We recently connected with Lindsey White and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lindsey, thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? We’d love to hear the backstory the illustrates how you grew your brand.
Starting a business can be the scariest thing you’ve ever done, and also the most rewarding. I started photography at 15 years old. I’d take photos of friends and acquaintances and butterflies. I did it for fun and then when I got lots of requests, I would charge like $40 for a session. I remember my friend and neighbor’s mom, who was the president of the local chamber of commerce, sitting me down at her kitchen table saying she didn’t feel comfortable paying me for family photos unless I was an officially registered business and wanted to help me be protected so I could continue earning money. I was 17 years old sitting at her kitchen table when I registered by business. I officially started my business in high school while most of my peers were going to football games and hanging out with their friends.
I’ve always had a creative side to me, but I never thought I’d make a career out of it. When I was thinking of colleges, I was planning to be a nurse, but my mom owns her own business and she encouraged me and inspired me to try giving photography a go as a business. I loved helping people and this was a fun way to do it. So to start, I began working at JCPenney portrait studio when I was 16 years old and I learned how to work with people, pose people for different types of sessions, and do sales. However, the studio experience didn’t teach me a lot about camera settings or understanding natural light. I wanted to understand more and from there I began learning more from high school classes in college classes, and paying for online courses from other photographers, who were doing it well. I tried to work for other photographers whether I was paid or not just trying to gain any experience and knowledge that I possibly could. I started charging for sessions and I was taking senior photos for people while I was going to be a senior in high school, so it’s very cool to see my photos in my yearbook. In addition to that, I photographed my first wedding when I was 17 years old. I remember my parents driving me to the wedding, and they were taking photos of me while I was taking photos of the bride and groom. There was a total of five people at the wedding, and I had no idea what I was doing, but you’ve gotta start somewhere! I charged $350 for this wedding but back then, it felt like a thousand.
Although these photo shoots gave me a little bit of extra cash and allowed me to upgrade my equipment and pay for college, there was still the issue at hand that I didn’t know if I would be able to make enough to live off of this. I was scared of failing and not being able to be successful with all that I’d already invested in it. It took years before I profited because I kept reinvesting in my business to upgrade equipment and continue my education.
While my mom was kind of the angel on my shoulder encouraging me to follow my dreams, my dad was on the other shoulder, preaching reality and how I needed to prepare for all the expenses of life. Both were necessary to get to where I am today and I’m thankful I had advice on how to build a solid foundation and prepare for the unexpected. My dad’s advice was more practical. He said I should get a job for financial security purposes, and with health benefits. However, he wasn’t wrong because health insurance is definitely expensive to pay on my own now. But back then my solution was to get a degree, so I have the option to change my career to a more typical 9-5, if I needed to.
Throughout college, I continued to build my photography business. I took more online classes, started second shooting for other wedding photographers, and absorbed any information about the business side of things as I could. In the early days of my business, I knew nothing about branding or websites. Looking back, I realize my business was very adolescent and matched my age. It was hard to define my business as an adult professional when I didn’t even know who I was as an adult yet. It took a couple of years for me to realize how to create a sophisticated brand to attract my ideal clients.
I’ve always been told I am mature for my age, but it was difficult to find wedding couples in the beginning. I remember one of my early weddings, the couple left me a review saying how even though I was 19 and they were nervous to hire a young photographer, I was very mature for my age and they loved their photos and highly recommended me. Although I appreciated their kind words, it made me feel inferior to other photographers like I couldn’t measure up just because of my age. It made me feel like I wouldn’t be successful until I was older and that no one was going to take me seriously.
Looking back, I think the only way I made it through those early years was by not even allowing myself to go down the rabbit hole. I focused on the good responses i was getting from clients and continued to make goals. Making goals every year and writing it down, allowed me to have a focused direction on what I was building.
Instead of getting down on myself about the difficulties of being young age in the wedding industry, I focused a lot on the advantage I have photographing seniors because I was closest to their age and could relate to them more! I began building my senior clientele, trying new marketing strategies and slowly working on wedding experience as a second shooter in the background. In addition to this, I was working multiple jobs like serving, and I used that for my personal expenses, while saving all of my photography income to reinvest in my business or just save it in general.
Unfortunately wasn’t able to go to my dream school because it was a private school and too expensive. Regardless of where I went, I wasn’t approved for any loans because on paper my parents made enough money but they had financial catch-up of their own that they had to pay for. Thankfully I was able to do PSEO and go to college full-time for my last year of high school, so I could save a lot of money. But aside from that and my first year of college out of high school, the rest was on me to pay by myself. This limited me to being local instead of out of state for college because I needed to do photography to pay for my college.
The ugly side of owning a business is all the sacrifices you have to make, especially in the building and growing process. Because I was so young during the growing and scaling phase of my business, the biggest sacrifice I went through, was missing out on my young adult life, having fun, and making new friends. I didn’t have the fun college experience that most do, and I didn’t get to make tons of new friends through college as I lived at home and didn’t do much besides work and study. In my last year of college, I was serving part-time, doing photography full-time with 16 weddings and 25 senior sessions, all while doing full-time college to get my bachelor’s degree. It was my goal was to graduate and make about the same income as someone getting an entry job out of college. Since the beginning of my business, I have been able to increase my income each year, and sometimes I doubled it. I was able to graduate college completely debt-free because my photography income had scaled enough to pay for it.
Fast forward, I ended up getting my degree in mass communications and public relations, just in case I needed to fall back on something. In the end, I was able to learn more about business, marketing, building relationships through networking, and even more about branding and problem-solving. Most importantly, public relations taught me about brand identity the role it plays in building brand recognition, and trust in consumers/clients, and I used this to understand more about how photos play an important role when representing a business and their brand. This led to the launch of brand photography. And now I photograph branding photos for chiropractors, financial people, real estate agents, dentists, PR firms, college professors, headshots for magazines or other wedding professionals, restaurants, and more.
Although I am so proud of myself and thankful, it didn’t come without sacrifice. When I was done with college and had nothing left but work, I felt like I didn’t know who I was or what my hobbies were outside of my business and it felt very lonely a lot of the time. One year after college I quit my serving job and it was completely up to me to make my business successful to cover my bills. I was home all the time working on growing my business and nothing would happen unless I made it happen. I wore all the hats and did all the things. My business was growing, but I was feeling lost and alone all the time trying to figure it all out myself. It was time to try new things and scale my business even more, time to push weddings even more and transition into luxury weddings and destination weddings. I had so many plans for the next year… I was launching my brand new website, had begun an associate photographer program, and I had made my goals for the year in January 2020. My busiest and best year was right NOW…. And then COVID-19 hit.
The whole world shut down, photographers couldn’t work for months, and my off-season income cushion was almost gone. Small businesses couldn’t apply for unemployment yet and although everyone was struggling, it was SO hard knowing it’s all up to me to find a way. I won’t lie, I didn’t do much during lockdowns. I was thankful for amazing and understanding clients who weren’t out of a job and could put some payments toward their balance because it allowed me to make it through until I could do some weddings again. I was somehow able to make it through the year. Unemployment benefits were available for me to use in late 2020 into early 2021. I kept on pushing through and began creating new marketing plans, networking with others, putting myself out there, doing as many styled shoots and collaborations as I could, more education, and updating my equipment. I was ready for 2021, and it was the BUSIEST YEAR from the overflow of 2020. Then 2022 is EVEN MORE BUSY. Before you know it, 10 years have passed and my business is traveling to Florida, Mexico, Boston, Texas, South Carolina, Utah, and more. LWP grossed 6 figures and I was able to pay off my car in 3 years and buy a house by myself this year.
Although it feels like I grew exponentially in the last couple of years, I think the important thing to remember is everyone does things at different paces and each person’s abilities and challenges in their life are different. Every step is a milestone, lesson, and new pathway that launches you to the next step. It wasn’t one thing that made all the difference for me but ALL the things I did that collectively crafted who I am and what my business looks like today. I’m 26 today and I still have a LOT to learn and so much potential in where I can continue to grow. As I evolve as a person, my business evolves with me. I continue to get coaching, learn from others, and remind myself there’s always room to grow. However, sometimes growing and scaling looks different over the years. Growth is now looking like being more intentional with my time and focusing on quality over quantity. I realize I can’t pour from an empty cup. Sometimes you need to slow down to reflect so you can realize your next phase of growth. It may look different, but if you’re intentional and purposeful, it can be even more beautiful than the last.
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 got into my industry like how most photographers do, by playing with a camera at a young age. I worked at JCPenney portrait studio when I was 16 and continued my education until I crafted my skills and honed in on the type of photography I wanted to specialize in.
I specialize in weddings, seniors, and Brand Photography. I primarily focus on weddings because I love the go-go-go of a wedding day, meeting, new people, seeing the love and joy spreading in the air and it always ends with a good party! However, as a creative, I enjoy mixing up what I do so I don’t get burnt out from doing too much of the same thing. I started my business with senior photography and love getting creative with seniors in a different way than with weddings. I only take a few seniors a year now because they clash with wedding season so it can depend on how much time I have each month after weddings are booked.
After graduating college, I launched branding services for individuals and businesses. I love being able to do branding sessions in the off-season during the winter when weddings and senior sessions slow down. It offers a whole new level of creativity and challenges me to cater to a business and get to know that business and brand in a very detailed way, so I understand how to craft the photos to appeal to their ideal clients and their audience.
Although I don’t take on typical sessions for newborns, maternity, and families, I’ve done plenty of them. I typically only do them in my off-season when I have time, usually for my long-time repeat clients. I enjoy doing them but because I only have so much time I usually offer mini sessions four times for each season of the year for people who need family photos, maternity, or anything else like that!
I also have a passion for helping other photographers grow in their own business and also offer mentoring sessions to help other creatives easily achieve their goals and skip some of the frustration and setbacks that I faced.
My editing style leans towards a light and airy, timeless finish. My shooting style is detail-oriented, yet fun and playful, as I cater posing to each subject’s personality. I utilize a variety of guided posing and natural fun ones, while never forgetting to be ready to capture the in-between candid moments. My goal is to capture every side of the story so the experience is fun and memorable and the photos look and feel like you.
My favorite aesthetics to photograph would be elegant, elevated, and romantic weddings, filled with neutral or pastel tones. I love everything with a European or French touch, adventures in the mountains, garden venues with flowers and whimsical trees, beaches, historical estates and villas, and more! I love to travel and discover new places with couples!
Although my ideal couple loves to splurge and have fun making the details of their wedding unique and beautiful, they don’t let the technicalities or drama of the little details get the best of them. They know that at the end of the day, they choose vendors, they trust, and that their wedding day is about marrying the love of your life and having fun doing it!
I believe a quality experience with a Photographer begins with solving a client’s problems and answering questions. They don’t know they have yet. I strive to educate my clients about the process and working with me, what I offer and how to prepare for the session, so they know what to expect and know how to prepare for it. I educate them so that they can come prepared, which helps me to do my best job by providing them with the best photos I can! I send helpful tips through emails and educational guides and make recommendations based on their answers. If clients send me photos of their outfits or decor, I provide feedback on what I think will photograph best so they feel more confident in their decisions. I do video chats and send questionnaires to my clients to better understand their needs. I want to know what they’re looking for, and what their personality is like so I can understand what’s important to them. Having this knowledge allows me to adjust my interactions and posing during photos to bring out their personality and ensure the photos look and feel like themselves!
I think one of the most valuable things I do that I hear a lot of positive feedback from clients is how smooth and stress-free I make wedding days. I do this by keeping things on time and creating a photography-friendly timeline that benefits all the vendors as well. After booking, a couple will fill out a questionnaire and based on those answers, I make a timeline for them right away, so that I know the wedding day will be catered towards good lighting and that I have enough time to do my job effectively. From there they can take that timeline to their wedding planner, DJ, and other vendors and they can plan around my timeline and we can make tweaks from there based on their needs. This ensures I have enough time to take the photos the couple is paying me for and they get the full value of the experience they are investing in. If I know I have enough time in the day because I created the flow of the day, then nobody feels rushed, and the couple can have extra downtime without every moment being filled with photos. And if anything unexpected happens, I know how to work a little faster to catch up so we don’t get behind.
Overall, I want people to know that my goal is to provide a quality experience that results in photos you love. Ask to see galleries in different lighting situations and with different colors so you understand how they edit colors in different light. Understand terminology for photographers that describe their style like light and airy, dark and moody, high contrast, film style, documentary style, etc. You must understand who a photographer is, what their style is, and how they take photos. Make sure they match with your personality and if you are detail oriented make sure they are as well. If you’re more laid-back, there are plenty of photographers out there who are laid-back and go with the flow as well.
It’s also good to identify if you’re more laid-back, but want to photographer who’s detail-oriented to make your day less stressful, then look for that!
Choosing the right photographer for you can make or break your overall experience. If you’re working with a budget, hiring a newer photographer might be okay for family photos but when it comes to something like your wedding, it’s always worth investing in a couple of quality photos with an experienced photographer instead of a whole bunch of photos from an average/new photographer. You’re really only going to use and print a handful of your favorite photos for anything you do, so in the case of wedding, photography, it’s better to invest in your dream photographer for 4 to 6 hours instead of a new/inexperienced photographer for 10 to 12 hours because you feel like you need more pictures. More photos don’t mean more value. It just means you’re compromising value for more stuff. Less really is more when it comes to investing in photos.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
A good reputation is built off of trust, networking, brand recognition, and consistently showing up. It was a combination of a lot of things that built my reputation within the market as it is today. Currently, I am published in a couple blogs and magazines, and I am a recommended photographer on multiple local Luxury Venues’ websites, while allows me to find lots of new couples and continue to build friendships with other venues I love working at.
I think the key to establishing yourself in the market is putting yourself out there, meeting lots of people, and sometimes donating your time initially so people can get to know you, find you and see what you can do. Building a reputation that people recognize as quality is truly what takes time. You have to be patient and persistent and there will be ups and downs but overall, if you stay true to your values and providing a good service or product, then people will see that you are a trustworthy company and people will recommend you. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful forms of marketing. If you seem desirable and trustworthy, then you’ve got a good reputation in your market!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I would say the most rewarding aspect of being a Creative and an artist is being able to see the impact you can make another peoples lives. It’s amazing that you can decide what kind of artwork you want to create and you define your own style, and there’s people out there that love and respect your work so much that they will pay for your time and pay for your skills and share it with the world. There’s no bigger compliment than when someone shares your work or leaves you a review or recommends you to someone else. These are truly priceless ways to support a Creative and an artist. I also love being able to work with other creatives and seeing what beautiful and unique results we can come up with when putting our minds together, such as doing styled shoots together. Often times couples have a very specific vision, and they want for their wedding and a Stout. Shoot allows creative to come together and create what we think will inspire couples or trends we would like to see get started or colors we want to see together or even installations that will complement a new space. I love being able to photograph so many amazing, creatives, talented work, and see how they can all work together to create a unified vision.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lindseywhitephoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseywhitephoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindseyWhitePhotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-white/
Image Credits
Lindsey White Photography