Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Valenzuela. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Michelle , appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Looking back at how I started my business goes back to my children. I had my first daughter in 2006, when I wanted to capture all her growing moments. I started to take photos with a point and shoot camera a simple digital camera at the time. I then realized that I wanted my images to look better and upgraded to my first DLSR camera Nikon D60. I started to learn a couple of things off you tube and learn a couple of things on my own. In 2010, I had my second child and I wanted to have even better images of my kids so I upgraded even to a semi pro camera a Nikon D7000 it was a crop lens which I did not know at the time what that meant. I just knew it was a more expensive camera so it should take better quality images of my children. I then had to learn to use my more expensive camera so searched for classes to understand my camera and found one which was about an one hour away. I ended up taking all the beginning classes and come December 2011, we received the worst news that would change our lives forever. My sister in law, was diagnosed with cervical stage 4 cancer. My husband and I looked at each other and the first things that came to mind was we did not have family portraits with our family nor his. In the that moment, I would have never thought that I would have a photography business 9 years later. On September 12, 2012, we lost my sister in law to cancer as she fought so very hard til the end. It took me a couple of months to finally realize that I had a talent and a gift of capturing those moments that are special to families. I had been approached by several as to how much would charge for family portraits. I never would have thought that I would have my own business much less take photos for people. I decided to start my business in May 2013 with my name ,1044 Photography, my camera and my facebook page. I decided to provided free family portraits for those families going through a terminal illness as part of my business. I felt that God had blessed me with a talent and a purpose to provided that to those going through that process. I have dedicated the last 8 years to my side business learning new skills and techniques and in December 2021 I decided to take the leap of faith and leave my full time job at The Texas Attorney General’s Office. I am now self employed and loving that I can provided my services to those in need. I have formed a charity foundation out of my business call Photos for Hope where I provided my photography to those going through a terminal illness, children being bullied, children, teens and families living in shelters. My goal is to provide a full make over to these individual who qualify for my services with Photos for Hope.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got into the photography industry at an older age, but I have always loved different types of art growing up. Growing up in a household where everyone worked for the city or state was a great job. Going to college would get me a better paying job. I never knew that I could be a business owner or self employed. I went to college and never finished as I was lost not knowing what I wanted to do. I knew I loved to travel and found a travel certification program to become a travel agent. I loved this so much and had the passion and drive to learn travel that I took an a receptionist position in a travel agency to learn the industry. I then worked for American Airlines cargo reservations to learn even more until I got an actual postion travel agent position to continue my passion for travel. My travel career was going great until September 2001, the most horrific moment in history. The love and passion for travel was still there, but the travel industry took a downfall after that event. At the time, I had to look for another job and still trying to find my purpose in life I ended up getting my paralegal certification and working in that industry for 18 years, but always finding my purpose. Having children would help me find my purpose and pursuing my next career in life. The last eight years has been a roller coaster ride learning new skills and techniques to stay active and stand out from other up coming photographers. I continued to take classes, workshops and different kind training to keep up with the quality of my work that I was providing to my clients. I would take in person, online or just do model calls to gain more practice with my skills. Making goals to learn different posing, lighting or just learning shot cuts in photoshop made a difference to perfect my style of photography. I and a more bold colorful true life photographer and still perfecting and honing my art. I have been specialize in events and portraits the last 8 years and trying to niche down to possibly portraits in studio. During the pandemic, I was helping small business with branding, headshots and updating website photos and leaning in to the commercial end of photography. I have market my self to shoot anytime of day as to natural light, to on camera flash, studio lighting and now off camera flash. I have a helping heart and try to help anyone that may need my photography services. I have now learned that I can not help everyone and that is why trying to niche down to what I love to create and that beauty and fashion. I have incorporated more fashion skills with my graduating senior sessions that I love boosting their confidence and self esteem. I have decided to focus or try to focus more on senior portraits in studio and location. I am currently in the process of opening a photo studio where I will be more creative with off camera flash and color. My journey hasn’t been easy its been a process as an artist you love and enjoy creating, but you sometimes don’t understand the value you provided in your art. It’s taken a long time in knowing my worth and value until now. I am now self employed and my time is valuable. Understanding the value you provided to others that is the hard part because you know you want to provided your service, but you have to get paid your worth. Learning the business end of my photography business has been a change this year as I have to take everything I do into consideration and price it well because I don’t have my full time job to help support my family. I have to do my cost of doing business to figure out how much I need to charge. There’s a lot to learn when running a business and it’s always a learning process as is photography. The most exciting moments in my career has been getting published in model magazines, the local newspaper and providing my services Photos for Hope with a local shelter that provided for teens. I have for the last two years provided for local nonprofit “Connections” graduating seniors living in that shelter their senior portraits. This has been the most rewarding moments for me. Going back to it hasn’t been an easy process goes along with health as well in 2014 I was diagnosed with Lupus. Lupus took a toll on my mind and body. The most challenging on my body was to keep on moving and pushing forward with my love and passion of photography. I then in 2016, was in a really bad car accident that totaled my vehicle, but I survived with a scratch on my arm. In 2017, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and took a really bad turn on my body not allowing me to move and capture those momental moments for my clients. I then found that my knees were bone to bone and in so much pain, but still keep pushing forward. I know in my heart and sole that photography was my calling. In 2018, my Lupus was in remission, but my fibromyalgia was trying to take control. Seeing my specialists or several specialist I found one that understood this disease. In 2019, the relief of pain was taken to a minimum after getting the most changing process in my life in getter the gastric bypass to help with weight off my knees. It’s been three years and I have been in minimal pain since my surgery and I am able to provided better quality work to my clients. I am still very happy with my health, but still have to listen to my body when I fell exhausted. Taking your health, life and living for the moments have helped me with my career as a photographer. I cherish everyday as its my last and living in the moment. Life is too short and all we leave behind is our memories. Get out there and start making them.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media has been a huge plus in business. Looking back in 2018, I started to research ways to increase my marketing on social media. I started to watch other photographers on you tube on what they were doing to increase their social media audience. Come March 2019, the dread-full Covid-19 hit I was working from home watching more and more and understanding the process of how social media working for small business. I ended up using more and more social media to grab my audience attention by posting and creating content on a daily basis. I grew my facebook audience more and more everyday that I posted. Making them aware that I traveled to different areas and cities. Showing them where I was shooting and tagging that location. Showing them that I was busy and in demand. I was getting noticed and friends thought I was already a full time photographer. I was keeping my self busy and posting anywhere and everywhere I was. This created a bigger growing audience to where I was getting referrals even more on social media. I also added in October 2020 the in person networking to the plate. I started with different evening networking groups getting to know other women small business owners. I was getting out there and showing people who I was and what I could provide. This was in addition to growing my social media audience because I was working with local small businesses and building that relationship with them. I was building, working and growing with these small business and that was big for referrals. My facebook is where I was getting my majority of my referrals from in my area and crossed to instagram as well. Building my instagram was a little more difficult for me, but I had almost 1000 followers until my account got hacked. As of now, I am still trying to build my instagram because I haven’t really focused on it. Just looking back on trying to build your social media, you need attention grabbing visual content, you need to post all the time, and content has to be moving to attract your audience for them to talk about you and your business.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Wow, so many pivots in my life, careers and business all together. I want to start with the most exciting one that currently happen was quitting my full time job. I quit my full time job in December of 2021, in taking that leap of faith in my photography career. I started the New Year of 2022 as a self employed and full time photographer. I want to say that was the most frightening and exciting moment in my life. I started to grow more and more in 2021 due to my social media building and referrals coming in that I was busy come the fall of 2021. I was getting overwhelmed with editing, not concentrating on my full time job and not wanting to work for someone else anymore. I was miserable in my full time job and my performance was showing it. I was not putting my full heart and soul into that anymore. I knew that my love and joy was being my own boss and working for my self. Making my own time and shooting when I wanted to shoot. I just didn’t know how to transition. I pursued and reached out to several friends who were working in marketing and coaching. I read and listened to many books on business goals, setting and committing to your business. I set small goals to bring in more and more money on a monthly bases. Working hard on my business to bring in the consistent income I needed to prove myself I could do. Setting my mindset in the summer of 2021 to fall of 2021 I was bringing in more income than my full time job. I was hustling and I was doing it. I was overworking myself as well. Come December 2021, I had viewed all the previous months and decided it was time to leave my full time job, because I knew I was able to bring in the income and more. I was scared, it was terrifying and my future was unforeseen. I still did it because I knew in my heart and soul I was meant to do this. Photography was my calling and my purpose in life. I knew at the moment I was doing the right thing. It has been the best decision in my life as I am now happier. I enjoy my job and love what I do and offer to my clients. I also get paid for it as well. I can say it only been 9 months since I left my full time job, but I feel that I am successful. Everyday I wake up to a new day and living to see another day is better than before. I get to create my own schedule, spend more time with my family and take care of my self is the most important part. Living a happier, healthier and purposeful life is the key.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.1044photography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/1044_photography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/1044photography
- Linkedin: 1044 Photography
- Youtube: 1044 Photography