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

Lance, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’m self-taught and, as a fan of lifelong learning, always recognize that I have much more to learn and practice.

I decided to pick up a camera and learn how to use it effectively in the summer of 2015, while preparing to welcome our daughter into the world. Back then, my wife and I just didn’t have discretionary income to spend on a photographer to help us expertly capture milestones – so I decided to learn to do it.

Fast-forward through a couple of cross-country moves and watching our little one grow, I decided to begin offering services to other families. Each opportunity offered new challenges and lessons to learn, but has ultimately led me to a place at which I’m comfortable in nearly any situation and, most importantly, has solidified my capability to selectively screen clients’ asks against my background – critical for mutual success of any project.

The biggest barrier to my learning has been, as it is for many, ‘time’. While learning to master my camera, my wife and I were raising a little one with next-to-zero family support as I worked >100 hours/week and pursued an undergraduate degree. After moving back ‘home’ for family support, I found myself fully-immersed in my work again while obtaining my MBA. Just as we thought about getting comfy at ‘home’ in Michigan, we remembered why we left in the first place a moved back to a warmer climate here in Texas. Given the luxury of having (slightly more) time, I’ve decided to lean more deeply into my experiential learning and offering more services to clients.

Lance, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a paramedic by trade… I started in the 911 service in 2004 and, after years of responding to 911 calls – and teaching students to do the same – I moved into the hospital side of the house, preparing healthcare organizations for disasters (like COVID, IT disruptions, etc.).

I started taking pictures when we learned that we were expecting a (now 9-year-old) little girl… Since we didn’t have any discretionary income to pay photographers, I felt compelled to learn so that I could capture as much of her childhood as I could. I developed an eye and skill for it quickly, but haven’t had the flexibility to offer services to the public until the past year or so.

After COVID burned me out of the hospital industry, I transitioned into a fully-remote software position… The private sector doesn’t really fill my proverbial cup, BUT, it offers me the flexibility to lean into my passion.

I view my current niche as continuing to preserve life – but in a slightly different way than I did earlier in my career. I pride myself on offering expert photography in a budget-friendly package for my clients.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal – whether we talk about life, business, or relationships – is ‘to be who I needed’.

Sometimes, ‘who I needed’ was a mentor or a guide who was able to spend more time with me… Other times, a more understanding boss… At other points in life, it was a more honest coach.

My current position in life allows me to be that for others; I’m able to offer budget-friendly solutions for folks who want to expertly capture milestones and, starting this quarter, will begin to offer teaching and coaching for those who want to learn the art of photography, master its execution, and perhaps start a side business.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a client base and reputation in this sort of a market isn’t particularly easy. In the days of advanced cell phone cameras and post production software that novices can use to enhance photos, it’s difficult to develop and share your value proposition with prospective clients – if conversations even get to that point.

One of my educational and work milestones was obtaining my MBA with a focus on organizational development and consulting… Over the past 4 years, I’ve transitioned out of formal disaster management and into a sales-focused role. The immediate practicality of that is relationship development and management…

One of the biggest tips I can offer about building relationships is to treat them like checking accounts:

Deposits grow in value over time: The information and tidbits of knowledge we offer to our clients over time helps to set us apart in the space. When the prospective clients see us as subject matter experts, they naturally seek us out to solve problems or provide services.

Withdraws require a balance: You can’t draw money from an account with no balance… ‘Requests for time’, ‘sales pitches’, and anything that asks a prospective client to ‘give’ – is a withdraw request. You’ve got to have a an account in the ‘positive’ to withdraw from before asking.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwlynchphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynchccemtp/

Image Credits

All Images Taken by Lance Lynch of LW Lynch Photography. All rights reserved.