We recently connected with Tori Brawner and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tori , thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I honestly feel as though photography came into my life at just the right time. When I was a teen, my parents got me a really nice kit camera because they noticed I had taken an interest in taking photos of just about everything in front of me. I really hadn’t thought much of making into a profession, but when a friend what was graduating high school asked me to take her portraits, that’s when I really fell in love with photography. If it wasn’t for that particular friend asking me, I would’ve never taken pictures for other people. And I really would’ve missed out! Timing is so much more important than we give credit for.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up never living in the same place for more than 2-3 years at a time. Constantly moving. No, not a military family. Just a constant thrill seeking and adventurous family that doesn’t like to sit still. We lived in an RV for a year when I was 5 and visited 18 states within that time. Y’all, the amount of pictures we have from that trip that I took on disposable cameras. Being that we’ve always been on the go, one of the most precious things to me are the photographs of those places we got to be and all of the memories associated with them. It definitely helps me keep track as well! My parents have lived in their current home for a record breaking 12 years, and guess what? They’ve sold it and are hitting the road again in November. Even though we have (and I’m not exaggerating) hundreds of thousands of physical printed images of our times over the years, there are still memories of course that can only be replayed in our heads. I am primarily in the wedding industry and also do ambassador programs and provide portraits for seniors in high school. Being able to provide people with a sense of comfort knowing how important it is to me to capture every little detail of their wedding day, or encapsulating all that their times in high school has entailed, is huge for me. I also love the creative aspect and getting to try new things constantly. I love having a mix of traditional and creative. Giving that homey, comforting feel, but also that awestruck of, “wow! That’s so cool!” When my clients look back at their albums. I truly feel like I have the best job in the world getting to do something that’s so important to me in my day to day life which is gathering all the memories I can and getting to provide it as a service to others.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Communication, punctuality, honesty, quality, and reliability. Keeping my clients in the loop, always being accessible when they have questions and concerns, doing what I say I’m going to do, communicating by the second if something changes, if something happens being honest and upfront, owning up to mistakes when I was new to the business and making them right. Always making sure I am investing not only in equipment but in education. Constantly learning new things and adding more to the table when it came to what I was capable of doing. All of these things are SO important. But I have also learned that sometimes no matter what you do, you just can’t please everyone. Everyone runs into “those” clients, and there is nothing you can do to rectify the situation. Just keep your head up and do your best, and you’ll be able to better recognize those situations instead of taking them personally and allowing it to effect your business.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Social. Media. In todays world where everything is digital, social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook have been HUGE for my business.
Not only does it give your business visibility to people who aren’t even local, but it also provides today’s equivalent of “word of mouth”. Tagging, posting on their feed, starting conversations. It takes a lot of practice and patience to get really good at social media marketing, but it’s definitely been worth the time and effort as it’s been my main client source for the entirety of my business being open!

Contact Info:

• Website: Toribrawnerphotography.com
• Instagram: Toribrawnerphotography
• Facebook: Toribrawnerphotography
• Other: Threads- toribrawnerphotography

Image Credits
Tori Brawner Photography