We recently connected with Lauren Terrell and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
This was my father’s hobby and favorite thing to do. It was his dream to have it become a business venture and when he passed away from Stage 4 Lung Cancer in 2018 he passed all his camera gear and equipment to me. I then took his ideas and dream and turned it into a reality. It was my way of helping and coping with his loss and it continues to help me every single day. He loved to just go out into the woods or travel to other states and capture nature and I have grown it to be weddings, family, lifestyle and rodeos/equestrian. What started out as a fun way for him to express himself and take photos at family gatherings and me when I competed on horseback has turned into something so much more!
Lauren, 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 am 33 years old and have been doing this professionally for 5 years. Even before going professional I always had a camera in my hand and loved to capture events and moments with my family and friends. I am completely self-taught and am always learning new tricks of the trade every single day. I have an eye for the stuff that most overlook. The moments that most people wouldn’t pay attention to and I love the action at some of the events I take photos at. I specialize in fine art equine and equestrian events, but that doesn’t limit me. I love to capture engagements, weddings, family milestones and still the nature that my father loved to capture. I am the kind of photographer that jumps in and helps with anything whether it is to help zip your dress up to cheer you on from behind the lens when I am working with you. I have been successful through just social media and word of mouth and my business has grown tremendously in the 6 years that I have been with camera in hand. I started with my dad’s basic gear and was able to upgrade all of my gear within the first year of business and continue to add new things to the company. I even started a few years ago more of the graphic design aspect and advertising things like flyers, etc.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
This absolutely started out as a side hustle for me. I was originally working a regular job as a cafeteria worker in an elementary school and would occasionally have sessions booked with friends and family. I really focused on building my portfolio the first year of me having my dad’s gear so that meant doing a lot of sessions for no charge at all. It worked out in my favor and when the covid pandemic came through I lost my job at the school since they all closed. It gave me a chance to think “I really need to stop putting this side gig in the back seat and let it sit up front”. I never imagined I would be the person that hustled as hard as I ended up doing but it really was a make or break it moment. I needed money for bills and really put all my focus into my photography business. My husband took care of the bills so that I could get the ball rolling which I am completely thankful for and I have had the opportunity to really get some amazing events over the years that lined my pockets rather well. I started to wake up and be excited to go work and didn’t dread going in everyday because I knew it was something that I loved to do. I have met so many amazing people over the years and established friendships through this business that has resulted in clients continuing business and booking sessions for all their special moments. I am also very OCD when it comes to my work and a big perfectionist so I really work to make sure the end product comes out phenomenal.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
About 90% of my clients come from social media. I started on Facebook and then went to Instagram and Tik Tok. I never have paid for any ads or anything on social media. I have just worked really hard and hustled on my pages and worked to build my business that way. The other 10% is word of mouth. When people see my work then they spread the word about how much they love it which then gets more potential clients that reach out to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bluecreekphotographyllc.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: bluecreekphotography0929
- Facebook: Blue Creek Photography, LLC
- Other: Tik Tok: @bluecreekphotography Album Viewing: www.bluecreekphotog.com