We were lucky to catch up with Mark Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I started my photography business after paying someone to take family photos of our first child. I was heavily interested in photography and looking for a side hustle. I realized that I could put my camera to work and make some extra money on nights and weekends. All I had was a cheap camera and a facebook page. I started taking pictures of friends and family for cheap whenever they would let me. I invested all of the money I made into gear and editing software. I made a lot of mistakes, but those early sessions were critical for building a portfolio and learning the craft. I spent most of my spare time watching instructional videos on youtube. Those videos helped me get from basic family photography to using strobes and more sophisticated setups and techniques.
The business part of it came kind of easy. I created demand by being easy to work with and cheap enough to beat others out of jobs. That strategy paid off big time, as I have developed a ton of repeat clients and my pricing has gone up to reflect the demand.

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 started Revere Photography as a side hustle while working as a junior architect in my late 20’s. I have always had a fascination for photograhy. My father was a photographer, so I was around it from a young age. The focus of my photography businesss has developed alongside my architecture career over the last 10 years. As my architecture firm grew, I shifted my focus from family photography to more business oriented photography. I did this to keep shoots within the normal working hours giving me my nights and weekends back. I focus on real estate photography, Headshots, and business advertising shoots.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My original intention for my photography business was to shoot families, sports, weddings, etc.
Over time I realized that it would be much more advantageous for me to focus on niche markets that I can dominate.
I saw that real estate photography websites were hiring photographers in nearby markets and beat them to the punch. I worked directly with real estate agents and priced my services so that the websites couldn’t get a foothold. I have since hired a shooter that only shoots houses.
I found another niche market with business headshots. I opened a small studio downtown within close proximity to the hospitals and large banks. The convenience created by the location made me the go to for most all of the major businesses in town.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I bootstrapped every bit of my business. I think I started with a couple hundred dollars, a camera, and a Facebook page. I started slow and pumped money back into the business as I needed to. I have been fortunate that I have never had any debt in the business. It took me 3-4 years to take it from the initial start-up to making enough for me to live off of. Once it was paying the bills, I used it to leverage the start-up of an Architectural firm with a partner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reverephotography.com

Image Credits

Revere Photography