Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Taber Hespe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Taber, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
We’ve all heard the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, with the moral of the story being, “slow and steady wins the race!”. I’ve often thought of that phrase when thinking of my own journey over the last 18 years of being in the photography industry. My path to success took a lot longer than some of my peers, which is due to some of normal life events (such as having kids, moving to new cities several times, having a “normal” job on top of a photography business, etc). However, as time has passed and I’ve had time to reflect, I see that there were several things I could have done to speed up the process to get to where I am now. So if I had to start over right now, here are several things I would do to achieve the same results in half the time.
1 – In-Person Photography Workshops
This is one thing I wish I would’ve started implementing a lot sooner. I was one of those proudly “self-taught” photographers who mainly watched YouTube videos and did research online often, but none of that compared to attending workshops and conferences. I’d likely start with going to the bigger conferences as they tend to cost less, plus you have the added benefit of choosing what classes you want to attend out of many, many options. Once I started making more money from what I had learned there, I’d go to the more specific workshops. The two workshops that quite honestly changed the entire path of my career would be at the top of that list – Two Mann Photography Education, and Dreamers Photo School Workshop. If I had gone to those towards the beginning of my path, I can confidently say I would’ve found success so much sooner than I did.
2 – Business, Marketing and Networking
You can be the best photographer in the world, but if you know nothing about business and marketing, no one will ever know how great you are. If I had to start over, I’d jump directly into using, and learning about, CRM’s. It not only helps you look like a true professional, but the organization is a game changer. I would have also immediately jumped into learning about marketing. It’s such a loaded subject, but once I dug into the psychology of the average consumer, as well as how exactly SEO works, a lot of things started to change for the better (and quickly!). Finally, networking was a piece of the puzzle I never put much effort into. As I’ve grown older, I’ve found that networking with other photographers and wedding vendors has lead to not only great friendships, but often times more money as well.
3 – 2nd Shooting
From a wedding photography standpoint, I wish I would have been a 2nd shooter a little longer prior to just jumping into doing weddings on my own. If I had to restart, I’d make sure that I had at least 50 weddings under my belt as a second shooter prior to attempting to be a lead shooter. You can have all the knowledge in the world on how to take great photos in any situation, but if you don’t have the experience of many different wedding days and what to do when things don’t go according to plan, that knowledge will only get you so far.
4 – Create packages that fit what I want
Instead of looking around to see what everyone else is doing with their photography packages, I would instead focus on what I want to offer regardless of what others are offering. I started doing this with my wedding packages a few years ago, and not only have I been happier, but I’ve started to attract the exact type of clients I love working with the most. I used to care too much about “fitting in” with what everyone else was doing, but truthfully it just made it so I was another fish in the sea and was easily overlooked…plus, I didn’t exactly love what I was offering. So while it’s good to be aware of what everyone is doing, I wouldn’t let it dictate my decisions the way I once did. Also, I would calculate my CODB a lot sooner so I knew what was the appropriate number to charge my clients, instead of undercutting myself just so I could get more sessions on my calendar.
5 – Creating more guides for my clients
Instead of hoping that my clients will dress beautifully for their session, or that their wedding timeline has enough time for everything we need to do, I would immediately create guides for my clients to send to them once they’ve booked. The families that book you don’t always know what colors go well with each other, and if you don’t give them that information there’s a good chance they’ll show up dressed in a way that isn’t artistically pleasing. Most of your wedding clients don’t know what a good timeline looks like from a photographers point of view, so if you don’t tell them what you need in order to make sure they get all the photos they want, they might only give you 30 minutes to get family, wedding party and newly wed portraits done. Once I created guides (which not only includes helpful tips and advice, but sets expectations as well), things became a lot easier, and I started noticing a big difference in my work. Plus, it shows them I know what I’m doing as their hired professional, and has lead to more referrals.
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?
As a young girl, I remember being obsessed with taking photos. My mom would often buy me disposable cameras, and I’d often use up the entire roll of film within a day or two. Once digital cameras started to become more mainstream, not only was my mom very happy to spend less money on getting film developed all the time, but I loved being able to take even more photos at once than I could before. I started to find a lot of joy in capturing candids of my friends, especially at school during recess, field trips, and sometimes during lunch too. This was before MySpace was even invented, so I figured out how to create my own little website where I’d post a lot of the photos I took, then would share that link with my classmates. Hearing from other kids all over school that they loved my photos, or thought a certain photo was funny, all helped to fuel the fire that still burns in me today. When I was a 16 year old sophomore in high school, I took the photography class that was offered and began to learn more about the technical side of things. One day during class, our teacher mentioned that a local photographer named Heather was looking for an assistant and said we were all welcome to apply. I immediately took down her information and applied for the job. Much to my surprise, she chose me to hire as her assistant, which launched me into a whole new realm of possibilities. It had never even occurred to me that I could turn my passion into a career until that point, so working for Heather was not only a blessing, but the moment I got into the photography industry.
I offer photography services for the following – weddings, engagements, elopements, maternity, newborns, families, and high school seniors. Included with my services for those session types is color correction of photos, skin and teeth editing, and background distraction removal
Products – Digital delivery of photos, printing rights, printed photos, and photo albums are the primary focus for my business
Problems I solve – for my wedding and elopement clients, I assist them with day of timeline construction, recommendations for trusted vendors, advice and helpful tips to help their wedding day go smoothly
For my engagement clients, I provide a style guide that shows photos of recommended outfits for certain looks, a color coordination chart, and a guideline of what to expect for their engagement session. I also send them a questionnaire prior to their session so I can find out what kind of locations they’re interested in, as well as get to know them a bit better.
For all other portrait sessions, I have a list of recommended locations and I send them a style guide with outfit combination ideas and a color coordination chart.
What sets me apart – I always aim to keep things fun and easy going. I don’t want my clients to feel like they’re just having a few nice photos taken, I do my best to provide a good experience where my clients leave saying “I actually had a really great time!” (which includes the “I don’t like having my photos taken” crowd!). I’m also an expert chaos coordinator, so no matter how big or small (or how wild or calm) the family or wedding is, I know I have the experience to handle it all. As a mom of 6, and a former EMT in Milwaukee for 7 years, I’ve seen a lot and handled many intensely chaotic situations. I’m great under pressure and know how to get beautiful photos no matter what comes our way.
What I want people to know about my brand – I’m a big believer that every photograph starts with a love story. The love a mother and father have for their children, the love people have for their significant others, the love that fills an expecting moms soul – every love story is beautiful and unique, and that’s the love that drives me to give my all for every client that walks through my door. I aim to capture their stories with timeless photographs so they can look back on those memories all throughout their lives.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
For many years, I wanted to be a full time photographer, but didn’t think it was possible for a variety of reasons, and because the thought of not having a guaranteed income was terrifying. I was working as an EMT on the north side of Milwaukee primarily doing 24 hour shifts, on top of managing my photography business AND being a dedicated mom and wife. The term “burning the candle at both ends” didn’t even cover the level of exhaustion I was feeling during those years. About 2 years prior to going full time is when I started to take more classes and workshops. At the time, I didn’t have the intention of going full time and quitting my EMS career, but I knew I needed to level up my knowledge if I wanted to every go anywhere with my photography path. The first class I took was a social media marketing workshop, and without me knowing it at the time, it was honestly one of the biggest milestones towards going full time. I used the knowledge from that class to start marketing immediately, and I very quickly started booking more clients. It was such a great feeling! Simultaneously, I was starting to climb the ladder at my EMS job, where I was first promoted to Field Training Officer, and later on to Supervisor. I quickly found out that while all these things were great, I didn’t have time to be great at all these things at the same time. The candle wasn’t just burning at both ends, the entire thing was on fire. Then one day at my EMT job, I suffered a shoulder injury, and all my progress there was abruptly stopped. After several months of physical therapy, it was determined I needed surgery to correct the issues, and during my first post-op appointment, my surgeon delivered the bad news. If I continued to be an EMT, I’d likely have to have the surgery again every few years. My EMS agency offered me a position in dispatch, and for a few months I stayed as a dispatcher, but I absolutely hated it. It wasn’t the same as being out on the ambulance and helping people face to face. However, during all of that, my photography career had continued to grow. Bookings were coming in left and right, and opportunities for success were popping up more than ever before. So after discussing everything with my husband and reviewing the numbers, I decided it was time to make the jump. I went full time in September of 2020, and haven’t looked back since.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me is freedom. There are rules within photography, but most of them are more like guidelines. I can follow the rules, I can break them, or I can do some sort of combination of the two in order to create something I enjoy. If I want to make changes to an aspect of my art, or my business, I can just do it. I don’t have to answer to a boss who will tell me “yes” or “no” to any of my ideas. If I want to do it, I can just do it. If I don’t want to take on more clients, I can just say no. If I want to change my schedule to better accommodate my family, I can get that done right away. The freedom of it all is liberating and has lead to me feeling happier, less stressed and more present with not only the people I love, but all the wonderful clients who book with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.taberlaciephoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taberlaciephoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taberlaciephoto
Image Credits
Taber Lacie Photo