Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zoe Dolack. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Zoe, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

I get asked this frequently, I left college after one semester to pursue creating full-time. I officially launched my business two years ago and had no clue what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to create. Photography had been my chosen medium since high school when I first picked up a camera, I had experimented in every niche imaginable. I started working with couples about a year into officially being in business and I just fell in love. I’ve always been a romantic at heart, and I think when the heart of creation was rooted in love stories something just clicked into place for me.

Truthfully, I was in an incredibly vulnerable place when I found my niche and business started to pick up for me. I was 20 and terrified, I didn’t know if I had what it took to be an entrepreneur. I think if I had started my business earlier, I may have given up for fear of failure and all the things I did not know. That’s a scary thought, but looking back I don’t think I was emotionally ready to bear the weight of being a solo business owner back then.

On the other hand, I could have waited until I matured more to take on entrepreneurship full-time. I’m glad I didn’t, I think my ambition to jump head-first in the deep end at 20 allowed me to make a lot of mistakes fast and fix them even faster. Being a business owner is a never-ending learning curve, and so is being creative. I’m constantly in a state of growth, and I’m grateful to my past self for allowing me the time and space to grow from such an early starting point.

I don’t think there’s anything I would change about my experience. There’s an abundance of pros and cons to me starting my business sooner or later. However, even with the mistakes I’ve made, there’s been so much growth that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Zoe, 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?

My name is Zoe Dolack, and I’m a romantic storytelling photographer currently based in Provo, UT. I’ve been obsessed with love stories since I was a kid. Honestly, it’s shocking I didn’t get into the wedding and couples photography sooner. While I am based in central Utah, I frequently work out of state in destination locations as well. I always refer to myself as a storyteller. I’m not the one writing my subject’s story, I just get the honor of sharing it through my lens. The foundation of both my art and my business is rooted in connection, and I’ve found much of my success in creating meaningful, long-lasting relationships with the people I serve.

Your wedding is the most important day of your life, and it’s my philosophy that creating lasting relationships with my couples helps me to see them not just as clients, but as friends who trust me to capture their most intimate moments. I believe your photos should reflect you, and your story- not just follow trends. I take a documentary-style approach to both my couple’s sessions and my wedding days, allowing the couple’s story to be the focus of the photos.

I’ve been in business for two years now, and it’s been the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced (and most rewarding). I’m a huge optimist, and even though I’ve got a long way to grow, I’m incredibly proud of where my business is today. I take a lot of pride in knowing I’ve set my business up to create an authentic experience centered around emotion and connection for each client.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding part of being creative lies in the people I work with. People hire me for my art, and there’s something incredibly fulfilling about documenting people’s most important memories. Being a wedding photographer, it’s such a good feeling to know that the work I create for my clients will be what their children and grandchildren see as memories from their wedding day. It truly is an incredibly rewarding timeless career. I couldn’t be more grateful.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Honestly, just connecting with people! I’m an introvert by nature; so, once I started my business I had to force myself out of my shell. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done to grow my business, People are a lot more willing to hire someone they know. I spend countless hours just building connections, and that allows me to run my business from a super authentic perspective. Instagram is my #1 resource for connecting with people, marketing, and sharing my portfolio.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zoedolack.com
• Instagram: @zoedolackphoto

Image Credits

All photos are mine!