We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa S. Torres recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

As a photographer, the most fulfilling part of my job is building an emotional connection with my clients. While delivering the final gallery and seeing their happy smiles is always rewarding, it’s even better to go above and beyond to get to know them and make a difference during the entire process. It’s all about the journey taken together.

For instance, during a 15-minute lifestyle session, I met a young family with their three-month-old daughter. Despite not feeling comfortable with strangers, the baby smiled and allowed me to hold her. In those brief 15 minutes, I not only captured their first professional family portraits (which I later got to see framed and displayed on the walls of their loving home – the best!), but also gained their trust.

Over the past two years, I have been lucky enough to document their daughter’s milestones, including rolling, sitting, standing, first trip to the beach, first steps, smash cakes, first birthday parties, and moving into their first home. By actively being aware of who they are and what they value, I have been able to surprise them with meaningful gestures and remember dates that are special to them. The opportunity to photograph these moments for them and be a small part of their family history documentation is priceless.

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?

¡Hola! I’m a creative person with a background in business and a love for marketing. I worked for a private environmental firm for over thirteen years before deciding to stay home with my daughter to nurture her development when she turned two. I have embraced my new role wholeheartedly! She’s my intelligent 7-year-old girl fascinated by all things pink, kawaii, outer space, and chess. I also have a 3-year-old son who has quickly learned how loved he is, has become a natural athlete, and tackles Spanish Dual Language Immersion school like a champ. They both share my love for Australia’s television gem, Bluey en español (Latino-Americano)! I’m married to my high school sweetheart and life partner, a man with a heart of gold ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, almost always found wearing a favorite sports jersey and whipping up the most delicious dishes for his family and friends is one of his love languages!

When I’m not strategically photographing entrepreneurs to up-level their online business marketing or having a great time with families in a beautiful scene for their cherished lifestyle portraits, you’ll find me at one of my local public libraries in the children’s section with my babies, or mowing my lawn, trimming hedges (enter Progressive commercial), and tending to my garden at home, or deep into a home improvement DIY with my favorite nail gun, or scrapbook-journaling my family’s digital photo prints and Polaroids! Shoutout to my third-grade teacher, Mrs. B, for planting the seed for storytelling by “publishing” my first books in class and my seventh and eighth-grade teacher, Mr. Shelton, for introducing me to journalism, developing film in his hand-made dark room for our yearbook and photography class at our jr. high, and the classic music of The Beatles during editing days!

When I’m back in boss mode, I’m a Southern California-based personal branding, headshot & lifestyle family photographer who enjoys helping small business owners, especially busy and motivated introverted mom entrepreneurs, with big goals and dreams to foster their professional connections with their ideal audience with personalized strategic images to elevate their online presence and self-esteem. With my empathetic nature, helping women show up confidently for themselves is my natural calling.

I strive to help moms feel comfortable and beautiful in front of the camera because I know the struggles of imposter syndrome. We all can benefit from a friendly smile and a cheerleader on our side when making big moves. The branding session experience with me will be curated for the person and the business from the planning stage to the gallery delivery day and beyond if extra marketing help is desired to make the best use of their new brand images on social media platforms, websites, email newsletters, and the traditional business card and flyer to name a few! My client shows up as their best self, and we leave comparisons at the door.

Small brick-and-mortar business owners, professionals, pop-up shops, hand-made artists, bloggers, content creators, and influencers can all benefit from fresh, converting, up-to-date headshots, their products, and services. My positive client experience, attention to personalized details, and custom photoshoot brand guides are my clients’ favorite when they hire me. They’ll show up to their session knowing what to expect and ready to have a great time!

As moms running businesses and homes, we must remember that our businesses and children need us at the forefront, ready to show up perfectly imperfect and not stay behind the scenes.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

As a business owner who interacts with people from different backgrounds, my mission is to create awareness and resources for our youth of all backgrounds. They are often overlooked or underestimated in their homes, classrooms, workplaces, or in public spaces.

These thoughts have led me to imagine a life where I can take a break from my daily routine and volunteer my time to one-on-one mentorship with local youth in Southern California. I grew up in a supportive and loving family, but being a first-generation daughter of hard-working immigrants, I understand the challenges of not having access to resources and opportunities.

Throughout my life, I’ve witnessed Latino youth and professionals being ignored and underestimated due to stereotypes and discrimination. It’s disheartening to see their potential go unrecognized and help and rehabilitation often come too late. I believe that we can bring change to this by creating a safe space for communication and sharing experiences.

I want to make a difference, and I’m taking this step to help bring positive change to future generations. Our youth will become the creatives and business leaders of tomorrow, and we need to ensure that they have equal opportunities to succeed.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

The best way to maintain strong relationships with your clients and build brand loyalty is by engaging with them on social media through comments and direct messages, as well as through email. During these interactions, you should aim to help solve their business or personal problems by offering your product or service.

For example, let’s consider an accountant who has started a finance coaching business specializing in debt elimination.

Who is the accountant’s ideal client?
Joan is a 42-year-old teacher who’s struggling with paying off her debt and improving her FICO score. She feels overwhelmed, misunderstood, and embarrassed about her financial situation.

What does Joan need help with right now?
She needs to organize her finances, come up with a precise payment plan, rebuild her credit history, and increase her credit score.

The accountant can use newsletters or email opt-ins to help Joan. Here are four ideas:
1. “How to Rebuild a Bad Credit Score in Your 40s.”
2. “7 Easy Steps to Organize Your Finances in Less Than 2 Hours.”
3. “A Not-So-Secret Way to Boost Your FICO Score in 30 Days!”
4. “A Simple and Customizable Payment Plan to Pay off Debt on a Teacher’s Salary!”

By providing solutions with your expertise and genuinely empathizing with your ideal client’s feelings, you can establish a strong connection, foster trust, and come to a mutual understanding of how you can work together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vanessastorresphoto.com/links
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessastorresphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanessastorresphotography
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/vstphotography
• Yelp: https://g.page/r/CX1etYj9EoMeEBM/review

Image Credits
Vanessa S. Torres Photography LLC retains the copyright to all images. https://www.vanessastorresphoto.com Vanessa’s hair and makeup by MUA: Sarai Diaz of Bonitas by Sarita. https://www.instagram.com/bonitasbysarita