We recently connected with Zoë Tanner and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Zoë thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

Like a lot of people, I got a camera for Christmas when I was 18 (2020). I knew for awhile that photography was the form of Art/Creative work that I wanted to spend my time around. I was 18 and freshly introduced to my first piece of high tech equipment with zero idea on how to run a business. I had just graduated from high school after the pandemic. I battled on and off with depression and anxiety during my teenage years, to be honest I never pictured getting that far in life so I really did not have a plan for myself and to this day I’m still not sure of my plan. But I think that’s apart of life, figuring it out as you go.
It was really hard getting started, for the first entire year, all of 2021, I was doing strictly TFP work. Which as most people know, is unpaid work. It was hard to build a clientele from the ground up. So I used my first year as just a test run solely based around networking and free opportunities. I did not think my photography would take off as much as it did after that first year. When I announced I was no longer doing TFP work everybody was so excited. I had built an amazing and loyal clientele after my first year, so much so that most of my first year clients have returned as regular paying clients even after two years.

Zoë, 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 and I’m a portrait photographer in Cleveland OH. If you’re looking for traditional photos, I am not the gal for you, because I’m not your run of the mill photographer. I work with weddings ,couples, seniors and boudoir, but what I really like to do is creative portraits. Creative portrait photography is based around the usage of your environment, props and feelings to create the final image. Creative portraits can invoke a lot of feelings. The name of my business, Zoesheart Photography, does however come equipped with a really cool story.
When I was six I had a heart transplant. During the trials and tribulations of an organ transplant my mom and my aunt created a website for me called Zoe’s Heart. It was a place where all my family and friends could go for updates and pictures during my transplant journey.
When I first started my business, I would sit with a pen and paper and just write random business name ideas without even realizing that a great business name was quite literally hidden right under my nose. Hence, Zoesheart Photography was born!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My end goal does not drive my creative journey, the people do. However, my creative goal has always been to bring love and light in to the darkest of places. After spending a plethora of my childhood cooped up in hospital rooms, tethered to leads, poked and prodded, I wanted to use my second chance at life to show everybody that there are reasons to stay alive. Whether they’re battling a chronic or mental illness, they deserve reasons to stay. They take the time to realize that I’m human and they treat me with such kindness, they even take time away from their personal lives to check in on me. If myself or my photography can give ANYBODY a reason to stay, then I will never quit filling these lives with the love and light I possess.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The biggest resource I wish I would’ve known about is the people around you in the community. Never hesitate to reach out the other photographers for help or mentoring. I personally wish I would’ve taken advantage of this earlier into my career, because you don’t need to do everything alone. I was always just really confused on how to build clienteles and get my name out there. You are allowed to ask for help when you need it and other photographers are always more than willing to lend a hand. Go to content days, travel out of the state, and make friends!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zoesheartphotography1.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoesheartphotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoesheartphotography/