Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meghan Christine Figlewicz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Meghan Christine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 always loved photography, but truth be told, I really didn’t believe it was possible to actually earn a living doing it. It didn’t seem “stable”, so I never considered it when thinking about my future. One day, at my church college group, we had a day where anyone could come and shoot together for fun, some were photographers, some were modeling, and we would trade off and learn from a more seasoned photographer. I found myself following this particular photographer around, soaking up everything he was doing like a sponge. Finally, seemingly out of nowhere, I found myself asking him if I could shadow him in his business, and thankfully, he said yes! I spent the next year working many weddings with him and learning all the in’s and out’s of what it takes to run a successful studio. This included everything from client meetings to albums to editing to invoices.

Knowing what I know now, I’m not sure there is much I could have done to speed up the process since I was pretty immersed in the industry at that time. But, that I what I can recommend doing if you are really serious about it. Owning a photo business is so much more than being good at taking pictures. I tell people all the time, that experiencing all the intricacies of a wedding day, is essential to doing the job well. This is because “life happens” and especially on a wedding day. There is always something that goes wrong, whether the cake doesn’t show up or there is family drama. And there is no way to learn how to navigate that except by being there and doing it, over and over, with whatever happens. Now, 14+ years later, there is very little I wouldn’t know how to handle, should it come up.

Meghan Christine, 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 primarily a wedding and portrait photographer, although adding in the occasional random shoot is always fun, too! One of the things I am most proud of was the ability to take my creative business from part-time to full-time. This took many years of working multiple jobs, nights and weekends, and saving money. But I always knew that the corporate world wasn’t for me as the white walls, fluorescent lighting, and 9-5 schedule sucked the life out of me!

Something I think sets me apart from others is my empathy and my ability to really see people. So often, we want to portray the “perfect” portrait of our lives. But we all know this doesn’t exist. A bride’s mom is getting on her nerves on a wedding day, a child is fighting with their brother at a family session, etc. And instead of just pushing through, I attempt to slow down and enter into what the client is dealing with or experiencing vs forcing the perceived perfection. Whether that is taking a minute to breath, or letting the kids play or cry it out… we will get much better results when we can just roll with the change! Another example was when one of my clients children only wanted to wear their Elsa pajamas for the shoot. The parents were not thrilled as you can imagine! But, I tried to encourage them that this would be a good way to remember her at this age and what was important to her. In the end, we got some of the sweetest snuggly photos because we were all able to release our expectations and capture the family as it truly was.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

I remember it was still early on in my business and I was learning how to price myself… what I thought I was worth, what was the going rate in the industry, etc. I had a groom ask me for a discount. I don’t remember his reasoning, I just remember knowing that I wasn’t willing to settle for the amount he was asking for, and I would end up resenting my choice. So, I told him “no”, fully expecting to have lost that client. I was shocked when he emailed me back and they said they wanted to hire me anyway!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I think referrals, whether that is from vendors or past clients, has been the biggest source of new clients for me. With this strategy, they come into the experience already trusting you, which makes it a much easier process for everyone! If you work hard to go above and beyond to impress those you are working with, referrals will happen very naturally.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meghanchristine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meg__christine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeghanChristinePhotography/

Image Credits
Meghan Christine Photography