Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Wendy Sorensen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Wendy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
My first paying client who was not a friend/word of mouth referral was a result of a silent auction fundraiser.
As a family photographer, there’s no shortage of friends/family who would love to have you photograph them, but it’s hard to run a profitable business on that alone. An acquaintance friend reached out to me and asked if I would consider donating a photography session to a local non-profit’s silent auction fundraiser, and after learning more about the organization I was happy to donate! While the winner of that particular auction never did redeem their certificate, that encouraged me to look in to partnering with other non-profits in my area to help them raise funds for their various missions and projects. When a bidder wins a session with me, their certificate covers the cost of the Session Fee as well as a wall-sized print; they are not obligated to purchase anything extra. Some do choose to purchase beyond their certificate and some don’t, and either way is fine.
My second paying client who was not a friend/word of mouth referral came from Google! I realized early on in my photography business that, in order to expand beyond my friends & family circle, I needed to get in front of strangers. As an introvert, the most comfortable way for me to do that was via my website and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts. I dug in to several YouTube video tutorials on website optimization and also invested in paid courses to learn SEO, and over time I started seeing results. I also invested in a redesign of my website last year with SEO in mind. Today, the majority of my clients find me on Google.
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?
My background is actually in health care! I have been a Registered Nurse since 1996 but left the field in 2012 when our oldest son was born. As far as how I landed on photography as a second career, it all started when my husband and I (pre-kids) traveled once or twice a year, usually to a warm beach destination to escape the cold Iowa winters for a bit. We love the beach and the relaxed vibe there. However, our vacation pictures with our point-and-shoot camera were always lousy! It was actually my husband’s idea to invest in a better quality camera; I honestly had no desire to learn it. But, once we got the camera, I was curious to learn more about it and how to get that “blurry background” that I loved so much. So, in the evenings after work, I would come home and literally read the manual, and practice on whatever I could find around the house to learn the different focus modes and how ISO and shutter speed impacted the image. There was so much to learn!
Once our boys came along, I really wanted to be able to take better pictures of them, so that’s when I really started to dig deep into learning the camera, learning exposure, etc. That part was pretty easy with a newborn who just slept most of the time! Once our son became more mobile, I needed to start practicing with people who could follow directions. My sister and her family graciously allowed me to practice on them. I’ll never forget it….they said “ok, just tell us what you need us to do!” It was then that I realized that I had no idea how to pose anyone! That never even entered my mind when photographing our baby, but now that I had a family in front of me I knew I had to learn posing if I ever wanted to consider turning this hobby into a business.
Their pictures were ok but definitely not great, so I started looking for classes on posing both families and individuals, and continued practicing on family and friends as I learned. Eventually, people started asking me what I would charge to photograph their family, and I had no idea! My background was in nursing and not business, so this was a whole new world for me. I reached out to our CPA who helped me set up my business, and also invested in classes to help learn the business side of photography. And, I still invest in business courses today as it is so invaluable!
Today my focus (no pun intended) is on photographing High School Seniors and Families, although I will also photograph newborns and head shots on occasion. There are a sea of photographers who sell digital images only, and for a flat all-inclusive fee. That’s such a hard business model to compete with, and I wanted to set myself apart. Being a nurse, I really enjoy taking care of people, and while there’s nothing wrong with the all-inclusive business model, I always felt like I was doing my clients a disservice (because I started out that way). I would have clients call me after receiving their photos with tons of questions on where they should print, why their 8×10 cut off the top of their kid’s head, etc. It isn’t rocket science, but most people aren’t dealing with image resolution, cropping/aspect ratios, and proper print sharpening on a daily basis and it can be overwhelming. I love being able to handle that for my clients and provide them with a done-for-you, full service approach. While I do sell digital images for clients to print themselves, that’s not what most clients come to me for. I offer a variety of high quality professional framed portraits, stretched canvases, heirloom albums and hand crafted image boxes that clients can enjoy in their homes for many years to come. One of the biggest compliments I receive from my clients is when they say “you made this process so easy and stress-free!” That’s my goal…provide beautiful portraits that my clients can enjoy for years to come, and make the process easy and fun!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Donating to various charity galas/silent auctions has been the best source of new clients for me. I donate photography certificates to 18-20 charitable organizations every year, organizations such as the American Heart Association (annual Heart Ball and Go Red for Women), Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, Autism Society of Iowa, Meals From The Heartland, as well as our local hospital and public and private school auctions. I had an auction winner tell me once “I see your name everywhere!” It’s been a pleasure to partner with so many amazing charitable organizations since 2017, and I’ve met some wonderful people in our community as a result.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think there’s a misconception that all a photographer does is ‘press a button’, or everything is ‘photoshopped’. I know before I learned about photography, I had my own ideas on what I thought ‘photoshopping’ something meant and I was way off base! Photography is so much more than pressing a button. I know this sounds cheesy and cliche, but as a portrait photographer I truly am helping people preserve their legacy for their children’s children, and their children. These photos will only become more precious over time. People always ask what’s one of the few things you’d grab (outside of your family) as you run out of your burning home, and people almost always say photographs because it’s their legacy and they can’t always be replaced. I mean, more recent photos could be, assuming the digital file hasn’t become corrupted (or is even backed up somewhere where it can be accessed). But those photos of your great grandparents from the 1940’s? Gone. No digital back up to resort to. And, digital isn’t a failsafe either as files can become corrupt over time. There is so much value in a printed photograph. It’s so much more than just pushing a button.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wendysorensenphotography.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wendysorensenphotography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wendysorensenphotography