We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Von Geis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.
Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
My background in the hospitality industry prepared me well for serving my clients today. I spent a little over 10 years in the hospitality industry working in places such as the Walt Disney Company, Blackberry Farm, the University of Tennessee, and Chick-fil-A.
I learned how to listen to customers, problem solve, provide an experience to customers, and to always be prepared.
The most important lesson I learned in hospitality is tied between always being prepared and providing exceptional customer service. For being prepared, I learned you have to think about all the different outcomes and be prepared for those situations. . In photography that could be a rainy wedding that was set to be outside. My job as a photographer is to not only capture the moment as is, but also to provide the best photos in the given area. So I always have clear umbrellas for the bride and groom, and scout out indoor spots of a ceremony site just in case I need to use it.
The other important lesson was to provide exceptional customer service. People will always remember how you make them feel, and my job as a photographer is to make sure my clients are responded to quickly and feel prepared for their photo session. I try to respond to people within 24 hours, and I provide photography guides for my clients. The photography guides contain tips for the session and gives them an idea of what to expect during their session.
Michelle, 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?
Funny story, I got into photography on accident. My mom bought a camera for me before I left Tennessee to go intern at Walt Disney World in Florida. I ended up only taking some casting photos for a friend a made and then didn’t touch my camera for another 2 years. I had asked my friend if she wanted to go take photos at sunset for fun and fell in love with photography after that session. I started using YouTube and Pinterest to learn about photography and taking lots of free photos for friends and family.
It took about 2 years before I started making money from photography, and then another 2 years of learning how to build a photography business. Then it took a year of marketing myself on social media to start to gain traction and book clients.
My photography brand is all about capturing memories. I want people to look back at their photos one day when they are old and gray and remember that moment in time.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I am very grateful to rebook clients, and I find it to be the biggest compliment. It encourages me to keep improving my skills and consistency.
The reasoning behind my clients brand loyalty is multifaceted. I think they hire me again because of their experience during their session, my communication with them, quick delivery of photos, photo session options, and pricing. I photograph all stages of life so that means graduations, couples, weddings, anniversary, maternity, newborn, and family photos. Offering all those different kinds of photos allows me to keep I touch with clients and adapt to their needs to capture that chapter in their life.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Creating is a need for me. I have to create something whether it’s painting, drawing, music, videography or photography. For me, being a photographer is the perfect mixture of what I loved about the hospitality industry with the addition of art. In hospitality I loved serving others, creating an experience, and creating memories. In photography, I love working with the colors, tones, people, and the editing process.
The most rewarding part of being able to do photography is when the clients tell me they love their photos and share them with their friends and family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vongeisphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vongeisphotography?igsh=emh3NDN4bTRycHZj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vongeisphotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellevongeis
Image Credits
Von Geis Photography