Client Showcase with April Kubala - “The second I started personalizing the template I fell in love. I knew this site would be absolutely beautiful and I had no regrets!”
Hannah used our Miranda Watson Template for her new website where she "sunset sessions" for families, couples, maternity or milestone portraits, as well as lifestyle newborn sessions.
Learn all about April, her business journey and inspirational people she follows, and what she thought about the process of building her website from one of our template in our Q+A below.
My name is April Kubala, and I am a natural light photographer living in Victoria, Texas.
I was born and raised in North Texas in the DFW area, and moved to Victoria with my husband 5 years ago. We have a 2 year old daughter named Reese and a 4 month old daughter named Ryleigh.
We live on 40 acres of farmland with a few farm animals and also harvest hay!
“I started shooting professionally about a year and a half ago, and really didn't know where it would take me.“
I have always loved photography, even had a little business back in highschool and when I started college. I took a little break from photography to go to graduate school, and received my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from UNTHSC in 2016.
I started shooting professionally about a year and a half ago, and really didn't know where it would take me. Currently I am loving working as a photographer along with working full time as a physical therapist at a county hospital. I have grown so much as a photographer over the last couple of years and I just keep pushing myself to surpass all of the goals that I have set for myself!
Currently I am loving working as a photographer along with working full time as a physical therapist at a county hospital. I have grown so much as a photographer over the last couple of years and I just keep pushing myself to surpass all of the goals that I have set for myself! I offer one hour "sunset sessions" for families, couples, maternity or milestone portraits, as well as lifestyle newborn sessions.
“On social media I follow a variety of photographers and artists that inspire me!”
THE HARDEST LESSON
That I still have a LOT to learn, and that right when I start to think I have it all figured out- I realize that I still have a lot of growing to do!
THE BIGGEST WIN
Being able to step back and look at a finished gallery and be STOKED to send it to my clients!! Along with not paying a dime for advertising and relying solely on word of mouth/ referrals to stay fairly busy.
AN ADVICE TO OTHERS
Just dive in! I spent a long time worried about what people would think of me, self-conscious about my work and worried people would think I was terrible. But after years of just posting my work occasionally to my personal site I decided to dive in and create a business. And I was surprised to see how kind and supportive people were. So just have confidence and go for it!
Some tips and tricks I have for social media are
Learn your camera!! I cannot stress this enough. I spent a long time shooting in manual not having fully grasped the concept of the "exposure triangle" until it really clicked.
During sessions make sure your clients are having FUN. Relaxed shoots are always superior to really posed and up-tight sessions.
Lastly, practice, practice, practice with your camera. Shoot moments with your family and in lots of different lighting situations. Oh and learn lightroom! Watch youtube tutorials! I realize that was more than 3, but I couldn't help it.
Oh and learn lightroom! Watch youtube tutorials! I realize that was more than 3, but I couldn't help it.
“I get compliments ALL the time and I actually feel confident enough to promote my site and start working on SEO and getting my name out there”
I wanted something that was easy to modify (I am not tech-savvy) and looked professional and amazing. I used Wix and I was not a fan, mainly because it was difficult to set-up and I wanted a quick and easy way to make my website seamless and beautiful.
I was nervous about encountering the same issues that I had with Wix- I wanted it to look like a professional site and not a template or site that looked like someone with no experience created.
With the Miranda Watson Template I loved the colors and the boho/desert style vibe that I thought I could create from it.
“The second I started inserting my own pictures and personalizing the sections on the template I fell in love. I knew this site would be absolutely beautiful and I had no regrets!”
Now that i have launched my new site, I feel AMAZING!
I get compliments ALL the time and I actually feel confident enough to promote my site and start working on SEO and getting my name out there
The biggest change by building and launching is my confidence level in my business.
“I definitely feel more legit and confident in my pricing as well now.”
I think people will take me more seriously and see my work as more professional. I expect a lot of growth to happen this year because of my new site.
We in Hersted Hertz are so proud to have such talented clients as April. Be sure to check her out and follow her on Instagram.
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