We were lucky to catch up with Savannah Levell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Savannah, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

When I first started taking photos, I would do the occasional portrait of friends or take photos of any surroundings out of my own passion. From there, I gained a basic understanding of my camera functions and the use of Photoshop. I then took to social media to reach out to people to model for me and help me build a stronger portfolio which in return, really helped with my growth and portfolio. Thanks to my social media usage, people now have searched photographers in the area and choose me as a good fit for them. I wouldn’t be where I am today with photography if it weren’t for those who have been loyal to my services and have trusted me with capturing them. I fought through imposter syndrome thinking it was all a hoax when I got my first client. It seemed surreal that somebody would trust me enough to take photos of them that they could cherish for the rest of their life. That is single handedly the reason why I do what I love today and continue to aspire to grow and learn more.

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 name is Savannah Levell and I am a Tampa Bay Area photographer. I started doing photography as a hobby in my teenage years. I have since taken the plunge into owning my own little budding photography business. I like to consider myself an intuitive person and I use that gift to help me create images that would be a good fit for my clients. I am proud to help people earn more business in the age of social media. There are a whole lot of us on this planet right now and some good images really help yourself stand out business-wise.

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

I had to unlearn the mindset that my passion for photography wouldn’t take me where I wanted to be and wouldn’t sustain a financial stability in my life in order to go full time. It took a lot of time and reinforcement from receiving more and more inquiries over time. It wasn’t an easy start with me and I actually started at a time I didn’t really feel worth much. It was through photography, I gained confidence, which is funny, because it was also super terrifying for me! Putting myself out there in a subjective field made me feel very vulnerable but I decided to be brave and just do it!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I was twenty-five, I found out I was pregnant with my first child, Samara. I was scared beyond belief just like most other people who become first time parents do. I don’t have much of a support system, so when it came to childcare, I was on my own. I am very lucky to have an awesome mother who helps me in times when I need it the most.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.savannahlevellphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savannahlevellphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090916984451