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

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Profitability in the photography industry can be challenging, especially with the ever-growing access people have to amazing technology. Our cell phones now take excellent photos, and AI is making it possible to create a very realistic head shot with minimal work. Therefore, it can be easy for people to decide to take a “DIY” approach to photos these days. Pair this sentiment with the expense of cameras, lenses, and editing software, profitability can be very difficult in our industry, especially for those early in their careers. As a high school senior photographer, I’ve had more and more clients inquire and decide to “have a friend with a nice camera” take their photos instead. This can be disheartening, as we know in our industry that a photographer brings so much more to the table than just nice gear.

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

I am a wedding and portrait photographer based out of Saint Paul, Minnesota. I always joke that my photography business fell into my lap versus me seeking it out. I decided to buy a DSLR camera off of Craigslist when I was in college to document my life. Then, I started to have friends ask me to snap a head shot of them for various reasons. Being a perfectionist, I didn’t want to do a bad job, so I started researching how to use my camera properly using YouTube. Then I’d watch videos about finding good lighting and how to use editing software. It just spiraled from there. The more opportunities I had to take photos, the more I became determined to get better. Soon, I was taking senior photos for family friends and was asked to shoot a friend’s wedding back in 2015. Everything just evolved from there! I’ve tried just about every kind of portrait photography over the last few years, but I specialize in high school senior/graduation photos, engagements, and weddings.

When it comes to my personal brand and philosophy, I describe it as natural, yet elevated. I always aim to capture weddings and couples as they are naturally, but use my skills to make everything look bright and elegant. My own personal style is laidback with a touch of classic, so I feel my images capture a similar vibe. I want my images to look effortlessly elegant versus overdone. Therefore, my editing style keeps everything true to color, but I use a touch of inspiration from film photography in the tones.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

One of my greatest sources of new clients is referrals. My high school senior portraits business works almost completely off of word of mouth and referrals. This allows my business to continue to grow and continue with little effort on my part besides just serving my clients well. I firmly believe that any service-based business should place customer service at the top of their priority list. While photography is a creative, artistic field, being a portrait or wedding photographer is a service-based business. Therefore, serving clients well should be top-of-mind, and successfully making your clients happy will always be your best marketing tool. Serving clients well can mean many things. Some photographers focus on gifts and touch points throughout the client experience. Others, like myself, focus on educating clients through the process so they feel prepared and heard. I do as much as I can to make my clients feel comfortable in front of the camera and ensure they are happy with their final images. I firmly believe that my customer service attitude is what has built my solid reputation in the market and continues to help my business grow.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was to curate my social media presence. As a photographer, my Instagram is basically a billboard for me and my work. However, I have found over the years that people appreciate the “real” as much as the “pretty and curated” on social media. In October of 2021, I suddenly and tragically lost my sister. She was truly one of my best friends on the planet, and this loss completely altered my life and shook me to my core. In the aftermath of her passing, I often turned to social media to express myself and share my story because, for some reason, it was cathartic for me to share. This made me really nervous initially. I was so used to keeping everything positive and professional on my social media, and I was so worried that people would think my content had become depressing or they wouldn’t care to hear my “sob story.” But keeping things pretty and curated just wasn’t even possible at this time of extreme grief. I am so glad I chose to be authentic, though.

As I shared more of my grief journey, instead of losing followers, I gained them. My reach and activity increased. I made genuine connections with followers who had also lost loved ones, and people connected with me as a person as well as a creator. I began getting wedding bookings from clients who told me they actually booked me BECAUSE they knew I understood grief and trusted me to capture their wedding day, which often comes with complicated feelings for those who have lost close loved ones. Overall, unlearning to be perfect and poised on social media became one of my greatest marketing techniques.

Contact Info:

• Website: rachelgraffphoto.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/rachgraff
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelgraffphoto
• Other: pinterest.com/rachgraff

Image Credits
All images by me, Rachel Graff Photography