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Proud pup mom, type A creative, lover of the outdoors, Top Chef fan girl, and wedding and portrait photographer. Welcome to the blog!
HI, I'M RACHEL!
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“The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come.” – Anonymous
August marks the one year anniversary of the month in which I registered my business in the commonwealth, Rachel E.H. Photography became legit, and I was well on my way to becoming a Washington, D.C. area wedding photographer! Over the past year I’ve been able to accomplish so much, all because I was focused on better serving my clients. I’m celebrating the passing of my first year in business with a blog series that will include a review of some of the big lessons I’ve learned this year. If you’re an up & coming business owner, I have a feeling you’ll want to read this series: it’s chock full of ideas you would be smart to implement in your own business (if you haven’t already).
At the launch of my business, I admittedly was focused on what my business could do for me, but I soon realized that a business based around what it can do for yourself can be shallow & unfulfilling. I dug a little deeper & realized: my business is about way more than that! Sure I’m passionate about photography, but why? With the encouragement of several photographers & other #solopreneurs, I was able to clearly articulate my WHY. And it goes a little something like this:
This life is fast paced. It’s beautiful but it’s fleeting. Between social media news waves, endless selfies, and the ever-growing epidemic of tech addiction, we all crave a chance to slow down. Still photos are our chance at a simpler life. I capture these beautiful, fleeting moments for the purpose of our future selves being able to look at the photo & be taken back to that instant. We’ll smile & say, “Remember that? That was fun! That was one of the best times of my life.
The things I’ve implemented this year are all easily traced back to my WHY and have made me better equipped to serve my clients. Today I’m sharing the first lesson I learned in the past year & how I used that to improve my customer’s experience. Check back next week for lesson #2!
Lesson 1: Having Fun is Paramount
I’ve learned over the past year that finding ways to make a photo shoot & overall experience fun pays off in a number of ways, from getting amazing photos to creating happy clients.
I learned that I love candid photography. I love capturing those sweet, special moments between you & your loved one(s), or even of you by yourself, caught up in the moment with a huge smile on your face or in the middle of a laugh. I’ve learned that having fun during the shoot is important so that these moments abound & I’m able to capture them. Whether that means cracking a joke, laughing at my own clumsiness, or instructing my clients to play around during the shoot, I’ve tried it all!
The pinnacle of this fun was when I learned how to photograph powder paint because my clients wanted to throw it at each other at the end of their engagement session!
I learned that clients find it fun to share their photos & reminisce with friends & family. I implemented questionnaires into my workflow so that I could gather info to give them a personalized blog post they are excited & proud to share with their circle. It not only includes their gorgeous photos, but a detailed write up on who they are & how fun it was to work with them.
I took this fun to another level this year by learning how to submit wedding photos for publication, allowing the celebration to continue for my clients with each new website that publishes their photos. My brides & grooms are able to have fun sharing the links to the sites that feature their photos & unique write up about their event. The excitement that creates is contagious and shines a spot light on the fun & memory of their special day.
The publications that posted about Allison & Amir’s wedding day can be found here, here, and here, and below are some photos that were featured on those sites.
HELLO@RACHELEHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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Rachel is a wedding and portrait photographer
Serving brilliant, elegant couples in Washington D.C. + Beyond
Copyright 2022 Rachel E.H. Photography | Website by Alex Collier Design
she / her
[…] « Tips & Tricks – What I Learned In a Year vol. 1 […]
[…] in my WHY (which you can read about here) is the idea that the life we are living today is fast paced. My clients are busy, driven, […]