked with new clients through word of mouth and through previous clients displaying my work to friends or family.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @capturedbycashman
• Facebook: Captured by Cashman
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Jodi Lester – Logo
Sarah Coleman – Branding Photo