We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Altman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Rachel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am a self-taught photographer. It has taken me many many years to get where I am and I still have so far to go. There are a lot of lessons that I have had to learn the hard way, but I almost think that they stick more that way! For example, I have learned that a photographer is so much more than their equipment. You can have the best lenses, the most expensive camera, and lighting, but artistic vision is so much more important. I have seen sub-par photographs come from high-end photographers and some pretty incredible pictures come from high school students with disposable cameras. I majored in Entrepreneurship and minored in photography. I am sure that if I had majored in photography I would have learned some photography skills easier and faster than I have. However, since I wanted to run my own business and be successful, I decided to learn business the easy way and photography the hard way. Any creative vision that is worth having takes time to develop. I am not a very patient person, but I have been forced to have some while refining my craft and watching my business grow.
The skill that I believe has been the most essential is a close eye on social media. We are lucky to live in an age where the internet hands us the next big trend/most popular thing as long as we are paying attention. Take advantage of trends, social media, and the marketing that you can do with them and your business and your art will reach much farther than you ever thought possible.
The only obstacle that has stood in my way, and continues to do so, is time. There is never enough! If I could do a hundred shoots a day I would! There are endless creative possibilities and only so much time to explore all of them!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My grandpa got me my first camera when I was ten years old. I started by making black and white short films in middle school and working for my high school TV studio. I was always around cameras and film and TV. It’s my happy place, I guess. I provide a multitude of services! I do a lot of standard portrait photography (weddings, engagements, senior photos). My goal is to make the personality and style of each client come through the photo. I am so tired of seeing photography studios shoot in their own style with zero regards for the personality of their subject. I also shoot creative portraits which are some of my favorites! Want a photo shoot in a graveyard at midnight? Let’s do it! Want to take your senior pictures in the middle of a lake? Let’s do it! I want to make the impossible, possible through photography!
I want people to feel very comfortable during photoshoots. A lot of people are uncomfortable in front of the camera. In order for someone’s personality to shine through in the final product, it is important for the client to feel comfortable. Every client becomes an instant friend to me. Photoshoots are full of laughs and fun, and you just so happen to get some really awesome pictures in the end as well.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Building clientele is not an easy thing to do, so once you have a client, it is so important to keep them and make them feel welcome. I love people and each client becomes part of my photography family. I listen to my clients when they tell me important details about themselves during their photoshoots. This way, I can send them a happy birthday or anniversary message. I can reach out around graduation if I know they have a child reaching that age. Even if they never use my services again, I want them to know they have made a friend. Make notes on every client. Remembering the names of their kids, pets, important stories, future plans, etc makes a huge difference in making the client feel comfortable.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think people have a starry-eyed view of what it means to own your own business. Not having a guaranteed income is a terrifying thing! The hustle is constant and we don’t have the luxury of time off because money doesn’t come in during that time. “Days off” usually consist of marketing from home, answering emails, searching for new advertising channels, organizing paperwork, etc. Being an entrepreneur (especially in the creative field) means that there is no time off ever. The positives are endless, but so are the negatives. If I had any suggestions for others I would say:
-Always support a small business over a big corporation whenever possible.
-Promote the businesses of friends and family to people that you know.
-Tag your friends’ businesses on social media when you post their work. (Photographs they have taken, products that they have made, services they have given you, etc)

These small things can make a HUGE difference to a small business!

If you are a creative small business, I would recommend the following:
-Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family to promote your business
-Constantly promote on social media! A constant social media presence is one of the biggest advantages you can have for your business.
-Professionalism at all times is a necessity. Always have business cards, dress professionally, be easy to contact, and be friendly and professional.

Look, I am not the expert on either of these topics, but these are the things that others have done that have made a difference for me and things that I have done that made a difference for myself. I think if we all help each other and learn from those who have made mistakes before us, we will all be more successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rkimagesphotography.com
• Instagram: @rk_images_photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photographyrkimages
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-kate-09a878180/

Image Credits
RK Images Photography