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

Hi Steph, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

I absolutely wish I had started sooner. I had a passion for photography and art at a young age. When I was around 15 I began shooting film photography, and I wish I would have continued straight out of high school, but I did not believe I could make a living doing it. I was still shooting on my off time, mainly for friends, family, and a few clients I made off of craigslist. As much as I wanted to quit my job and pursue my passion full-time, I kept having self doubt. Some people close to me would tell me that photography is overrated, a hobby, and not a real job. The comments like “You just point and shoot” and “anyone with an iPhone can do it” kept me from moving forward. The only one who ever supported my dream is my husband. I was working a regular 9-5 job with good pay and I was terrified that I would fail. Someone once told me “No one pays for pictures anymore, everyone has iPhones” What if they’re right? It made me wonder what I had to offer that would set me apart. Fast forwarding to 2018, with my husbands support, I quit my job and took the plunge. Photography became my full-time job. And I loved it! I could finally be happy to work, I am doing what I love and I am good at it. My biggest struggle was finding clientele. In a market as diluted with photographers as ours, it’s highly competitive. The instagram trend is different than what my style is, but I decided to stay true to myself, my vibrant, colorful, yet timeless work. Its simple to compare your work to other successful photographers online, its difficult to stay true to yourself. A clients comment to me really boosted my confidence. She said “The love for your work shows in your images”. This is what I strive for. I want everyones experience to be relaxed and joyous. I love that my clients tell me that they had fun and felt at ease; this is where the real magic is captured. This is how you capture love. This helped me get over my self doubt and feel confident in my style. I know now that if I would have just started sooner, I would be further established in the community. More families would have benefited from my work. I want to give them the timeless images that they will look back on and remember exactly how they felt during that stage in life, I want them to feel the warmth and love like it was just yesterday.

Steph, 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 offer a wide range of services. From weddings to families, to business owners looking to kick start their websites, with a speciality in graduating seniors! My goal is to offer everyone the same experience no matter how large or small the session may be.

When I am talking to a potential client one of the most common issues I hear is that their spouse or children do not like taking pictures. That their last photoshoot was difficult because they wouldn’t sit still, they weren’t having fun, they get stressed out and the pictures don’t come out the way they had hoped for. What I like to do is let the clients be themselves. With children I tell my parents to not stress, don’t try and force the child to do things that aren’t natural to them. I like to let them play, roll around, laugh, giggle, and I let them run the shoot. My families all tell me they were very happy with our shoot, that I allowed them to have the space to feel confident in front of the camera, and that they have never had such a great experience . It’s important for me to have them do things that they naturally do in their day to day lives. I do have them pose, but it’s not what you would typically see. The smiles are all genuine and the love is captured as it is felt between their family. One thing that I am highly known for is my Senior Rep. program. It’s a very fun part of my job, because it allows me to experiment with different styles of photography like lighting and fashion. The seniors that I get to work with are always excited and trusting of my visions.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

This is very special to me because the funding for my business came from my biggest supporter: my husband. Throughout all the years he has not only supported me and my dreams, but financially and emotionally. We never had a lot, but he would make sure he was able to buy my equipment and anything I needed for my shoots. Because of his support I have been able to turn this passion into a business that we can both benefit from. Not only has he been financially supportive, but everyone knows that he is the muscle behind my business.

Many have seen him be the eyes on the back of my head when I’m shooting, or my stool when I need to get a higher angle. He has also been known to rock babies in order to calm them down while their parents are getting their couple portraits taken. One of the many benefits of having my husband when I shoot is knowing that he will always be there for me.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The first thing is I never dwell on the number of followers I have. social media can be a really rough audience, especially for someone who is just starting out.

During my first year on social media I had little confidence to post about myself. I didn’t show my audience my face or give them any reason to believe they could relate to me. I had to get out of my comfort zone, in order to show them the person behind the camera. Within a few weeks of sharing more of my personal life, my following began to grow.

Your audience follows you because they can relate to you and hiding who you are will only set you back. On a platform where everything has a filter and looks perfect, it’s important to stay true to yourself and share reality.

For me it is important that I share who I am and what makes me special.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stephcanophotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephcanophotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephcanophoto

Image Credits
All photo by Steph Cano Photography.