We were lucky to catch up with Season Moore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Season, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

Covid times were very interesting in a service industry! I didn’t have the option to work remotely so being face to face with clients was just how it had to be. This came with so many hurdles that shifted as the years went on (hard to believe it was years!). In the early days it mean big expenses for small businesses (that had already been shuttered for some time) changing policies and taking less clients, adding air purifiers and cleaning stations, sanitizing more hours of the day than I can count. And frankly, walking on eggshells; people were not shy about their opinions over whether you SHOULD reopen at all. Doing a physical job, one where facial expressions are important, in a mask came with it it’s own issues. It’s very difficult to get people relaxed and smiling when your face is covered, I saw lots of terrified babies over that first year. As time went on we started seeing high numbers of last minute reschedules and cancellations, something that is hard for a small business to accommodate. I finally feel like we are close to feeling “normal” again, although I am not sure we will be the same!

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?

I am a portrait and headshot photographer with a studio in Raleigh, NC. I have had this business since 2005 but first started in photography way back in the 90’s. While I do shoot family portraiture my main focus is headshot and commercial photography, i absolutely love showing people how great they can look without filters and apps – just great lighting, posing and confidence!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I opened my business in 2005, when digital photography was just becoming mainstream. At that time there were only a handful pf photographers in Raleigh and I offered a customized, high end portrait experience for clients. Fast forward 9-10 years and the market was completely flooded as digital cameras became less expensive. It felt like everyone that owned a camera was a “photographer” and that impacted the business as a whole. To completely honest, there was a period of time I didn’t even want to tell people what I did for a living and be associated with what I considered less than professional work. I was faced with the choice of completely leaving the industry all together, or finding a way to set myself apart. I opened my commercial studio space in 2015 and started focusing on headshots and corporate clients vs. family portraits .

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Oh boy, it’s not my favorite part of business for sure but you have to put your face in front of your phone! There was a time I didn’t even have a photo of myself on my website but that has changed. YOU are your brand and talking to your Instagram feed (as awkward as it is) has created a different type of relationships with clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seasonmoorephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasonmoorephoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raleighphotographer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seasonmoore/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Season_Moore

Image Credits
Season Moore Photography