We were lucky to catch up with Taurus Graham recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Taurus thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Starting my own photography business and spending all the money on equipment in such a saturated field was a risk in itself. Coming from Florida where everybody is a photographer, this was a challenging task I took on. To make it even riskier, I began promoting myself by offering my services for free (as in, 100% free, not even tips) and ran the risk of being known as the free photographer and never being able to break out of this bubble I’ve created for myself. My free photos were a huge success and got my name out there in the local community, especially in the area I grew up in (a less financially fortunate area). Just when I began making a name for myself, I took another risk that would turn to be my biggest feat yet. I moved from big city Orlando, Florida to an incredibly rural part of Virginia.

I lost every single client I had (which is fair, since I now lived four states away) and essentially began from scrap. I still had all my equipment and skills, my grand personality that makes even the most nervous model relax, but I didn’t have the client relationship I did before. I was starting over from nothing with an amazing group of well established photographers in the area. In order to get my name out there again, I offered my services for free again. Catered to the local LGBTQ+ community (with which I’m also a part of, and they have a pretty poor representation out here), offered maternity sessions for free to young and first time moms, even offered seasonal mini’s for the kids and family at no charge. This went over incredibly well, as expected for free photos. The issue came when I began to charge my worth again.

The business came in as the worlds slowest trickle, and it was often discouraging. I never had this problem in Orlando, but Orlando is also four times the size of the city I live in now. I felt like I was ridiculous for even thinking about charging again. I felt like I was selfish to ask for peoples hard earned money in return for services they could get elsewhere. It wasn’t until I had one client (a return client) say they chose to work with me again for who I am. My photos could compete with the established photographers in my area, but the others didn’t have the same patience with her autistic son as I did. I provided something no other photographer had done for her. Patience, and a real passion for meeting and working with people.

Whether it was this newfound confidence from her words, or the glowing review she had left me, my business began to pick up. I wasn’t just another photographer, I was Taurus the photographer. Taurus who was a real person, a mother and a wife, behind the camera. Taurus who made herself look like a fool to get a grumpy toddler to smile. Taurus who somehow managed to keep your dog focused on the camera for a cute photo. I wasn’t just another photographer, I was Shots by Taurus.

Taurus, 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?

I’ve always lightly dabbled in photography. My mother was a hobbyist photographer, and I invertedly followed behind her. I never had any fancy equipment, but I had a passion for catching peoples best side. When my now husband and I started dating, he showed me his dust covered collection of cameras and maybe it was the excitement I showed that had him handing over the equipment. I lucked out coming from a photographer and marrying a photographer, but I’ve always considered myself pretty lucky.

I’ve been cosplaying for almost 15 years, so I began my photography journey by offering cosplay photos for free. It was the combination of two things I had a passion for that made me branch out into more. I did an engagement shoot and fell in love with seeing the twinkle in couples eyes. I did a maternity shoot and realized there’s nothing more beautiful than a mothers glow. I did a branding shoot for a small business and the giddy excitement of a young entrepreneur made me continue. I had my son and realized photography would always be apart of my life because he deserved to have photos to look back on (and not because I just loved having photos of him… not at all…).

I call myself a photographer, but I’m really a jack of all trades. If there’s something you need photographed, chances are I’ve done it. I don’t like to hold myself to one specific niche when there’s so much beauty to catch everywhere. I offer my services at an incredibly low rate (lower than I probably should, but everybody deserves photos of themselves and family regardless of their finances), and have no plans of increasing my prices anytime soon. I prefer to capture the natural beauty of what’s being photographed, instead of relying on heavier and moodier edits. I love a good moody edit, but I consider myself a “true to eye” photographer. Afterall, the model is the beauty. I just happen to have a camera!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Keeping true to myself and maintaining the same integrity with every client. This sounds pretty obvious, but can be difficult to actually hold onto at times. I’ve only ever had one or two clients make my job genuinely difficult, but maintaining who you are is so important. You’re not selling a service, you’re selling an experience. Just because a client is having a bad day doesn’t mean I need to make it worse by feeding into a sour attitude. You never know what’s really going on behind the scenes anyway!

I’ve become known as a cozy photographer in my market. A photographer that doesn’t push you one way or the other and goes with the flow. If you have an idea, let’s execute it your way. If you want a laid back session, let’s relax and kick it. If you’re looking for something high energy, then watch me jump off this bench real quick. I stay true to who I am, but tweak it ever so slightly so each client has a unique experience that makes them comfortable.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The excitement people have when they’re seeing their photos. Whether its the raw photos off the camera or the edited ones themself, there’s such a childlike giddiness that comes with seeing yourself in genuine high definition from another angle. So many people get caught up in the internet; all the filters, the edits, comparing yourself in an instant to somebody else. It can be difficult to see the natural beauty you hold for yourself, and it’s hard to achieve that confidence from a cell phone selfie. I’ll never get over seeing a client jump up and down in joy over their photos before we’re even done with the shoot.

Helping people accomplish their visions, gain their confidence back, and give them memories to hold onto never gets old. It’s my favorite part and the most rewarding part of doing what I do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotsbytaurus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotsbytaurus#