The Beginner Photography Podcast

A Photographic Journey of Determination with Stephanie Robinson

• Raymond Hatfield

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#347 Stephanie Robinson is a Denver-based wedding and elopement photographer and a member of the Beginner Photography Podcast community. Growing up, Stephanie had an affinity for photography and was encouraged by her dad who, like her, was a photography enthusiast. After having her own Covid wedding, Stephanie decided to take the plunge into professional photography and left law school, where she was studying. Stephanie noted that with photography, her left brain and right brain are equally used, which is something she found satisfying and engaging.

Big Take Aways

  • Learned photography with engineering background
  • Work to capture authentic moments
  • Prioritize urgent projects first
  • Back up your data
  • Be confident and prepared
  • Authenticity is key
  • Build a sustainable business model
  • Invest in help for success
  • Track analytics to succeed

Resources:

Sign up for your free CloudSpot Account today at www.DeliverPhotos.com

Connect with Raymond!


Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Stephanie Robinson:

You just married your best friend. We're like out here in this beautiful location. We're watching the sun go down. Like this is the thing that fairy tales are made up. Like if I can just get you to relax and connect and ground into the moment. Then like, I'm not really going to have to tell you to do anything else. Like the photos are going to be beautiful. You're going to be connected to your partner in a way that's really authentic to you just by grounding into the moment. So I think a lot of times that's where I try to start.

Raymond Hatfield:

Welcome to the beginner photography podcast brought to you by cloud spot, the easiest way to deliver and sell photos online. We got another community spotlight interview coming at you today. This is my opportunity to interview you, a member of the beginner photography podcast community to learn, you know, more about you and your struggles and why you love this crazy thing that we do photography. Now, today I'm interviewing Stephanie Robinson. Stephanie has been in the group for just over two years. And I'll tell you from reading her posts and seeing, you know, her photos and the comments that she leaves on others posts, it is abundantly clear. That her, I don't know, internal, drive or that motivational dial that she has is just pegged at 10. She cranked it all the way up, but having the chance to chat with her today, I could see that I was wrong and she somehow broke it and managed to turn that dial to 11 and she is doing everything that she can to, not only create world class images, but. Create a business that is going to be strong. So with that, let's go ahead and get on into today's community spotlight interview with Stephanie Robinson. I start off easy. You've heard these before. I just want to know who are you and, what do you do?

Stephanie Robinson:

Sure. So my name is Stephanie Robinson. I am a wedding and a litmid photographer here in Denver.

Raymond Hatfield:

So then let's start there, right? This is a crazy world of photography. How did you get into photography in the first place?

Stephanie Robinson:

So my dad is a photography enthusiast. So it was something I grew up with. He got me my first camera when I was probably about five. I learned to shoot film with him. And then when I was in third grade, my teacher gave me another camera. And so it was something that was always part of my life. when I was 17, then hurricane Katrina hit new Orleans. And the one thing that we saved was like our family photos. We just brought an entire car load. Um, of family photos. And that's like how important photography always was in our life growing up. And then I guess I never thought about it that this could be a job until I was planning my wedding and hiring a photographer. I was like, Oh, like people pay others to do this. And I continued to shoot through my young adult life. and I was in a job that was just totally soul sucking. And so I went back to school. I went to law school and I was in orientation. I didn't even make it to my first day of classes and was like, I don't think I want to be a lawyer. I'm like, I really want to do this law school thing, but like, I do not think I want to be a lawyer. And, um, So graduation was approaching and I'm like, okay, well now we're like, it's time to start figuring out like, what do I want to do? And at that point, I'd gone to part time studies with COVID, and studies being online. And I dropped to part time and started my business part time on the side. And then when I graduated, I took my business full time.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. so I've spoke with a lot of people who have, went to school for something very specific and in your case, law here, the idea of leaving all that, right, all this time investment, this money investment to go do what many call, you know, just like arts, right? Like, what was it about photography that made you think this is going to be the path for me? Like, this is what I want to do. And it's a viable option. Yeah.

Stephanie Robinson:

I think I've always been someone who like is very, like, I think equally balanced, left brain, right brain. I think this notion that we're all one or the others is kind of a misconception. so my background is actually before law was engineering and so I think photography was a really good spot where I could bring in the science of engineering and, and operating of systems and then also bringing the creative side. And I found that because I felt like my whole brain was being so utilized in this process. But I just, I was constantly really engaged with it in a way that I could never seem to get into with other creative endeavors.

Raymond Hatfield:

So you said that you got started in photography pretty early, right? Having given a camera. I'm sure at that point, we're just talking point and shoot cameras, right?

Stephanie Robinson:

Oh yeah.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay. At what point does it progress and you get either a DSLR or something with more, more manual controls?

Stephanie Robinson:

I got my first DSLR for high school graduation. And I was like, I mean, all through like college, it was, you know, I was just always taking pictures of friends. I was always the one with the photos for Facebook and, but never really took it that seriously as thinking it could be a profession more. So just thinking it was something to document my life and the life of my friends.

Raymond Hatfield:

But at that time, I guess what I'm trying to get at is like, When we start learning photography, it can be difficult because there's so many, you know, new buttons, there's so many new terms, there's science that's involved, and as you said, like, with this engineering background, did you find that learning photography came more naturally to you than it does to, I know that you can't speak to, to others and their experiences, but, do you feel like photography was relatively easy for you to get into? Or were there some struggles?

Stephanie Robinson:

I do think the technical aspects probably came pretty quickly. I was accustomed with operating large scale machinery on complex projects. And so I think, you know, it was like, okay, like I have a machine in my hand and I need to learn how to operate it. And so I think like learning how to balance, to get a good exposure, balancing the aperture and the ISO and the shutter speed, it started to come pretty naturally. And then I very quickly started to move into technical aspects of lighting and working in studio. And I moved into long exposure photography. And I was just very hungry for it. Um, and just like could not get enough. So it's just a lot of online classes. And I do think having the background in science and engineering definitely helped with like absorbing that information.

Raymond Hatfield:

Sure. Sure. I went to a high school it was like a, I don't know what they call them, a laboratory school or something like that. It was, focused on just teaching science, math and engineering. So I feel like in a similar way when it came from me. Came time for me to learn photography. it felt, almost like a natural progression. Like, I understand how things work together, and now it's just building it into creating an exposure. Right? And then at some point, photography becomes, once you understand the technicals, photography starts to turn into art. How can you use these technicals to kind of document the world around you? Did you find with that, you know, mechanical background that that was difficult?

Stephanie Robinson:

I would say it took me more practice. Thank you I think it took a lot of practice, not just of how to convert it into art, but to convert it into the art that I wanted to produce. And that's really even still an ongoing evolution. I wouldn't say that that's something I'm like, Oh yeah, I've got that. I've learned that it's done. It's, it's constantly evolving of how do I want to represent the world and what, what matters to me and how, and what is the experience I want to provide, which is also, I think there's such a big part of it.

Raymond Hatfield:

So let's just start there. How is it that you want to showcase the world?

Stephanie Robinson:

Ooh, that's a big one. you know, so in my business, I tell love stories, right. and in these moments, it's like, I am capturing. One of the most important days in people's lives. What do I want to show with that authenticity? Authenticity is so important to me. And that doesn't mean, you know, I've had people tell me like, Oh, so like, you don't give any instruction in front of the camera. No, like I'm not going to let people stand there and just be terrified. Um, But it's it's learning how to relate to my couple in a way that they can find themselves and be themselves in my presence,

Raymond Hatfield:

right, right. Yeah, I find, I think when, when I was getting into photography, there was this idea of if I'm a documentary wedding photographer, I don't have to do anything. You know, I just have to show up and press the button and just, the couple or whoever, you know, whatever's in front of me is going to play out and I'm going to capture that beautifully. But as you just said right there, like people like the idea. Photographers like the idea. Couples don't, right? They want a little bit of direction. They want to be told, because they want to look their best and even though that can be minimal, It doesn't mean that you're just going to leave them hanging and, not, not pose them at all. So, have you found that when it comes to working with your couples, that that's a difficult thing to, communicate? Or is that, do people typically understand that?

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, how I always describe my, I guess, posing, or I really like to use the term directing strategies is I try to tell people it's almost, more like a meditation. So like, if I'm photographing you on your wedding day, like we're going out for sunset photos. You just married your best friend. We're like out here in this beautiful location. We're watching the sun go down. Like this is the thing that fairy tales are made of. Like if I can just get you to relax and connect and ground into the moment. of what is actually happening around you, then like, I'm not really going to have to tell you to do anything else. Yeah. Like the photos are going to be beautiful. You're going to be connected to your partner in a way that's really authentic to you. Just by grounding into the moment. So I think a lot of times that's where I try to start. And then I can start to get a sense of how does the couple interact with each other? Are they playful? Are they more just like intimate and holding each other and kind of what's working and what's not. And then, you know, from there, it's like, we can kind of move into some different prompts and games that jive with how they interact with each other, which is really variable by couple.

Raymond Hatfield:

Right. Yeah, that's an important thing. Yeah, it's very, it's variable by couple. And even though as a photographer, you are kind of being paid to be consistent, right? In a style and, in how you do your job, you have to flex to couples because some couples are going to be more stiff. Some are going to be more outgoing and like excited. And, I hope that people pick up on, on what you just said there. That was, that was very smart. but I want to know, let's go back to those early days, for you, as far as getting into weddings, like, was that the goal in the first place? You said that it wasn't until you started planning your wedding that you realized, oh, people do this as a job. At that point, you started to, to pursue weddings. Is that right?

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, yes and no. Um, the goal was to get into weddings, but I was also a COVID wedding myself. And so I was kind of like, okay, like, I don't know when weddings are coming back. and so I didn't, I worked my first year in studio, which was really great experience. I learned how to use light in a very different way that proved to be so beneficial on wedding days. You know, I'm like, I showed my wedding. I got my six flashes. I'm like, you know, I'm setting up and breaking down constantly throughout the day. And I don't think I would have been comfortable doing that had I not spent a year in studio first. And so the goal was to get to weddings, but I started there until the business and the industry made its return this past season, really. and then, you know, really transitioned purely into weddings and sold a lot of studio equipment.

Raymond Hatfield:

Sold a lot of studio equipment. So, tell me more about getting into, or starting in studio. You were doing just engagement sessions or were like these?

Stephanie Robinson:

no, this was a lot more, it was a lot of headshots. I did a lot of like glamour and editorial.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, okay. Okay. So, Tell me about the first time that you had somebody, not a friend, but like an actual client or something in front of your camera. Were you nervous? How did it go?

Stephanie Robinson:

Yes. I'm still nervous. I mean, every time does that like, I'm like, does that go? Okay, good. Good. Just just checking. yeah, I was really nervous. And I think the thing that probably made me the most nervous is wasn't so much getting the photo as providing the experience. That's I would say in my business. I am very centered on client experience. I think, the experience that my clients are having impacts how they see those photos. After the fact, if they're happy, if they had a good time taking the photos, they're going to look at the photos with a much more favorable view than if they were miserable.

Raymond Hatfield:

Of course. Where did that come from? How was a photographer in the beginning? Do you start with that? Like, where did you learn this? Where did this come from?

Stephanie Robinson:

Hmm. I think just, you know, when I started thinking about how do I start my business? And what does my business look like? There was always a big focus to me on, we are service industry professionals. And that's even reflected in like, for instance, in Colorado, how you file taxes on digital products here as a photographer is you split it between service. And the actual gallery delivery or product fee, you know, the products tax, the service is not. And while they won't tell you exactly how you're supposed to break it out. And generally the service is the heavier weighted portion. So like I'm saying in my business, that most of what I provide is a service. And so I think from day one, that was always my mentality going in of like, what I am selling is a service. Yes. There is a product attached to it at the end. But I am, we are service professionals.

Raymond Hatfield:

Of course. Of course. So smart. So glad that you said that. That is a truer words have never been spoken before. Let's go back to that first session where you said that you wanted, to be a service provider in what aspects were you delivering a service? are you making it memorable, to that client?

Stephanie Robinson:

You know, it, it starts from the first, the very first interaction we have. So, you know, we get on the phone and it's before we get on the phone, I'm preparing for that call. Like I've probably tried to find you on social to get to know you. I have. made a list of questions. I have, made a list of what I feel I need to communicate to make this a really productive call, as well as just being as concise as possible and respectful of your time. starts from the first interaction and then it continues through, you know, what happens after that first interaction. So as you know, they book and we're moving to the process. it's trying to make the process as smooth as possible. So it's everything from providing style guides to answering questions to making it very clear to my clients, like, Hey, like, if you want to send me pictures of outfits, if you're stuck between things, like snap a photo, like I am happy to provide, you know, input to like how different things might photograph, right now it's still a work in progress, but I have like an email automation workflow that's in progress to provide location recommendations and planning tips that go out every month based on where the couple is in their planning process. it's being more than just I'm here on your wedding day or at the session time and I'm going to take photos. It's starting with that first interaction through the life of our relationship to just provide the best service and bring and really just carry you through that whole interaction.

Raymond Hatfield:

So as a new business owner with a focus on service, what has been the most challenging part of building this business for you?

Stephanie Robinson:

Balance. there is. Always more to be done. And this, my dad owned his own business. So this is not a surprise to me. and yet it's, it's been difficult. that I, I always, I see things and I get new ideas that like, I want to implement that and that and that, and I want them now. And that's not always as feasible, as I thought in this low season, I had about five projects I planned to take on. Um, but I'm like, I totally got this. I'm going to, I'm going to make this workflow and I'm going to set up this new server for data backups and I'm going to do this and that. And, and I got through two of them. Um,

Raymond Hatfield:

but I bet those two that you got through were done pretty well.

Stephanie Robinson:

I'm happy with them. I am. I am.

Raymond Hatfield:

so how did you prioritize what it was that you were going to work on first and what didn't get done? Was it just these two things are the first on the list and then you just didn't get to the other three or did you prioritize?

Stephanie Robinson:

I think what felt more of like a sense of urgency behind it. So for me, and I love engaging in these Facebook groups and getting to see what issues are coming up for other photographers. And one that I see, a really sad scenario I see play out again and again has to do with data and data management. I read a post the other day that was just really sad for everyone in which like a photographer lost about a photos from about a dozen weddings that had not been delivered. Oh, I was like, how, like, just how crushing for, for the photographer, for the clients, for the families of those clients, for everyone, just, Devastating. And so I think for me, like the idea, so like, that was the first thing I thought I attacked was that I'm like, I need better data management. So, you know, we have like the three, two, one backup rule, you know, three copies of all the files on two mediums with at least one of them being offsite. So getting, I really wanted that implemented before we got into the 2023 wedding season. and so that was, the first thing that I went after.

Raymond Hatfield:

That's a tough thing. And it's so unfortunate because I remember when I had first started my business, I too am, have just really wanted to make sure that my data management was like on point. And I'm glad to say that like, It was like I was able to get to that point in my business, but it's expensive, right? And spending the money on that rather than like a cool new lens or like new flashes or other gear Is uh, it's a tough pill to swallow because it's one of those invisible costs, you know, nobody sees it. You don't even see it really like It's just there in case of an emergency. So, justifying that for you Right. Was it the emotional pull that made you say like, wow, that sucks so bad for that other photographer that I'm willing to invest in this part of my business or was that, had that always been, on your mind to set up someday?

Stephanie Robinson:

I think one, it's the fear, of being in that type of situation. And two, it's just a certain level of, I guess, professionalism that was really important to me to have in my business. To go in there and be a service provider and not feel confident that I can deliver the product that I am promising. You know, I just don't think I could like hold it together. I think the stress would like really get to me. And it's really only through having these systems that like, I can go in and I'm like, I feel confident. I feel like I know what I'm doing. I feel like I can consistently deliver this client experience. Right. Right. Right. And also you say like, you know, it's these things that nobody sees. Okay. Like I won't lie. I posted pictures and like video of my server and I wrote like a big long post about preventative maintenance and stuff. I'll tell you, they did not go over very well.

Raymond Hatfield:

No, no.

Stephanie Robinson:

But I'm like always trying to put stuff like that out there. I'm like, Ooh, let's make preventative maintenance.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah, brides, they don't care. They don't care until there's a problem, right? They have so many other things to worry about. It's so unfortunate. And it is fun like to, to put it all together and to know you're like, I'm safe. Like these photos are safe. That feels good. Yeah. And for nobody else to care, except for say other photographers is, uh, it's a tough one to swallow, tough one to swallow. I want to talk a little bit about your photography, because, when I look at your photos, I know that you've been in the group for a while. So I've been able to see a number of photos that you have posted. And then obviously the photos that you had sent me in an email to prepare for this interview and your photos have very distinct style. And I would say that you have a more formed style than most who are within the first few years of business. So on top of focusing on business, like you also have a solid style over here. What kind of work went into creating that?

Stephanie Robinson:

Thank you. You know, it was a lot of practice and trial and error. It was getting out there, shooting something, editing something, and not liking it. Or being like, it's just, it's not quite right. And just going back to it again and again. And then I think it's, it really has been in probably the past six months that I feel like I have really settled into my style and found how to articulate what it is. So when I, talk to couples, I always say my style is, it's very bold. It's very cinematic. And I am a naturalist, you know, just like a naturalist, I guess, enthusiast or hobbyist. And so I find that those elements of the natural world always play into my photos. So when I'm out on the water, you start to see a lot of like blues and grays and the pictures cooler to kind of like reflect that feeling versus when I'm shooting out at red rocks and you have these towering red cliffs and all of a sudden I'm like, you know, pulling in all these ambers and the photo is very warm. And it's very high contrast and playing off of the contrast of the rocks. So a lot of times my environment, which I get some really amazing environments here in Colorado, to shoot in, you know, it tends to come into play in the photo.

Raymond Hatfield:

So when it comes to, say show up for a session, right. We all, I think, as you just do a bunch of them, you kind of fall into this routine, right? You're like, I'm going to start with this, you know, do some easy walking shots and get them warmed up and then I'll move into this and then eventually we'll do this and that you have this idea of what it is that you want. So when you show up to a new location, how much does your environment influence what it is that you're going to shoot and how are you going to shoot it?

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, first off, I will never show up to a new location for the first time with a client.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, really? Uh huh.

Stephanie Robinson:

I will always go out there and scout it first. So when I show up with the client, I'm like, okay, like I've been out here. I know we're going to go, we're going to start at this spot. And these are maybe some of the ideas I have in mind for that area. And then we're going to move here and we're going to do this and then we're going to go to this other spot. And so I really, I show up and, and I guess that comes back to, the client experience. I will always show up having been to the location and having made a plan. for how I think that shoot's gonna go. Now that plan oftentimes changes. You see how the couple interacts and you're like, okay, we're going to hit a little bit more of this, a little bit less of that, but I'm always going in with a plan.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. Wow. admire that. And I wish I had that within me to go out and like, you know, view these locations is the reason why you do that to just to speed up the session itself when you are together with the clients, or is it to just be more prepared and provide a better experience for your clients? Does that distinguish, or does that, differentiation make sense?

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, I think maybe to me, those are kind of almost one in the same, right? Like I I'm providing a better experience because I'm prepared, which means, you know, the, if I'm booked for a one hour session, I can get the most out of those 60 minutes with the clients, because I've come in prepared. So it becomes a better experience. So I'm kind of like, I'm not sure that I see them as necessarily two separate things.

Raymond Hatfield:

Gotcha. Gotcha. That makes sense. you know, the thing that I love about photography is, there are so many different ways to like get the job done, and that's why I love chatting with photographers like yourself and everybody else is that I want to know how other people do this, right? I want to know how, how they do things because ultimately, you know, we can't know it all. So if we can just pick up like one little piece of information, that is just, you Awesome to be able to, uh, to implement. when you were first getting into weddings, like when you had made the decision to focus on weddings, right? You said that this was like around COVID time. So this may be, an interesting question, but also like being very busy, having a professional career as well. How did you make time for photography?

Stephanie Robinson:

I think, first it was, I was in law school as I started. I had dropped a part time classes because that was just a lot of hours to be on Zoom per week and I was really struggling with it. And so that kind of gave me some free time, to get started. And then when I graduated law school, I chose to go full time with the photography business. And because I wasn't working a second job, it did give me a lot of time to advance that. starting Certainly interesting. I do have a funny story with that. My very first wedding. If you don't have a good story from your first wedding, I mean, what are you doing?

Raymond Hatfield:

Right. Yeah.

Stephanie Robinson:

So I show up at this wedding. I've never shot a wedding before. I'm showing up to second shoot and you know, like I'm feeling pretty good about my camera fundamentals. I have almost a year in studio. I'm feeling okay about things, but like I have no idea how a wedding day is supposed to flow. Like I'm just. I'm along for the ride. And I show up and I go to shake the lead photographer's hand and he informs me, oh, No, I can't shake your hand. I have COVID and I'm leaving.

Raymond Hatfield:

What? That's the first interaction that you have with this person? Yes. Oh my goodness.

Stephanie Robinson:

And so like, I'm showing up and I'm not, I'm thinking, you know, okay, like I'm just here as a second shooter. It's okay. Like I'm feeling confident. I got this. I got this. It's okay. Like someone's going to be there getting the sure shot. It's all right. And all of a sudden it was like, heat is on. Like, you are here and you are going to be the only photographer here today.

Raymond Hatfield:

My anxiety is through the roof right now. Just imagining this situation right here. would you do next? Did you? No, let's just start with that. What did you do next?

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, he asked me how many weddings I had shot before and I asked him, are we counting today? And he said, no. I said, okay, well then zero. Um, and he's like, okay, great. you know, we kind of, we just, we had the situation that we had. And I really, I really just went in, I gave it my best. and the client was thrilled with the results.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. Hey. Like it was

Stephanie Robinson:

such a win. And then I got actually like really paid for it since I ended up being the only photographer and I got to buy a lens.

Raymond Hatfield:

That was super. Solid. Yeah, of course. Yeah, it's always good when you can, end up, on top. But oh my goodness. So, okay. Before a wedding, I'm assuming, Mm hmm. had known that you wanted to do this. So like you were doing some research and whatnot. So, you kind of knew a little bit about weddings in terms of photography. So when you first. We're like, okay. And then he takes off. Like you see the taillights go goodbye. What's the first thing that you did? Like, did you go inside and talk to the couple?

Stephanie Robinson:

I just started work. Yeah. Went inside, met, I was there on site with the bride. The groomsmen were getting ready elsewhere. and we're not getting, we're not doing getting ready photos. Went inside, talked to the bride and just like got to work. I did not have a shot list, a timeline. I had nothing to be prepared. when the lead got sick, he did not provide me any of these files. How does this guy even show up?

Raymond Hatfield:

Like I'm so confused. Like that makes two of us. Okay. Okay. Yeah. All right. Yeah. Who knows? Maybe. That's just what a wild situation to be in. so then what was your main focus for the day? Like, did you think to yourself? If I get this shot or that shot or something like that, I'm okay. And then everything else, I'm just on a seat in my pants. Or how did you approach photographing this wedding?

Stephanie Robinson:

you know, I think something I really love about photography is I always find that like, okay, so I show up at a wedding and I'm like, whew, like I'm nervous, man. Like I am always nervous. It does not matter how many of these I do. Like I am. And I'm always like telling my husband, I'm like, this one's so different. Like, I'm really nervous for this one for these reasons. He's like, you say this every time. I'm like, me. Um, but I find when I get there, like, I get three clicks in and like, I'm just in a state of flow. Like I'm not thinking too hard about things like, yes, I've got a close eye on the time, you know, I've got the timeline, but like, I'm just kind of flowing and with that, I find the nerves die really quickly and I can just kind of move through my day in a way that feels very peaceful and organic to me. A lot of people talk about wedding photography as being very stressful. And I definitely find that that can be the case. more so I'd say in, in owning your own business, that it's, it's a lot to take on. But I find when I actually show up to do the work that's really working in the business as opposed to on the business, I'm just in a state of flow and I'm very relaxed on a wedding day.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. Wow. I feel a similar way and I don't think that I've ever vocalized it like that before. There's something about once you're actually shooting that feels Comfortable that feels natural or you know, I guess I got to think about that some but yeah Whenever I had ever heard anybody say like, oh, it's so stressful. Yeah, there are moments, you know, especially when it comes to weather things like that that is stressful because you can't control any of that But otherwise, yeah, you just show up and you just do your best So the couple were happy with their photos. Did you have a favorite photo from that wedding?

Stephanie Robinson:

I do.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay. Tell me about it.

Stephanie Robinson:

So we did some golden hour portraits. they did not want to do them for very long. So in total, we had six minutes that we did them just

Raymond Hatfield:

enough

Stephanie Robinson:

time, just enough time to really do some like a real rapid shooting. And there was just like a pretty, there was like a concrete staircase. We were on the beach, concrete staircase going up to like a, um, what is that? Like, I guess a cedar shape house, like a very Cape style house on the beach. And they were sitting on those stairs together and just kind of like cuddled up on the stairs and the sun was just this, it was a beautiful golden sunset and it was just, you know, lighting them so perfectly from the front. And it just was a really beautiful moment. we got to finally, it was one of the last shots I took where like we got into that point in that six minutes that they kind of forgotten I was there. And so they were just really engaged with one another and it showed in the photo. And so it was like the light was right and the setting was right and they were just, they were being them and being the authentic version of themselves as a couple and it showed.

Raymond Hatfield:

That's always such a good feeling when you feel like you captured a photo that accurately represent somebody and then to hear them vocalize it back to you is there's not much better. This is there There's not much better than that. No, so when you deliver these photos and you got that feedback back, I guess did it reinforce for you? Like I got to like I did a great job if I do that again I'll be set or that was good, but there's still a lot To work on.

Stephanie Robinson:

Oh, definitely the latter. Um, you know, you get them back. And I think almost if I would look back at them now, there's plenty from the day I would, I would cringe and be like, I want to shoot. I would shoot that totally differently now. And, you know, why did I do this? Or why did I do that? and it definitely opened my eyes to the areas that I needed to. improve on. I had, experience with studio lighting, but I did not have lights with me that day. And I was like, grossly unprepared for this indoor, rather dark reception. And so it was like, it was learning how to bring those. I quickly realized I needed to learn how to bring those skills to the weddings, which is when I sold all my studio equipment and got much more portable.

Raymond Hatfield:

Call. Yes. Yeah. So today, when it comes to photography, we are as photographers, I believe that like at its core, we are storytellers, right? How we tell that story. changes, right, depending on what it is that we're shooting or who we're shooting for, or, whether it's for a business or not. Overall, whether it's a professional or a personal photo of yours, how do you want people to feel when they look at your images?

Stephanie Robinson:

Hmm, I would say that my photography tends to err on the side of, of being, dramatic. And it's almost like I just, I want to suck people up into this story. I want them to feel like they could be that couple, you know, they can see themselves in this photo. They can feel some sort of connection to another person that they don't even know, but can somehow feel connected to and see something in that photo. That reflects them and, their partner or them and their dog, you know, just reflects a love story that they can connect to

Raymond Hatfield:

is being able to capture that something that you've always been able to do, say, going back to third grade or what have you, or is it something that You really had to refine, say recently as photography has become more of a profession.

Stephanie Robinson:

Oh, no. I mean, it's, it's something that's, that's still even a work in progress. You know, you're trying, the idea of trying to get people to connect through a product you're creating or a piece of art that you're creating to bring people together is not something I think that necessarily comes naturally to anyone. It is a work. It's just, it's always a work in progress, you know?

Raymond Hatfield:

So how on the day do you ensure that you achieve that? Is it a specific photo or is it, again, I don't want to go back to it, just experience every time, but like we understand that experience is going to be a part of the whole process, but how, when you show up on a wedding day, do you say to yourself, I will capture photos today that suck people in.

Stephanie Robinson:

I think it comes back to authenticity. If I can get the couple to express themselves authentically, then it's going to come through in the photo as being authentic. And if it's authentic in the photo, then people elsewhere are going to see that and be able to connect to that. If it's forced, it's not going to feel relatable.

Raymond Hatfield:

Right. And so I

Stephanie Robinson:

think it's just trying to help couples find authentic expression, during their sessions, whether it's an engagement or a wedding day, It's finding authentic expression. It's. It's bringing them to ground into that moment. It's recognizing how they interact and it's one of the reasons I really love engagement sessions. If I'm going to photograph a wedding, I really love the opportunity to photograph an engagement session because then I go into the wedding day and I have a good idea of how you interact with one another. You know, I know whether y'all tend to be more playful with one another or, you know, more sentimental and, and we can go that route so that we're very quickly getting photos that ring authentic.

Raymond Hatfield:

That was perfect. That's another, gold nugget right there, right there. So, I think. what I want to know now is that like we heard about your journey there in the beginning and getting into photography and, building into the career that you got today. But I'm always still interested in that learning progression because, even though, you have this mind to kind of be able to figure out, you know, the technical side of photography, uh, you're still going out there and getting education. And at some point. You found the podcast. So I want to know about that. When did you find the podcast? And more importantly, the community as well, because I know that you've been in there for a while.

Stephanie Robinson:

Yeah. So I think it was, 2020, it was right after my own wedding when I started thinking, Hey, like people hire photographers. And so I started looking for podcasts and looking for classes and just looking to further my education all around. And that was when I came across your podcast and it was, just really helpful, especially, I found it when it started going into business ownership and how to run a business and how to market. Like these are things that no one teaches you how to do and no one really prepares you for, and hearing stories from other photographers that were super relatable. And so I found it in 2020. I remained a rather committed listener, through the years here. And. it's been a good journey and I, I really love the group on Facebook. I mean, it's, it's fun to see people with different goals. there are some other groups I'm in that are purely professional photographers and you kind of start to, and those that has its benefits, in terms of, you know, getting stuck on a sales tax question, you know, it's good to go to a local group of professionals. But you also lose. Some of that, like that joy of the people who are involved in it for the pure joy of photography and the pure love of photography. And so I really enjoyed the group for that. I love seeing, I mean, people's work progress and I love the conversations that happen. It's a very supportive group. It's one where like, I'm never really afraid to like post something which I tend to be a little bit shy in groups.

Raymond Hatfield:

Judging by your interaction in the beginner photography podcast, Facebook group, I never would have guessed that you are. You're always in there. When you share photos, One thing that I think is important is that you share relevant information. You know, it's not just like, what do you think? It's like, you know, you're asking genuine questions or you're sharing information that I think can help others. And, for that reason, I mean, that's one reason why I asked you on today is because you, you participate and you are a, a great member of the community. So again, just publicly, I want to say, thank you very much for, being in the group and, and contributing. Helping other photographers as well.

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, thank you for providing the forum.

Raymond Hatfield:

Well, I think Facebook did that. I just kind of typed in an address and it was, but, I wanna know, having listened to a number of the episodes, is there one that stood out to you as far as, being able to take information and apply it to your own, either photography or business?

Stephanie Robinson:

Yes. There is one episode and I'd have to go back. It's been a long time since I've listened to it. So I don't remember who it was with. So that's really helpful. I know you're welcome. But I remember there was one piece of advice that the photographer kept going back to, and it was that I believe he was in Australia and he built up to this, just this, collection of like multiple studio locations, seven figure business. And he kept going back to like building a sustainable model and starting day one with a sustainable model. And that one, like it resonated so well with me. And I've always kind of gone back to it as I've been building my business. And, you know, how do I make this sustainable for growth? Where I'm where I'm not kicking myself in a year because I can't figure out my taxes from the prior year because I wasn't sustained. I wasn't tracking anything or, you know, I just, I, I don't have the foundation built to grow. And It was such a good episode. I held it with me so strongly. It was a method I chose to employ as I built my own business, which, which has its pros and cons. Some days it's really hard because it can be overwhelming, you know, where it's like, I haven't been doing this that long, but I want X, Y, and Z as part of my business model, and. it can be overwhelming. And it also means that today I don't really get to keep any money that I'm making. It is getting spent, just constantly reinvesting back into the business to build a sustainable model, to have the insurance and the data management and the marketing help and, all of these things that are required for me to continue to grow in the ways that I want to grow, because I have a vision of where I want to get. And knowing that it's going to take all of these investments coming together to sustainably grow to that point,

Raymond Hatfield:

right? I bet you are feeling the same way that I did when I first started which was like when you get into weddings, you're like wow, I can make a lot of money from a single day's worth of shooting But yeah, you discover very quickly to to make those investments that allow you to shoot a wedding It's all gone very quickly and that, unfortunately, the only way to bring home or take home more money is to either lower your operating costs or shoot more weddings or raise your prices, of course. And figuring out that balance is one that took me a while. And I hope it does not take you as long as it did me. But it's very good that you're already thinking about these things, because that is the path to success, right? There's, those are the only three ways that you're going to be able to bring home more money and, uh, It sounds like you already got it. You just got to get to that point. So that, that's great. Stephanie, I know that we are at the end of our time here, but, before we go, I know that listeners can find you in the group, but they're also asking themselves where else can we see more of Stephanie's work online?

Stephanie Robinson:

Sure. So I am, my website is stephanieevephotography. com and Eve is Y B E S, on Instagram. I am also at Stephanie Eve Photography. And then let's see what else there's a tick tock. It is Stephanie Eve photo.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay, so and if

Stephanie Robinson:

you're on LinkedIn, because I do really like LinkedIn, right? It's that place I can like post pictures of my server. And, you know, that's where it's going to get

Raymond Hatfield:

traction. Yeah.

Stephanie Robinson:

Yeah. So I'm also on there under Stephanie Robinson.

Raymond Hatfield:

So, last question here, social media, right? I have always found that it's difficult whether to figure out, you know, what it is that you're going to post, then there's so much that goes into it. And there's the, you know, an algorithm that's going to control who sees what and whatnot. Are you, using social media to hopefully gain a success.

Stephanie Robinson:

Oh, Raymond. So for the last question, you really stepped into it. Sorry. Um, so when I started this business, I had been totally off of social media for about seven years and it changed a lot during those years. And I had never been that active on it to begin with. It was a challenge. I did not know, I did not have the remotest sense of what to do. So, I got to the point that I was, you know, running what I could myself. I had, Instagram and Facebook, which was more or less a copy of my Instagram. And I recognized that I needed to diversify my efforts to other platforms. But before I did, I actually got shadow banned on Instagram.

Raymond Hatfield:

For what?

Stephanie Robinson:

What'd

Raymond Hatfield:

you do?

Stephanie Robinson:

someone went through and just reported a bunch of my content as inappropriate.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wonderful.

Stephanie Robinson:

Yeah, it was super. So I had gotten to the point I was getting like four inquiries per week. I was feeling really good about life. And then it was like just getting cut off at the knees. And, so I got shadow banned. never one to be deterred. I started Googling for like, how do I get someone from meta on the phone? And I did, I did. I totally got them on the phone. No. And I went straight up like Karen on them. and they did not care. I'll tell you that. They did not, they did not give into like my care and antics at all. And so, um, so that wasn't particularly successful. I was like, you can see that none of this violates the terms, correct? Like this is a video of me picking out a pumpkin. And they were like, yeah, we agree, but like, we can't do anything. It just is what it is. Wow. And so I actually remembered my old college roommate, like works for Metta. And so I was like, hi, like, can you help me? Like, I don't know what to do. Like, and, and she was able to help some, but it still took about three or four months to recover. Three or four months.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow.

Stephanie Robinson:

so during that time I started doing more diversification of, of my social media marketing efforts. So now it's like, in addition to my website and blog, I have Instagram, I have Facebook, I have Tik TOK, I have Pinterest and I have LinkedIn. And I'm very active across all of the platforms. The downside of that is as you can imagine, that is a ton of hours.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yes.

Stephanie Robinson:

I'm posting every day on Tik TOK, every day on Instagram, a couple of stories a day on Instagram, every day on Facebook, about three times a week on LinkedIn. Almost every day on Pinterest and in the past few months, I know, I know it was, it became totally unsustainable. Um, and I kind of realized, like I said, balance has been one of the biggest struggles for me. And I realized that this is an area that I'm like, it, it's, it's I think it's very necessary, but I need help. Like, I'm, this is taking me 60 hours a week just to do my social media. And so what I realized is, you know, and it was like, almost fortuitous. Someone reached, I had had a couple social media managers, virtual assistants reach out to me. but one reached out to me. She works specifically with photographers and I was very impressed with her marketing materials. I was very impressed with her presence. I ended up being like, Hey, can you like help me with Tik Tok? Um, and so I hired her and what I started realizing was that like, I was doing work where I was essentially paying myself. If I, if I think about what I'm paying her, I'm paying myself 5 an hour to do this work. Because I'm so inefficient at it. I'm so bad at it. And like, I'm paying myself 5 an hour and the work's not even that good. And so as you know, that's been definitely the big investment for me this year is that I have, outsourced and gotten a lot more help with social media because like I said, it's, it's, taking me too many hours. it costs too little to get help with it. And that's just one more of those things where it's like, you know, you think you're going to go in and shoot a wedding and get to bring all this money home, but really it's like, I'm turning it all right back over, but it's also bringing in the next three weddings.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yes. Yeah, exactly. So, I guess follow up question to that. How are you tracking its effectiveness? Just the amount of inquiries that come in.

Stephanie Robinson:

So I look first at like my account analytics and like, how am I growing on these platforms? and then second is, you know, I always ask people the question, like, where did you hear about me? And it's almost always right now, it's almost always Instagram. I'm kind of waiting for Tik Tok to get a little bit more traction. But it's almost always Instagram though. I do get a fair number. Surprisingly, I do get a fair number of inquiries through LinkedIn.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. It's that data management. People love it. And they're like, that's the stuff right there.

Stephanie Robinson:

That is some sexy maintenance, right? Look at that server who is so blinky. I think LinkedIn, a lot of where that success has come in, has been being in the right place at the right time. I get a lot of couples who know they need to start shopping for a wedding photographer, but aren't ready to actually start looking. And so you're kind of catching them before they're really shopping.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. Yeah.

Stephanie Robinson:

You know, and just meeting them where they are. I'm finding them while they're sitting at their desk at work. and that's been great and also provided some really good professional jobs. I, connected with one of the universities here and I now do event photography for them, which is wonderful. In the low season. Yeah.

Raymond Hatfield:

Mm-Hmm., that is great. Okay, so social media is obviously, a pivotal role, plays a pivotal role in, in your business. That is good. again, Stephanie, if anybody has any questions, is it okay if they, if they reach out to you, where's it gonna be the best place? You mentioned your website, where else?

Stephanie Robinson:

Yes, website, Instagram. I can leave my email, I guess. No, you don't need to do that. That's too creepy. Okay, I don't know what it's like. Yeah,

Raymond Hatfield:

don't do that.

Stephanie Robinson:

I mean, I already get so many strange emails. I promise you, you probably

Raymond Hatfield:

won't. Yeah, right. If

Stephanie Robinson:

you're approaching with weird intentions, you just blend in. but yeah, website, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, or LinkedIn. I am always on those platforms.

Raymond Hatfield:

Perfect. Well, Stephanie, again, I want to say thank you so much for, for being a member of the community, being an active member of the community and contributing as much as you have, because you are honestly helping, others become the photographers that they want to be as well. So again, thank you.

Stephanie Robinson:

Well, thank you, Raymond. And that relationship with the community is very mutual.

Raymond Hatfield:

Remember, this community spotlight series is all about you and the supportive beginner photography podcast community. If you would like to be a part of the supportive community, we would love to have you. You can find a direct link to the group in the show notes, or you can just head over to beginnerphotopod. com forward slash group. Again, that is beginnerphotopod. com forward slash group to, just be taken directly there. Thank you so much for listening today. And remember the more that you shoot today, the better of a photographer you will be tomorrow. Talk soon.

Outro:

Thank you for listening to the beginner photography podcast. If you enjoy the show, consider leaving a review in iTunes, keep shooting, and we'll see you next week.