The other day, I asked my readers if they had any questions that they would like me to address on my blog – since winter is “the slow season” in Chicago, I have a bit of extra time to blog things I otherwise wouldn’t. I was actually a bit surprised by the questions; they had more to do with photography details and business start-up than actual services, but hey, I said I’d answer anything! If you have a question for me, head on over to the blog post and ask away!

The first question I’m going to address is from my friend and client Thao:

“Hi, Tasha! Great post; thanks for asking us for suggestions! I would personally love to know how you began building up a steady client base, especially before you had a big portfolio. Did you rely on personal recommendations? What marketing tools did you use? What do you think made you stand out from other photographers?

I know how WE (Dan and I) found (and loved!) your work, but I’m curious to know if that was an anomaly or a part of your regular business strategy.”

A bit of background – when I first started portrait and wedding photography, I ran a special where I gave away a very limited number of free sessions as a portfolio builder. Thao was one of my first clients, and found me through some retweets about that special on Twitter. We had a fantastic engagement session together (still one of my favorite sessions to this date), and I’ll be shooting her wedding this June, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Thao herself is working on starting a paper design company, so I can see how apt this question is for her. Oh, and by the way, if you’re looking for some fabulous, classy, and creative work for invitations, save the dates, etc., check her out. Here’s one of her latest projects.

Ok, now on to the answer….

The first thing I did was create a portfolio and, at the same time, try to get my name out there. This is where those few free portrait/e-sessions came in. I know if you offer a quality product for free, word spreads like wildfire… and I also knew I couldn’t sell myself to paying clients in the near future without something to show them that I did indeed know how to work a camera and had a creative eye. Along the same lines, I also offered drastically reduced wedding packages for the first free months I was in business. I needed to get clients to me and create some buzz.

I don’t condone working for free or cheap on an ongoing basis – photography and other creative fields involve A LOT of hard work and you should always respect your work and charge what you are worth – but I don’t see anything wrong with offering specials on a short-term or limited basis to get people in the door. I mean, it’s worked for a lot of large businesses, right?

After that initial push, now that I had some sort of portfolio in order, I relied (and still do) heavily on social networking and word of mouth. I’m really lucky in the fact that I’ve been known in a photography capacity for years since I’m an established music photographer as well as a wedding/portrait photographer…. thus, when people think of me, the fact that I am a photographer is forefront in their mind. I get a lot of referrals from friends, or inquiries from people that know my music work and are now getting married. I also have fantastic clients who refer me to friends and family as well as on wedding boards. Chicago is an extremely saturated market and I think many, if not most, people in the area look for recommendations for photographers rather than just blindly Googling. As far as social networking, I try to put my photos out there and let them sell me… I post on Facebook, on my blog, I tweet often, I use Flickr…. I try to make it as easy as possible for people to find me.

In addition to working with social networking, I also really focus on customer service. I do my best to answer emails quickly and thoroughly. I try to go to my clients for consults and meetings instead of having them come to me. I listen to them when they talk about what they want in their photos, rather than just running blindly with my own ideas (although I also do incorporate my own style and thoughts). For wedding clients, I always always remember what a stressful, fun, and exciting day a wedding day is, so I do what I can to reduce the stress and capture the fun and excitement.

I think my attention to my customers is one thing that sets me apart from others, and the other thing is my background. As mentioned, I come from a music photography background, which lets me be very comfortable with low lighting and fast movement (such as a reception at a wedding). I also work at a university where I do portraits and events on a regular basis. Between music photography and my university job, I am shooting every single day, even if I don’t have any business related portrait or wedding shoots. Sometimes I have several shoots in one day. I’m practiced, I’m used to different styles of photography, and very few things can throw me for a loop. I also am used to working with different locations and different people. I think aside from all those factors contributing to my confidence level, it also gives me a different viewpoint or “eye.” I like to think I’m great at telling stories with my photos, whether it is a concert, a portrait, an event, or a wedding.

Ultimately, I think as long as you’re dedicated, passionate, professional, and look for every opportunity to get your name out there, you’ll succeed. If you’re excited about your work, others will be too.