Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steve Cowell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Steve thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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 went into college not having any idea what I wanted to study and even less of an idea of what kind of career I wanted to pursue. I had approached my parents about going to a technical art school to pursue photography, but the idea wasn’t well received out of fear that there wasn’t enough job opportunities in that field. So, I graduated with a mass communication degree and took the first outside sales job I was offered for a copier company.

Thus began my 8.5 year trudge through the world of corporate outside sales. I pretty much hated every minute of it. The process and relationships were so transactional and rarely rewarding. About 5 or 6 years into my sales career I picked my camera back up as a creative outlet on weekends…taking pictures of families and friends for free just so I could do something that breathed life back into me before I had it drained back out during the rest of the week.

Fast forward another couple of years…I had transitioned between 4 different sales organizations by then and simply couldn’t take another interview process or new hire training so I decided to give my photography career a real shot and chase it full time. I created a simple logo and website, pulled as many of my favorites images as I could to create a portfolio, and started shooting and sharing as often as I could. 6 months went by and I had not gotten any traction. I had drained 2/3rds of our family’s savings, was more stressed and anxious than ever, and was forced to take another sales job to help pay the bills.

Another horrible year went by in a job I hated and I ended up getting let go for poor sales performance…not a surprise. During that year I was still taking the occasional wedding client and growing in my desire to find a way to make it full time. After a hesitant conversation with my very supportive wife, I decided to give it another try because I just couldn’t go back to another sales job. I hustled, I made connections, I landed some beautiful weddings that ended up getting published and now here I am, 10+ years later and helping support my family of 5 by doing what I love! It doesn’t come without its challenges and ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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 think what sets me aside from others is my personality. I love marriage more than just the wedding. I love connecting with my clients, hearing their stories and aiming to tell the most authentic version of it with my camera. I’m goofy, easy-going, and inspired/moved by the process of seeing people come out of their shell in front of my camera and actually have fun with it rather than be intimidated by it. Having come from such a transactional work background of sales, I seek to build a friendship with my clients that oftentimes lasts after the wedding is over.

What I’m most proud of when I look at my body of work is consistency. Light, shadow play, tiny moments, big moments, timelessness….all things I had said I wanted to see in my work at the beginning of my career still holds true now, just with more experience behind it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my job is the feedback I get from my clients when I send them their photos. When they talk about the tears, laughs, ooh’s and ahh’s, and the flood of emotions that they experienced reliving their day through the images brings me pure joy. Often times its the pictures they don’t know were being taken, moments they weren’t around for that are the best. The fact that I get to be a fly on the wall for their happiest days is a true honor.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think the most important part to growing my reputation was how I treated not only my clients but also my fellow vendors. While social media is helpful for marketing/promoting your work/brand, word of mouth and referrals has been the most important part of the success of my business. Being responsive, professional, a good problem solver, a clear communicator and someone that champions everyone around him and wants to see their success in addition to my own is crucial.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stevecowellphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevecowell_photo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevecowellphoto
• Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/zXnSKbmbToI_EjlohYkI4A

Image Credits
Self portrait taken by Iron & Fern all other photos taken by myself