We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Judah Townsend a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Judah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
Photography was such a random thing for me to get into. Growing up and coming into adulthood, I would never have imagined that I’d become a professional photographer. Initially I discovered photography through Twitch – I bought my first camera in 2019 to use it as a webcam for my streams. It never even occurred to me to actually use it to take pictures for like a month after I bought it. When I did my first portrait session and saw the results, I was hooked immediately. At the time, I was working full time as a store manager in retail – I enjoyed shooting and knew I wanted to become a portrait photographer, but I don’t think I really heavily considered the idea of photography as a career.
I’m completely obsessive about things that I’m interested in; I dived headfirst into YouTube and a photography course that I purchased at a discount to learn how to use my camera. The more I learned, the more questions I had – I think ultimately that, coupled with the idea of capturing beauty in the human form – is when I really decided this is what I wanted to spend at least a good portion of my life doing.
The reasons I knew photography was a worthwhile investment was threefold; the first is I’m an introvert who really enjoys connecting with new people and hearing their story. I’m not great at approaching people I don’t know without a “reason” to approach them. Photography gave me that reason and makes getting to know them a lot easier for me.
Secondly, photography a field that is at once both incredibly technical and intimately artistic endeavor, and the limits of both those things depend entirely on the person practicing it. I can be as technical and creative as I want, and there is always more to learn. I absolutely thrive on curiosity and expression, so both these things were attractive to me.
Thirdly, we’re in an era of constant information feed – people and businesses are always going to need content, both photo and video based. For someone who knows how to capitalize on this, there will always be work, provided you’re willing to work hard enough to hone your craft at a high level. This was appealing to me.
While there have been hard moments, days filled with doubt, and serious letdowns, I have never wavered in my commitment to my ability to succeed. It’s almost a cold logic – a lot of the most successful photographers aren’t necessarily the most technically competent or accomplished ones. It’s about how you’re able to provide a solution to a problem. I’m an exceptionally pragmatic individual – I love to solve problems. So whenever I approach a potential client, I immediately go to problem solving mode and can explain how what I do will solve a problem for them. Whether it’s the kind of content they need for their businesses or the type of shoot to help them love themselves again, I’m committed to serving the people I meet in whatever capacity I can.
Approaching people with the intention of serving them is the greatest path to success.
Judah, 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?
As I mentioned before, I originally discovered photography when I purchased my first camera to use as a webcam for Twitch streams. At that time, I was going through a sort of crisis of conscience. Almost all of my previous work experience has been in retail, with a significant portion of that in retail management. I eventually started to hate my work and didn’t understand why. Discovering photography provided the answer; I need constant challenge and stimulation in order to stay in love with my chosen profession. Photography provides that in spades. Initially I was doing retail client work – think family portraits, some weddings, fine art portraits, that kind of thing.
Now I am a professional Fashion, Beauty, and Editorial photographer. I help companies like clothing, cosmetic, and skincare brands create exceptionally high quality images to use for advertisements and social media content to bring awareness to their products and services. I maintain a very high standard of work; as such my portrait, fashion, and beauty images have been published over a dozen times in a variety of international fashion and beauty magazines.
The biggest thing that sets me apart from other photographers is my ceaseless hunger to learn and grow my mastery over the craft. My greatest talent is an ability to absorb, retain, and apply new information on a constant basis. I go into each opportunity with an open mind to get my client the exact result that they’re looking for, along with searching for opportunities to try and learn new things so I can do better in each and every job. With each new technique I learn and process I develop, my ability to serve clients at a high level is thus increased exponentially.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Approaching people with the intention to serve and not just to make money.
The best thing about running a photography business is you can create custom-tailored solutions to solve specific problems. If someone needs Halloween-themed photos for their cookie brand, for example, you can then create different sets and lighting setups that really sell that theme to their customers. If it’s done well (and you’ll know immediately based on social media engagement), the customer will see a return on that investment and come to you for more work.
If there is little effort put forth and that same job is approached from a place just to make a buck shooting pictures of some cookies, that customer won’t see a return on that investment and will either find a new photographer or just not see the value in hiring one at all.
That’s not to say that money shouldn’t be a concern – you run a business. You need money to survive. But there is absolutely a way for you to make money AND ensure repeat business; I believe that’s the thing most photographers miss on the business side of the craft.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Referrals from previous clients, and that ties in directly with the previous question.
When real effort is put in to understand the source of a customer’s problem and create a solution tailored to their specific needs (because everyone’s need is slightly different), they are far more likely to hire you back for future work. People generally just prefer to work with someone they trust. And when they trust you, they’ll also tell their circles about you and the great work that you did for them and send those people to you.
Networking, building relationships, and providing great service are all recipes for success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://judahtownsend.com
- Instagram: judahtownsendphoto
- Linkedin: Judah Townsend