We recently connected with Portia Kohls and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Portia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
The photography industry is rapidly growing and due to this fast-paced growth, there is a lot of competition to be a successful photographer. Photography includes many hours of increasing your skills, learning the trends, finding ways to stand out, marketing, editing, etc. And like every good business owner, you want your income to outweigh your total costs (explicit and implicit). Sadly, I think this causes a large part of the corporate world to lose the art of photography as it has become strictly business in order to get the top dollar.
Truly Grace Photography has been an incredible gift to me as it has become a way for me to connect with wonderful people and work with them to find a price affordable while still achieving their dream photos for their wedding, elopement, senior session, or whatever it may be! A lot of photographers push “do not sell yourself short” (regarding money), but I look at it as not selling myself short regarding the experiences. I am beyond thankful for the experiences and memories photography has brought into my life and no amount of money could replace that. Photography is an art and a passion I feel lucky to have been gifted with. I aim for my photography to be an art that makes people feel something, not just a business endeavor. I want people to be filled with feelings of joy, love, laughter, peace, stillness, excitement, and so on from my art, not just a pretty picture. I hope to share this gift with others rather than suffocating it with a price.
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.
My first introduction to photography was when I was 5 years old and I would follow my mom around to her photoshoots. It was my favorite thing to watch her pose her clients and proudly hold up the props. She eventually lost partial vision due to a rare disease called Tumefactive multiple sclerosis only 9oo people in the United States have. She had to give up photography and years later I found her old camera in an old storage closet. I began to take pictures of my friends, horses, family… anything I could. I never went anywhere without my camera in my hand. I started my photography business when I was 16 and I immediately fell in love. I started by taking senior pictures and sports pictures for local schools, but always knew my passion was for weddings and couples (even though I still absolutely ADORE my senior sessions)! Three years later, I now have my own wedding photography business and I am beyond thankful. Being a younger wedding and destination photographer has been a huge help as I have a unique insight into creative, unique, and trendy ways to capture my client’s day. I love to be my client’s best friend and I want to make their wedding day exciting, fun, adventurous, and a stand-out memory for them and their guests. It is so important to me that I have a relationship with my client because who wants such a HUGE day captured by some stranger?! I
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has honestly been social media (specifically Instagram). Instagram is a great place to display your work, connect with other photographers, and build your brand! Once you take photos of one client, and they post it and tag you, their followers like the photos, follow you, and inquire. It is a snowball effect from there. Plus, reels is a great way to expand your clientele. The more reels you post consistently, the more traffic you bring to your page.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Starting a business at such a young age came with a lot of different advice and opinions. I was constantly told I would need to be very professional to compensate for my age. People wouldn’t take me seriously. In the beginning, this really hurt my growth as I was too afraid to connect with my clients and become their friend due to fear of them thinking I was unprofessional or too young. I quickly learned that being able to connect with people well is what makes photography so special. It doesn’t make you unprofessional, it makes you human and thus makes your client much more comfortable in front of the camera.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trulygracephotography.showit.site/
- Instagram: @trulygracephotography
Image Credits
Truly Grace Photography