HI, I'm Tamara Lackey, on this episode of reDefine show for AdoramaTV, I speak
to Sara Harris about how she not only built her own business in Virginia, but a
thriving destination portrait business in Colorado. We walk through how she got it
started, how she grows, how she does her sales, everything.
AdoramaTV presents the redefined show with Tamara Lackey.
Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today.
Thank you for having me. You came in from the Williamsburg, Yorktown, Tidewater
area in Virginia. It is, about two and a half hours south and east of Washington DC.
Got it, so it gives people context that are not familiar the Virginia vicinity,
OK, and you've been shooting for a dozen years, but really building up
your business for the last eight, in terms of full-time focus. Correct. And you've been
doing that not just in Virginia but also in Colorado. Yes, I love it out there
Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Yes it made sense, it's a beautiful area, I have a lot
of friends and family that live out there and it just kind of was a
no-brainer, just shooting out there. I might as well do I do here over there!
Absolutely! Wonderful and then what I want to talk to you about is a lot of people
would love to do more destinations shooting but can feel a little
intimidated or overwhelmed at how to a. You know kind of lineup shoots b. Build an actual
actual structure of a business, that you could return to. c. How do you sell the work
you do, all of that. So if you don't mind I'd love to step through with you, what
you know what you've done, what you know has worked, what has not worked and
what's gotten you to the point, cause obviously you chose Steamboat Springs, 'cause your family
family is out there, but it's also a really beautiful area, with incredible light and
all that sort of thing. What advice would you give to people. Well first of
all I have a a really, kind of like, a high-touch type of business, so knowing
some people to get your foot in the door at least is would be very helpful.
Having a contact somewhere. Absolutely, having a contact.
And you say high touch, what do you mean by that? Well touchy, haha. Well it's not like a lot of email that
just could go to anyone, like, it's personalized. It's very personalised. And that makes
a huge difference
Oh gosh, absolutely. So having some sort of contact in areas is a great benefit to get
started.
Okay, and then in terms of lining up those first shoots, what what did you do?
How did you get that going, well again I kind of started really organically, I
photographed friends and family that I knew well as my business was ramping up.
And then it's all just been well, a lot of it has been word of mouth.
But I've also been in touch with a lot of business owners there, I've gotten to know the
community, I know when the silent auctions are, when fundraisers are etc.
So all the things that you would do in your community, you have basically
reached out and said, ok, how to make those connections there. Interesting, and
then did that happen for you right away or as you said you built it organically,
so slowly over time and you ramp that up. Yes, it's trust and experience. Absolutely, and you started saying well
all this is word of mouth, well most of it. Right well, I mean at this point
I'm photographing folks that sometimes are connected to the ones who I
originally photographed, and you look back like will how did that happen. I got
to to make contacts with people in the resort industry, so the ones that are
booking vacationers coming in.
Ah ok, once you just build those relationships I think people, if people
kind of like and trust you, and think that you have something valuable that
they can then pass on to their clients, that it's less about you kind of pushing
yourself on them, and more about them wanting to connect their clients with you.
Yes, and that's a great point because one of the things that I see a lot when
people are stumbling, when they're trying to build a photography business is that
they will reach out and they will say will you recommend me?
But what you're saying is you're going to have a better result if you reach out
and say I just want to introduce myself, and then let them have the motivation to want to recommend you.
Yes, or even reach out with asking if you can do something for them
first which is even kind of a better way to get them excited about you. Exactly.
So, in terms of when you done the shoots, obviously you live here but you
go there, do you just schedule things ahead of time? How do you work with the
dates and the time differences and everything? Right, well I mean, I set the
expectations there again the same way I would at my home photography business,
Sometimes we line up to do you know, ordering meetings right after we do the
shoots you know within a couple of days, and that's what makes sense for the
client and for me, and if you know we have to wait a couple of weeks into it
you know once I'm back in Virginia, the miles, I found over time are kind of less of
a consideration because I really walk my clients through ordering, the same way I
do if it were you sitting right here in front of me. Right.
We use tools like GoToMeeting so we're kind of virtually live going through the
ordering session I'm on the phone with them, or we are doing a video chat. Ok lets chat about
this for a second. So you chose GoToMeeting as your platform for conducting what would
be very much like an in-person sales, so you do the shoot, you line it up, you're
done and you either plan to do the shoot, the orderings sessions, is that what you call it?
And we sit down and look through the images you shot
together and then you conducted the sale right there, when they determine what they want.
Or you go back home and then set up virtually specifically why did you
choose GoToMeeting vs Skype or Google hangout or anything else? It was just
what what I was familiar with I had somebody else that knew how to use it.
It felt like a stable platform. Yes so having the GoToMeeting and then you conduct it just
like you would. Yes I would just send a slideshow in advance so that they get a
preview, so it's not really a cold introduction to their images and
we spent, I spent about the same amount of time with them on the phone or video
chat, that I would with somebody were they
sitting in my studio. I've sent them
previews of example walls, I've many times start describing a wall that they
hadn't considered, and we will have them take a picture of it right there while
we're on the phone, and they'll text it to me and I'll put something together and just
kind of all real time, yes real time. What about so if they order framed pieces and
things like that, so how does shipping work, in terms of other
additional charges, I mean I would think versus them just coming by the studio
and picking it up. Sure, sure, again it depends on what they're putting together.
I have, if it's a canvas piece, it will most likely be drop shipped, if it's framed
piece. Drop ship - Just to be clear that means the lab would send that directly. So then it's just
kind of like, every year, because you go how how often do you go and stay? I
generally go seven to eight times a year, and the amount of time that I stay varies.
During the summer I might be out there two to three weeks, I always go in the
fall, right when the leaves change which is the end September, beginning of October
and I'll stay about a week, week and a half and then other times throughout the year.
It might be a couple of days, a week, it really just depends on what makes
sense. And then what impact does social media have on keeping your business
going? Well again I think that it blurs the miles between Virginia and
Colorado, where a you know, I can see my my clients commenting on something
that's happening in their life, or something or a picture that I posted, and I
can respond immediately and it just keeps a connection really strong and I
think it makes
folks, it just makes you feel like you're still there, there's not really a big separation. If I
have a client that I photographed and I I post a picture of them and tag it. Then
their friends you know have the opportunity to see that.
Kind of in real time.
Clients often, often reach out to me right then. When you talk about going back and forth
you are obviously bringing all your gear? most of your gear? I would say I bring most of my
gear. I do have a set of studio lights out Colorado, two actually, one set in Denver, I do a
lot of work in Denver also, and then one that I store in my studio in Steamboat
that I do bring my lenses and camera. When you say you keep your lighting
there, so you keep that in, do you have a studio space there? I know you have
a space that you rent all year long. I've been to it, it's gorgeous, but
this past year I was able to, I have a space. I didn't know that. I know, can't believe I didn't
take you. Ok, so where's, where's your space? So
Steamboat Springs is there's like a strip, really cool where things can
happen, in restaurants, shops, really cute and then your place where you live is
just right off the side of that, like a minute or two off of it right. It's between there and there,
by the ski house.
Ok so, your your actual studio space. So what did you get for studio
space? And how can you afford two studios? In terms of what do you recommend to people?
Well my situation is very unique. I have family out there and I
was able to use a shared space, I have my own like four walls, ok. But I was able to
get a share space with somebody else,
Exactly. Which anybody could actually do regardless of whether they have family there.
Yes, I'm a huge fan of shared space because you have some place for people,
for deliveries to go, for packages to go, for people to do pick-ups, to operate out
of but it doesn't have to I think that trips people up sometimes, I feel like they
have to get a full on studio, but you're saying, is no. No, no I think that just
that having
a space that you can kind o call your own and put up some of your work, because
you know, show better, sell better. If you have it there, yes, you know and it and it
shouldn't legitimize you as a business, But I think it does. And that was a lot
of great information, do you have any other pieces of additional advice that you
would offer to anybody who wants to kind of following your footsteps in terms of
being able to do something like this, being able to have two great operating
businesses in addition to everything you shared. Sure I would say, don't, don't be
afraid to jump in, but know that it's a big time commitment. That you, you
you really have to think through, is it the right thing for you, being away from
your family,
scheduling that far out in advance, and you just really kind of are
running two businesses, yeah, essentially, so with all the perks, but also the
efforts. Absolutely, tonnes of effort, but that I would say that the most important things
I found are to really just stay connected with your clients in the way
that you would, with your kind of home based business. High touch. Yes that's it. How can people
find out more about you? At Saraharrisphotography.com. Perfect and that
leads out all your social sites? Yes,
Alright, perfect thank you so much. Thank you. Ok I hope you enjoyed that great episode with Sara
Harris and hows she blurs the miles. Check us out here next time on AdoramaTV
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