We recently connected with Samantha Jacob and have shared our conversation below.
Samantha, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “no risk, no reward”.. this is something I couldn’t agree more with. Starting your own business or implementing a huge life change comes with a variety of risks, and I have definitely encountered my fair share. My first huge risk was when I chose to relocate to Las Vegas from Kansas City, with ZERO plan. I didn’t budget for it, I didn’t have a job lined up, I was just ready for a drastic change in my life – and when an opportunity presented itself on a place to live, I snagged it with zero hesitation. I knew Vegas was a place that would have more photography opportunities and would open doors into the career I always wanted. I was able to start fresh in a new city, take a step back from the life and routines I had always known and reinvent myself. Asking myself hard and honest questions about what I want out of life, what type of career and business I waned to build that I wouldn’t feel trapped or stuck – something creative, yet financially prosperous, and was able to star at square one to make it happen. Vegas is deemed as the “wedding capital of the world” and is known for its insane nightlife scene, so I wasted little time jumping on any gigs for DJ’s, festivals, nightclubs – capturing the life and music that happens when the sun goes down. Vegas has over 150 weddings A DAY, being able to find routes of communication to get booking consistently was difficult at first but became more consistent with overtime.
The second major risk I took was when I decided to go full-time and cut off/quit any other jobs I was working at the time. When I first moved out to Vegas I financially supplemented getting my business going by also bartending 4+ days a week. Bartending in Vegas allows you to make great cash, while also giving you the time in the day to grow a side hustle. The moment came when I realized I was only getting 50% of what I was putting into my photography career, because I was only able to give it 50% of my time. I decided to put in my 2 weeks and use all the extra time I would be spending bartending and started outreaching clients, planners, venues, brands, etc for photoshoots. Doing service swap gigs and whatever methods I could to get my name out there and my portfolio to stand out. This risk was stressful in the beginning because I no longer had a backup money-making job. I put all of my eggs in the the ‘photography career’ basket, if you will. Allowing and giving myself the time and freedom to FULLY focus on my career is one of the main key factors that allowed it to grow to what it is today. The risk is SO worth the reward.
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?
My love for photography started at a very young age. I grew up in a tiny farm town in Kansas, the community was very tight-knit and wholesome. With a town that small (and with very little to do) I spent a lot of my time making art. My parents knew I always had an interest in photography so they gifted me my first professional camera (as an award for getting good grades) in middle school. I would spend my weekends going around the town capturing anything and everything and dressing my friends up for photoshoots that replicated the editorials in magazines I would read. Shots of pastures and the farm-life was a consistent theme in my beginning stages of photography. I always thought of photography as a “side gig” most of my early adult life. I went to college to study psychology, but after graduating and working in the mental health field I quickly realized I wanted to turn my art into my career. While in Kansas City I captured a lot of graduation portraits, family portraits, and engagements. It wasn’t until I moved out to Vegas till I dove into the wedding industry, where I quickly found my love for shooting special moments and days in people’s lives. I wouldn’t say I have a specific niche of shoots, but more-so a niche style that I shoot. I tend to shoot and edit in a very organic, candid, dark and moody aesthetic that translates into all styles of session, such as weddings, engagements, editorial and portraits, family, maternity, products and so forth. I love shooting a variety of projects so that every session feels new and exciting. Couples, engagements and weddings are my top gigs, with editorial and portraits coming in a close second. The discipline of being my own boss came with many ups and downs. Figuring out which working/editing/shooting routines that worked best for me came through a trial and error type of method. When you love what you do, you wake up excited to do it everyday.
What sets me apart from many other photographers is my method of shooting and editing. I am far from “stale”. I prompt my couples and clients to do actions instead of prompting poses. Actions allows you to hone-in on organic movements and prevent the images from looking so forced and stiff. When I edit, I like to stay on the darker, warmer, moody-toned styles. Most wedding photographers edit in a “white, light, and bright” method which is the opposite spectrum to my style, allowing me to find niche clients that enjoy that different look.
I am most proud of the progress I have made in such a short time-frame. When I was starting out I was constantly searching for my clients, reaching out through different platforms and lead systems, whereas now my clients tend to find me. I still have days of outreach, but majority of my bookings are from people who found me either on socials, google, my website, or word of mouth and contacted me first to make a booking. With the growth I’ve made in that realm it has relieved a lot of the stress of finding work.
Something I would want potential clients/followers/fans to know is that working with me is so much more than a photoshoot. I try to make the session an experience you won’t forget. I do that by bringing music, cracking jokes and making it as FUN as possible. I’m very laid back and down to earth so I find connecting with the clients to be the best part of it all. The beginning of the session you’re my client, and by the end of the session we are friends. It’s beautiful to get to meet so many different people and hear their stories.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is getting to show the clients the beauty I see that sometimes they don’t see in themselves. Getting your photos professionally taken can sometimes be a daunting and foreign feeling. I notice a lot of my clients mention their insecurities about their physical appearance or nervousness about shooting when we chat and meet. I like to flip the script on their insecurities and show them they have NOTHING to be insecure about, that they are gorgeous and confident – because everything is a mindset and through my shoots I like to instill the mindset into my client that they are beautiful and amazing just as they are. Changing personas from a photographer to your personal hype-girl! Another extremely awarding aspect of being a creator is that you can make of it what you want. If you have a specific vision or something that has inspired you, you can create it! There is no holding back, no right or wrong when it comes to making art.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Growing my clientele came from a variety of strategies and methods that I have implemented in a different ways. Starting out, I did a lot of outreach through third party platforms, such as Thumbtack, Bark, Snappr, Wedding Chicks, Wedding Pro, and so forth. These platforms connect photographers to clients looking for photographers. This helped me get my feet wet when creating bookings. Aside from the third party lead systems, I would also go around to all bridal boutiques and tux stores, dropping off my business cards for future brides and grooms to find. A lot of cafe’s and gyms have a wall where they post about businesses and meet-ups in the areas and I would constantly stick my business card or QR code there so people could easily find my work.
Creating great connections with planners and venues in my area in another great way to meet other vendors that partake in the wedding industry. Good connections with planners is absolutely key in booking out the full-scale dreamy weddings, and once that connection is solid, they can refer and recommend you to any new couple that they meet.
Most cities also have a variety of events that take place in photography field, whether it be an entrepreneur meet-up or a wedding convention, I would also attend to make connections as best as I could with potential clients or other vendors in the industry.
Establishing an online presence that is fluid with your brand, vibe, and who you are as a photographer is another good way to grab the attention of people searching for what you offer. Staying up to date with Google Business, consistently posting and interacting on social medias, and updating my website with new work is a way to send a message to the clients searching for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.samanthajacobphotography.com
- Instagram: @samanthajacobphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samanthajacobphotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-jacob-2bb18ab3
- Other: Wedding Chicks: https://planning.weddingchicks.com/pro/wedding-photographers/samantha-jacob-photography/806843