We recently connected with Laura Wolff and have shared our conversation below.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I got into photography in high school and loved the creative aspect of it – showing people what I saw through the viewfinder. I learned on film and when I transitioned to digital, that is when I found my passion.

I played softball at Virginia Tech, so being an Art major wasn’t feasible. Photography was just a portion of the art department among sculpting, drawing, film, and other subjects. Taking those projects on buses and planes for softball trips wasn’t going to work out so I majored in Communications with a concentration in Multimedia Journalism. This allowed me to use all my electives to take photography courses. I studied subjects from portraits to landscapes and everything in-between. When I wasn’t studying, at softball practice, workouts, or games, I was photographing the other sports on campus for HokieSports. I always knew I wanted to focus on sports, so learning from Dave Knachel, and the other photographers I met, helped tremendously.

I built a photography portfolio from my work with HokieSports and photographing my friends, and after graduating in 2014 I set my sights on professional sports. I spent the summer photographing the Salem Red Sox (High A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) and knew baseball is where I felt the best, it came natural. I sent out hundreds of resumes to colleges and professional sports teams and received mostly silence or “we will keep you in mind for the future.” In the spring of 2015 I received an email from Tommy Viola, VP of Communications for the Charlotte Knights – the Chicago White Sox Triple A Affiliate – saying he wanted me to photograph the Knights vs. White Sox Exhibition Game in Charlotte. It all happened very quickly and by April I had moved to Charlotte, NC!

Many people don’t know that I also work a full-time corporate job as well – I am a Payroll Specialist for a company in Rock Hill, SC. Working in multiple sports with a full-time job doesn’t allow for much down time, but when I am not photographing at a stadium or running payrolls, I am photographing clients and events around the southeastern region of the country. Weddings, corporate functions, fundraisers, and portraits fill up the rest of my schedule and balance out my photography life. Outside of photography, I love decorating, crafting, checking out antique and thrift stores, and relaxing with my two cats Chado and Callie.

This is the awesome life I have lived for the past 9 years – being on the sidelines or in the dugout for all the games in Charlotte, connecting with and providing my clients with memories of their lives that they will always have to look back on! I have been the Team Photographer for the Charlotte Knights for eight seasons. Since 2015 I have also worked for the NFL, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Checkers, The ACC, and most recently the new MLS expansion team, Charlotte FC. I have loved every second of working in sports and lifestyle photography and it is my goal to make that my full-time job.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy I have for growing my clientele is consistently providing my clients with photographs and experiences that exceed their expectations. Most of my clients come from word of mouth. After talking with a few other photographers in the Charlotte area when I first moved here, advertisements in local publications or on websites never brought in many clients for them, it was always recommendations from previous or current clients. I meet many of my clients through friends, coworkers, or the teams that I freelance for.

If you can do your job well, make people feel comfortable, and provide them with everything they need and more, you will always get a call back when they need photos. Providing a client with the confidence that they hired the right person is more valuable to them than anything. If they could do it themselves, they would, but they call you.

Communication, effort, personality, and flexibility are key components to making your clients feel they hired the right person. I take pride in being able to make my clients laugh and enjoy their experience with me. Many times people are not comfortable in front of the camera, or they have never had their photo professionally made before. That can cause anxiety and make people feel very uncomfortable. I have a client who hated getting her headshots taken for work. She hired me for the first time to take some natural shots of her that weren’t your typical studio look. While I was setting up my lights and getting everything ready, all she talked about was how she “hates every photo that is taken” of her and how she “always feels so awkward getting her photo taken.” After chatting a little, and taking a few test shots, I posed her and took a few photos. I showed her the first photo I had taken and her jaw dropped! She was so excited about the photo that I could instantly see the worry and anxiety go away! She said, “Oh my gosh! I love that! It looks so good! Ok, now I’m excited, let’s do this!” Since then I have photographed her and her husband through the years and milestones of their lives – buying a new house, getting married, starting a new job. She valued how I made her feel comfortable, beautiful, badass, and elegant. She had it all in her already, but it is my job to bring it through in the photo.

Sports are exciting and extremely rewarding. Nailing the big moment or seeing your photo on a team’s social media page will never get old. But getting to photograph clients through the most important parts of their lives is a great feeling. Knowing they think of you when a major event is happening in their lives that they want to remember forever is why we do what we do. Clients turn into friends and it is important to make those connections, outside of keeping your business afloat.

Be the person everyone thinks of for big moments and your clients will return year after year, photoshoot after photoshoot!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal from day one has always been to be the Team Photographer for a professional sports team. I love the different dynamics and challenges of being a freelance photographer, but being part of a team and building relationships with everyone in the organization, is what makes being a Team Photographer special. It is a rollercoaster of a journey, and there are a lot of ups and downs, rejections, and “almost there” moments that come with it, but I love my job so I know that everything worth it! Hard work pays off so always work hard!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lwolffphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurawolffphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lwolffphoto/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laura-wolff-photo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurawolffphoto

Image Credits
The photo of myself was taken by Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers. All other work is mine.