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

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Absolutely- yes! Take those vacations, spend time away from work, you deserve it! I take a ridiculous number of vacations a year and I wouldn’t change that for anything. So many people I talk to say “oh wow, you’re home. You’re never home anymore” and that is how I like to keep it. When I am home and working, I have a packed schedule, I am on top of editing, shooting and social media. Then when I am on vacation, I turn on my autoreply on my email and don’t answer my phone. I make sure to get things done before I leave to help set me up for success when I get back home and back to work. I communicate with my clients that I am going to be gone, and what to expect because of that. Almost all of my clients are supportive my traveling and taking time to myself because they know how important it is to me.
My biggest piece of advice with this is take the trip, unplug, and don’t worry about business while you are on vacation. Your business will be there when you get back, there is no need to worry. You deserve a break just like everyone else. I think stepping away for a vacation to re-charge will actually help you come back stronger to your business because you are refreshed.

Samantha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a traveler at heart who got lucky enough to choose and work towards a profession that supports that. When I took my first film photography class in high school, I never thought it would end up as my career, honestly, I just thought it would be an easy elective. Boy was I wrong, learning film and the settings wasn’t easy, but it somehow didn’t bother me. I enjoyed it a lot and slowly just started taking photos of everything. There was no stopping it after that. I started with landscape and macro photography until one day I got asked to take senior photos for a friend. I had never done anything like that before but gave it a shot, and I loved it. After that I decided to go to school for digital photography because at that time it was all I was interested in. The rest is history from there. Building a successful business takes time and a lot of work. I remember years ago wondering how I was going to make this work as a career, and now I wake up some days amazed that I have made it. It takes discipline, lots of trial and error, and a will to just keep going. When I started photography I thought, “I love taking photos let’s do this” but running a photography business is so much more than just taking photos. I say now that is maybe 20% of what a photographer actually does. You have to learn to edit, market yourself, bookkeeping, setup a website, social media, accounting, and so much more.
I pride myself in being true to who I am through my business. I am awkward, goofy and love exploring. and I think that shows in my photos. I want the clients that are ready to drive off road, explore the unknown and have an adventure while also getting some amazing photos out of it. I want the clients that are ready to do some goofy things in front of the camera, like hold hands and run through a field. We’re all there to have fun and create magic, so let loose and enjoy the experience and the photos will turn out amazing.
I am into all types of portrait photography. Weddings, couples, high school seniors, families. But my favorite thing to photograph is intimate elopements. I love the simplicity of them and how it truly is all about the couple. No other opinions the couple has to think about, no one else they have t worry about. Just the couple, the only two people that matter at that moment, and that is how it should be.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Comparision. This is such a hard one because as you get started in photography you are looking all over to see what you are interested in and what styles you like. So, you start off by looking at so many other photographers work, but in the end, I believe you really want to keep that at a minimum. Obviously follow other photographers, get inspiration from them, but don’t do exactly as they do, and don’t ever compare yourself to them. Every photographer is at a different point in their career. You may look at a photographer whose been in business for 20 years and think to yourself, it’s not fair how successful they are, they are so good, I want that. Well, if you only started 2 years ago it is completely okay for you to be where you are in your business journey. You can’t expect to be at the same level as someone who has been doing it for 20 years. Look up to them, but don’t ever compare yourself to them. Competition. Another hard one to unlearn. You do not have to be working against the other photographers in your area. Work with them. Each and every photographer has their own style, what they prefer to photograph, different packages, price points. Own all of that and know what you are good at and what to send to other photographers. I am not a baby photographer, never have been and never will be. It’s just not something that interests me. Instead of taking on those jobs anyways I have a few super talented photographers that I send all those referrals to. I also have a whole group of photographers I meet up with a strategize with. Some I meet up with to trade headshots, some just to learn from. Work with the other photographers in your area, not against them. It’ll help all of you succeed.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

What I have found is if I am true to myself, show everyone who I really am and provide a fun, safe space when taking photos, the clients will come. Have a social media presence and interact with your followers. Show your personal life on there as well so people can see that you are a real person and can relate to you. Never stop learning. Take classes and workshops and show your followers that you are doing that. People appreciate when you are always willing to learn and get better at your craft.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.samanthadannaphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthadannaphotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaDAnnaPhotography

Image Credits
Samantha D’Anna Photography