Meet Dave Ainley

 

We recently connected with Dave Ainley and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Dave with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I started Eternal Sunshine Photobus (the greatest photo booth you’ll ever experience) in October of 2018, but what most people don’t know is that I’ve been self employed as Dave Ainley Photography since 2001. Just a year out of high school, I had no real idea what I wanted to do with my life. What I did know was that I was pretty good with a camera and that my parents had asked me to photograph both my brother and cousin’s senior portraits. I decided that I could begin to offer this as a service to people in and around my hometown of Spokane, WA for a small fee. After a couple of summers, I’d photographed enough people and built enough of a portfolio to recognize that I was now offering way more for way less than other professional photographers, and I didn’t want someone’s sole reason for hiring me to be because I was the cheapest. I decided to raise my rates to be more competitive with other professionals within my area and ensure that when people chose to invest in my business, they were doing it because they believed my work was worth the investment. I think this is where I began to grow up.

My work ethic really came from a couple of places. Firstly, experiencing a lot of failure in the workforce had a huge hand in it. By the time I was 20, I’d had more jobs than years I’d been alive. I couldn’t save a job to save my life, and just couldn’t figure out how to be the employee that an employer was looking for, which cost me a lot of pride. Going to work for myself taught me really quickly where I’d gone wrong. It gave me perspective to see how to really take care of a customer, and also what an employer was looking for in an employee. I learned that a paycheck is never guaranteed, and that unless I kept swimming, I was for sure going to sink.

So, after the first few years of doing photography on the side of other random but completely unfulfilling part time jobs, I knew I had a couple of options. I could either spend my life in the shallow end, having my basic needs met, maybe eventually finding a well paying job where I could thrive, but never feeling like I’d really created or contributed something truly special, and ultimately never having to swim for myself. Or, I could throw caution to the wind, putting in my notice at my mundane minimum wage job and dive head first into the deep end of self employment with no option for failure, pushing myself every day to go further, growing as a photographer, pursuing new bookings, becoming stronger and more confident all the time, and always delivering the absolute best service I could for my clients, knowing that if I’d been on their end, that’s what I’d want.

On the one hand, I could stay where it was safe, where a paycheck was always expected, but knowing that at any point I could be replaced for someone that could do what I did for less, do it better, or do it more efficiently. On the other, I could provide for myself with only the sky as the limit, growing my business according to the amount of work I put in, knowing my employment was always in my own hands. Option one really had no allure whatsoever, while option two was exciting and the unknown was exhilarating. Being able to be continue to be my own boss and sink or swim on my own seemed so much more rewarding. Plus, I was really tired of getting fired.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I think first and foremost, what people can expect when they hire either Eternal Sunshine Photobus or Dave Ainley Photography is something completely unique. I’ve spent the last 20+ years with one goal: to do it my way. Before that, the first few years were really just about getting my feet wet. I was learning the ropes of self employment and figuring out how to be reliable and how to deliver both a great product and an exceptional experience. I’ll be honest- the phrase “fake it till you make it” really played a big role in my early development as a professional, as my first few years of strike outs in the workforce had been very humbling.

I guess around year three, I came to realize that yet again, I was bored. The appeal of self employment had worn off, and the constant grind of hustling to bring in new work and ultimately deliver a product that, let’s face it, anyone with a camera could do, had led me to the same place I’d been before. I remember trying to hype myself up just to meet a client for a photo shoot. I was looking for new inspiration and didn’t even realize it. Then one day before an afternoon session, I watched a movie that changed everything.

12 Monkeys is a science fiction film about a future world devastated by disease, where most of the world’s population was wiped out. Scientists offer parole to a convict in exchange for his traveling back in time in order to gather information about the origin of the man-made virus that poisoned the air and sent mankind underground, hoping that his contribution would lead to finding out how to travel back yet again and eradicate the virus. The film was directed by Terry Gilliam, and starred Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe and Brad Pitt. Roger Pratt was the cinematographer, and what he did with those cameras opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities with my own. I remember going into my session that afternoon feeling like Neo from The Matrix when he uploaded the skills needed to master kung fu.

Suddenly, I couldn’t get enough. I had found my creative spark, and the fire that raged from watching that movie fueled a passion that has lasted for over 20 years. With photography, I made it a goal to try something new on every session. If I wasn’t pushing myself to create something that could only come from me, what was so special about hiring me specifically? That was my challenge for myself, and it has kept my passion for photography all these years. Whenever I felt like I lacked inspiration, I’d go back to 12 Monkeys, my photographic bible. Eventually, however, my creative brain demanded more than what I could squeeze out of the film. I needed new inspiration, and realized it was all around me. To this day, I pursue every new job with excitement, knowing that I’m going to encounter new people with new personalities, see new films and listen to new music, and continue to find new inspiration in every aspect of life. The truth is that inspiration is everywhere, and as long as I continue to pay attention, what I create will be ever evolving, constantly reflecting my surroundings.

All of that was the foundation that preceded Eternal Sunshine Photobus, which was conceptualized in the summer of 2006 by my girlfriend (now wife and business partner), Jill, and finally created in the fall of 2018.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Since I’ve basically answered these questions previously in this interview, I’ll let this be more of a recap on what I’ve said so far.

My repeated failures in early employment, the excitement of being my own boss and the drive to create something that excited me were all instrumental in my journey with both Dave Ainley Photography & Eternal Sunshine Photobus. My best advice to someone just starting out would be to never settle for “good enough” and to never stop learning, I’m constantly reevaluating everything I do with my businesses, and it keeps me fresh, knowing that something exciting and new is coming every day.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’m always excited to meet new people, make new friends, and of course, gain new clients, especially those that are ready to reimagine what could be when hiring a photographer or a photobooth, and to venture into the unknown of working with a true ‘creative’. You don’t have to be ‘a creative’ yourself to create magic. You just have to be willing to cut loose, let go and have fun. I think when we approach all aspects of life (and business) with a sense of wonder, excitement, vigor, and hope for what’s possible, we’re destined to do so much more. That’s where I strive to stay, and 20+ years in, I’m still loving every bit of it.

Anyone interested in checking us out can reach out via @daveainleyphoto & @eternalsunshinephotobus on Instagram, and can check out a much fuller portfolio of my photography and friend me at Facebook.com/daveainleyphotography/.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photos featuring yellow and white Volkswagen copyright Kathy Tran Photography.
All other photos copyright Dave Ainley Photography. All rights reserved.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your