We were lucky to catch up with Robin Foley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Robin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
Once I decided I could build a business as a portrait photographer in the way that I wanted to, getting it off the ground was a matter of a few practical steps and a bunch of self growth.
Being clear on the following things made launching very simple, it had to be creative and fun for me, utilize my design education, provide a boutique experience, be manageable enough to be a solo endeavor, with a very low overhead, and most importantly generate enough income in the fewest hours.
Then it was truly doing the simplest steps of getting a business license, opening a bank account, business cards, buying the domain, setting up a means to get paid, and networking to get the word out. I had a decent enough camera already and decided it would do until I could pay for better gear once I started making money. I did those in the first months along with some sample photoshoots, put those images on a free website, and shifted my personal instagram account to feature portraits.
Over the next two years I was able to upgrade and polish everything, get new gear and create more streamlined systems. I learned so much from the mistakes I made during that time which helped me institute more professional practices which was the best education.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
During the couple of years prior to starting my portrait business, I was sort of floating unmoored. About 8 years earlier I had left my job in Computer Graphics for film and video games to be with my babies. Even then, I was doing some small scale online entrepreneurial things. But it got to the point that it wasn’t big enough, I wasn’t stretching.
I have a BFA in photography from a commercial design school. I was coming from a visual communication perspective with a commercial client in mind. I wanted to utilize those skills to create something new to me, and asking myself loads of questions is what led me straight back to photography. Which is funny because I really did not think photography was going to be the thing. But, I quickly realized I could provide this service to the general public directly, get paid by them directly, AND I could photograph them however I wanted to, bringing all my creativity and skills to it.
I focused on photographing women specifically, and learning how to make them look fantastic no matter their age, weight, or past terrible experiences being photographed. Women tend to hide from the camera and are often missing from their family photos, I know I was hiding. So I made that my mission.
I do a lot of headshots, or personal branding for professionals, and business branding images for executive teams, mainly in women owned businesses. I have built a reputation among my network for making images that women love of themselves. I truly love it. In learning that skillset I also became really adept at connecting with clients, creating a safe space for them to let down their guard in front of the camera, which is what creates a truly genuine, connected, beautiful image.
This developed from my skills as a visual communicator, coupled with the experience as a mom taking thoughtful care of people at their most vulnerable. That is what I’m most proud of.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My social media presence built organically over the years. I still have the same Instagram account and Facebook page that I started well before portraiture. I simply share my work there as well as the thoughts and moments from my everyday life. Now and then I’ve done some big marketing pushes, but mostly I’m as authentically me as I can be. Which also means that I sometimes don’t show up there with regularity, and I post a bit about that too. I don’t want to be a slave to social media. I could not have strategized how well I am now networked locally on my Facebook page, and any clients that come to me through that channel tend to know other people I’ve photographed and have seen their photos posted.
My best advice is to be authentic, don’t push too hard, let it grow organically through real interactions.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I have an email list of clients & potential clients and I reach out to them a few times a year with some information to provide value to how they market, or how they can use branding images. Especially if I have a photo event coming up that they can make use of. I’ve put together a day of business branding photoshoots at a coworking space or an interior design space, then make appointments for sessions, provide a makeup artist, a consultation with a PR/Marketing professional, and with a price that is lower than a private session with me. I pay attention to what clients are needing and aim to provide an event to solve that at least 1-2 times a year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.robinfoleyportraits.com
- Instagram: robinita7
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheeRobinFoley
Image Credits
Portrait of me by Janet Barnett Photography All other photos by me