Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebekah Gregg. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rebekah, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

There are actually several things I do differently than what I see a good majority of photographers doing! First of all, I shoot with film! Film photography is definitely making a resurgence but digital and, mirrorless cameras in particular, are what I think most pro photographers consider the standard. They’re looking for the sharpest image and the ability to manipulate an image any way imaginable in post-production. While film images do get scanned digitally and can be photoshopped, I’d say most film photographers, myself included, have embraced the idea of being “perfectly imperfect” and trying to capture authentic moments without spending a lot of time editing. My first interview with VoyageATL I was still shooting with digital and was spending hours on end having to edit things like white balance and skin retouching. One of the reasons I switched to film was because my work now has a more consistent look and it allows me to schedule more sessions without sacrificing more time away from my family sitting in front of the computer. I also chose film a couple years ago because I feel it’s better psychologically for my clients who are all high schoolers! Gen Z are digital natives and have grown up being able to see their photos immediately on a screen and they have a tendency to overanalyze and look at themselves more critically. When they can’t see the images immediately then they can relax a little bit and just enjoy the process without being so focused on trying to be this unattainable version of perfection. Secondly, as I mentioned above, I decided 8 years ago to specialize in portraits of high school seniors. I see a lot of photographers, especially early in their careers, taking a wide variety of jobs. Anything from portraits to events to headshots and product photography. I think that’s a great way to learn what you like shooting and what you don’t like or what you’re best at but it means having to switch gears constantly based on each genre. Even in portrait photography different skills are needed for newborns versus headshots. Not every photographer is going to be able to connect with toddlers as well as they do with business men and women or teens. For me, I realized that I wanted to work exclusively with high school seniors and decided to start saying No to other types of assignments. Not everyone feels the need to “niche down” but it was the very best decision for myself.
Thirdly, I find myself more and more often limiting how many sessions I’ll book each year. That’s probably because I’m getting old! It can be exhausting to constantly be told on social media that we need to hustle and be showing up on every social media platform and ramping up our businesses to be as big as possible. More isn’t always better! At some point we all have to decide what our boundaries are going to be or we’re going to burn out fast. I know several photographers who are booking sessions nearly every day of the month during busy seasons and then having to edit into the wee hours of the night on top of all the administrative tasks they have to work on! All people need to have time off and need to be able to recharge – photographers included. It’s not healthy to be working 7 days a week with no set office hours. Having been in business for 11 years I finally realized that I wasn’t doing anyone any favors by operating that way. When we create boundaries and keep them we empower other people to do the same thing!

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

One of the things I’m most proud of in my work is that I have a lot of people say they’ve hired me for their senior portraits because the people in my photographs look comfortable and happy! That’s definitely my goal. No one who comes to me is a super model. Being the only person in front of the camera can be pretty awkward for most people including teenagers. They’re always taking pictures with their friends but to be the only one in the picture when it isn’t a selfie feels different. I love these kids and want them to enjoy the whole process and for them and their parents to be happy with the results! I also love that I have so many different kinds of students attracted to my work. It doesn’t take long to look through my Instagram or website to see that. I believe that reaching this age is a milestone worth celebrating no matter who you are or what your future plans are!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I honestly believe that specializing in a particular genre helped my reputation grow. I think this principle is true in most industries. What are you “known for”? I think we can be good at many different kinds of things and that niching down isn’t the right path for everyone. But I think generally, as consumers, we associate greatness with brands who are highly focused on one thing in particular. We come to expect high quality of services and products from companies who are considered the experts in their field.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think the most effective strategy was just being persistent. When my business was growing slowly but surely, I didn’t give up on it. I had the benefit of not needing to rely solely on income to pay our family’s bills, however. But I think just showing up consistently for several years just finally paid off. The first 7 years of my business (and yes that probably sounds scary because it was at times) were filled with small gains. Hardly noticeable. These last 4 years, though, I’ve seen exponential growth and I think that’s in large part because I started to respect myself and my own work and because I just kept plugging away at it always expecting it to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebekahgreggphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebekahgreggphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekahgreggphotography
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfhxPqoLSAJtFL3Pka4DLQ