Client Showcase with Tamra Crystal - “I've definitely seen an increase in inquiries since I updated my website”
Tamra used our Michelle Warren Template for her new website where she showcases her work as a Wedding, couples and portrait photographer. She is all about authenticity and it really shows when looking at the photos she takes of couples showing their love for each other.
Learn all about Tamra, 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 Tamra Crystal and I am a wedding, couples, and portrait photographer based out of Fort Lauderdale FL.
When I'm not doing photography I love to travel, puzzle, read, listen to music, and spend time with my husband, our dog Ophelia, and cat Olivia.
It’s guaranteed I will be the first one to cry at your wedding. Or at a movie. Or maybe even a song. I am definitely a feeler and throughout my life I have learned to embrace that part of myself instead of seeing it as a weakness. I love being around the people I care about. I will never say no a new adventure. I want to live everywhere I travel to. I give 100% of myself to everything I do.
For my clients, I offer a photography experience that is unique to them. I am in love with authenticity. I am all about capturing the moments that are real. I think a perfectly posed photo is just fine. but I want to do better for them. I want to capture them laughing and interacting with their passions whether that’s a person or a place. There are a million places to take photos and a million ways I could pose a client, and they’ve all been done before, but what will make photos authentic is celebrating the subject. Photography is special because it tells a story. I want the ones I tell with my clients to be representative of their souls.
WHO I FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
On social media, I follow lots of other creatives that I am so passionate about! There are lots of big photography names out there but I'll share my top two local photographers I'm obsessed with and that inspire me:
@daniparadaphoto
is AMAZING as a human and photographer!
@sufiahuqportraits
is a legend and I love working with her and knowing her.
“I've learned I do my best work when I trust in my art and truly get to know my subjects to make my photos look like THEM with my style added on.“
THE HARDEST LESSON
The hardest lesson I have had to learn is to know my worth and know who I am! Photography is a very saturated field and it's so easy to get lost in the comparison game especially when you're starting up a business. I've learned I do my best work when I trust in my art and truly get to know my subjects to make my photos look like THEM with my style added on. I don't need my images to look like anyone else's and I won't bring to the table the same things another photographer might.
THE BIGGEST WIN
My biggest win was being featured on Dancing With Her! Dancing With Her is a publishing company that celebrates real same-sex love stories. Being featured by them was incredibly surreal to me for a few reasons. Obviously, as a photographer, it feels good when your work is shared on a wide platform. We create art for people to see and appreciate. The session that was shared with Dancing With Her was especially important to me because we really got to showcase the WHY which was my couple Macey and Christina and tell their love story. When the photos were published, Macey wrote "So surreal to have our love be celebrated," and I literally became a pile of tears when I read that because that's exactly why I do this.
AN ADVICE TO OTHERS
My advice for others looking to start their own business in my field is there's no right time to start your business. If it's something you are passionate about- go for it! I was a High School Teacher before building up my photography business. There were a million reasons not to take this risk, but it has been so rewarding. Chase your dream and make it happen. You are the only one standing in the way of yourself.
Some tips and tricks I have for photography are
Know your camera!
Take some time to get to know your camera settings and your shooting style before diving into client work! It took me a good year of practice sessions before I began charging. For you, it could be a longer or shorter time, and there is no "right" timeline.
When you know your equipment and trust in your capabilities you're ready!
Develop your "why" with your branding
I touched on this already, but if you're creating content to look like someone else's, or if your website copy is entirely based on someone else's and there's no authenticity, that will show. Know who you are, why you are doing what you're doing, and what you want your mark on the art-form to be. What do you want clients to walk away from a session with you feeling like? That's your why- and market the hell out of that!
Invest and believe in YOU
This probably sounds the cheesiest but it is so genuine. You have to have confidence in yourself and in your "why" to be successful. If you aren't believing what you're selling, no one else will. In areas you need growth and improvement, seek that out! Buy that new website template. Take those posing classes. Read up and test out new settings in various lighting scenarios. Put that work and time in to invest in yourself and your business and you'll see nothing but good will come from it.
“My biggest concern was making it adaptable. I wasn't sure how much I would be able to tweak the template but it was SO easy to adjust and I'm so happy with the outcome.”
I did a lot of reflecting on my branding and felt that it was time to have a website that showcased my work but also felt like my "vibe". This template felt like a great starting point, and then I just tweaked it until I felt it was all me.
“Before creating my new website I felt that, for the most part, I had little to no knowledge of creating a website and wasn't sure how I would get it to where I wanted it. “
I wanted something that would showcase my work but also be very informative to what an experience working with me would be like. I definitely got that with this template!
My biggest concern was making it adaptable. I wasn't sure how much I would be able to tweak the template but it was SO easy to adjust and I'm so happy with the outcome.
I decided on the Michelle Warren Template because I honestly just had a good feeling and loved how it looked and how easy to navigate the template seemed. I definitely wanted all of my work and information to be easily accessible to my clients and potential clients. This template was so easy to adjust and had so many opportunities for me to showcase my art!
“I am so happy with my website. I've gotten so many compliments on it already and I genuinely feel like it gives my clients a good expectation of what working with me will be like.”
I've definitely seen an increase in inquiries since I updated my website. I think because the contact form button is EVERYWHERE and my work is showcased on every page, people are seeing how diverse my portfolio is and are more inclined to reach out and book.
My business is already benefitting from my new website! It has allowed me to better showcase my "why" to my clients, to provide them some insight into who I am as a creative, and to the experience they will have when booking with me. Investing in your business is so so important and the HertstedHertz template is an investment I am so glad I made!
We in Hersted Hertz are so proud to have such talented clients as Tamra. Be sure to check out her website’s portfolio and her experience page to get the full experience.
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