We recently connected with Julie Harris and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I knew I wanted to be a photographer from a very young age. I started photographing families and young children while I was still in college because I worked at a toy shop with lots of moms who knew I was studying photography and wanted “artsy” pictures of their kids. My first real paying client was a friend of one of those moms who was getting married. I didn’t know if I wanted to photograph weddings at this point in my budding “career”, but it was opportunity to grow my business. I took the job, and was terrified. What a responsibility! I remember buying dozens of wedding magazines in preparation, I cut out pictures from the magazines to make vision boards and lost sleep for weeks, fearing I’d mess up, or that my images would pale in comparison to the images in the magazines. Long story short, I loved shooting the wedding! It was nerve wracking, but exhilarating, and it felt like I was doing such important work. The couple ended up loving their wedding pictures and raved about me on The Knot. I didn’t even know what The Knot was! But in a matter of months, I had booked 20 weddings for the following season from just one happy bride. The rest is history. It was kismet.

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 became obsessed with photography at a very young age after my Dad bought me a camera for my 7th birthday. I would take my camera with me all the time and started to see the world in a different way. I started paying attention to textures and lines and colors for the first time. But what I really started noticing, was people. I fell in love with the human condition. I would watch people and wait for that, “je ne sais quoi”. Photography taught me how to really SEE. It quickly became a way for me to make sense of the world and the people in it.

Almost 40 years later, and I still see the magic in people. I often feel more like an anthropologist than a photographer. My camera is just a tool I use to study, capture and see. When I get hired to do a family session, portrait, or even commercial gig, I want my images to be like images from TIME magazine. I want them to tell a story. I want them to be honest and real. I don’t use filters or fancy editing tools. I don’t airbrush.

A lot of my clients are at first nervous about not being posed. Sometimes they feel vulnerable just “being”, but I assure them that they will forget that there is even a camera there after a few minutes. If my clients feel frozen, I will gently suggest that they do something that is part of their normal routine–like reading a book to the kids before bedtime, plucking cherry tomatoes off the vine in the garden, or playing with the hose in the summer. One of my strongest gifts, is the ability to put people at ease and to hold space for them in wonder. The story is theirs, I am just there to capture it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I registered my business in 2002, there was no social media. Digital camera’s were still low quality, and websites were a joke. I shot film, and there weren’t many photographers in the area. It was seamless and easy. As time went on however, I had to get technically savvy. Suddenly anybody could be a photographer because of digital cameras and the accessibility and ease of building a website. I had to work hard to stand out amongst all the incoming photographers. I blogged daily and put my heart out there in words and images. I built a brand of honesty and integrity. Today I blog less, but post more on instagram and facebook. Most importantly though, I have a husband who does search engine optimization (SEO) for a living. He works to keep me visible when somebody searches the internet for a photographer. It’s a very competitive market. Staying in the top 10 or on the first page in google is invaluable.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I embrace the imperfect and have the reputation of making images that show that. My work is seen as honest and “loose”. People love that look, or hate it, but I have stayed true to that style since the very beginning. When I blog or post images on social media, I show images that are relatable. I also put my heart out there in words. I am not afraid to show vulnerability or be imperfect myself, and I think people appreciate that about me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.julieharrisphotography.com
• Instagram: Julie Harris Photography
• Facebook: Julie Harris Photography
• Linkedin: Julie Harris Chatham
• Yelp: Julie Harris Photography