Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tyler Glass. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tyler, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
If I was starting over today, I would get a mentor ASAP. When I was just starting my business, I was so determined to do everything on my own that I didn’t find someone until a few years into my business. Mentors not only help you with your craft but they teach you about the industry and can prevent you from making some really terrible mistakes. Some people are scared to make the investment (I know I was) but if you think about it, most professions require years of college/classes and a mentors fee is nothing in comparison.
Tyler, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been a storyteller my whole life. From dancing ballet on stage to throwing on crazy costumes to entertain my family to picking up a camera for the first time, I’ve always known storytelling was my passion. It wasn’t until 2015 that I decided to go full time with my photography business and I haven’t looked back. I was lucky enough to start working with my mentor, the late Michael Brannigan. He taught me how to seamlessly run a wedding day and keep the energy fun and calm (super important on stressful wedding days!).
Some aspects of my business that are really important to me are:
– my response time (typically under 1 hour unless I’m sleeping lol)
– having my clients know that I am here for them every step of the way whether that’s picking out bridesmaids dresses, needing vendor recommendations, you name it!
– having a quick turnaround time. My clients receive their wedding galleries in 4 weeks and other shoots in 2 weeks or less!
I give all my clients my heart and soul. From beginning to end, I’m there for all the texts, all the questions, to hold their hand, whatever they need from me, they’ve got it! I’ve literally glued on eyelashes and sewn a wedding dress before. I leave each wedding with forever friends and that is one of my favorite parts of my business.
I make sure my clients have fun while shooting. I love to use prompts to get them having fun and doing something that genuinely makes them laugh and feel like themselves in the photos.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I had no idea that presets were a thing for the first 2 years of my business. I spent (and wasted) so much time hand editing every. single. photo. Once I heard that you could buy them, I thought it was like cheating but ooooh my goodness they are not. You can purchase a preset and then tweak it yourself to make it just like yours! Presets save literal HOURS.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I have been a photographer my whole life. When I decided to make it my career, I started reaching out to every single influencer I knew. I was lucky that this was a time when fashion influencers were using photographers for weekly or monthly content shoots. I first did some free shoots with some influencers to get my name out there and after that, it took off! I photographed about 15 influencers monthly for their content shoots for about 5 years. I miss it so much but its unfortunately not a thing anymore.
Meanwhile, to grow my wedding portfolio., I started photographing couples and second shooting for my mentor, Michael Brannigan.
Contact Info:
- Website: tylerchasecollective.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/tylerchasecollective
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tylerchasephotography
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tyler-chase-photography-marina-del-rey
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/tyler-chase-collective-marina-del-rey-ca-1055928
Image Credits
Tyler Chase Collective