We recently connected with Syerra Meadows-Haynes and have shared our conversation below.

Syerra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Moments come and go at the blink of an eye, and many wish to remember those particular moments for a lifetime. Capturing cherished moments so they can last forever is my mission as a storyteller, business owner, and photographer. I wish to tell the stories many wish to remember, I wish to capture the memories that warm a person’s heart and soul.

Syerra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi I’m Syerra, a personal branding, portrait and events photographer. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland but, by marriage, made my way to good ole’ Saint Louis, Missouri. I spend most of my days working my 9-5 gig, but I love to get behind the lens during my time off where I am passionate about capturing cherished moments and capturing amazing brands. ​
I spend my free time reading some great books with my book club, strolling through the isles of Hobby Lobby & At Home, trying new cuisine at different restaurants, and traveling. Most Sundays you will find me worshipping, growing, and even capturing some photos at One Family Church.
​
My photography sessions are about capturing those cherished moments for them to last a lifetime for my clients.I enter people’s spaces and create emotional connections with them. Through casual conversation, I discover that I can get my clients to ‘forget’ the camera and think of me as their friend while shooting those cherished memories. Each session is suppose to tell a story and I would be delighted to tell yours. Shoot me an email, give me a call, we can even meet for coffee to discuss how I can tell your storY.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

Photography surprisingly is a difficult industry to market yourself, why you ask? Everyone has a smartphone that takes great pictures and it is also an industry that is popular, meaning many people can do it. With that it takes a lot of exerting yourself to sell your brand and business. It is also important to find out your niche because that is the only thing that will set you a part from smartphones and other photographers. I knew my niche was capturing memories, those small moments that are not posed but just authentic. I had to market that and not just, “I’m a photographer.”

To market and sell my brand and business, I had to be strategic about who I partnered with and I targeted businesses and individuals who were looking for just that. So when those businesses just wanted pictures of authentic moments with their product, or individuals wanted authentic not posed pictures, I was there. Find your niche and move strategically with how to market that talent.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Business would just fall into your lap if you post your talent on social media. Oh boy, that does not work 100% of the time. People will like your photos, they may even comment, but that doesn’t mean they will remember when they need photos, it does not mean they would not tell their friends/families about you to increase business, it does not mean they even want your niche for something they have. Don’t expect the consistency of social media and your friends/family do the work only you can do to drive and increase your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.strivingenvision.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strivingenvisionphotography/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/strivingenvisionphotography/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/strivingenvisi1

Image Credits
Credit: Striving Envision Photography