We recently connected with Erin Engelhardt and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
I don’t! While that might sound not very inspiring, it’s the truth, I’m just coming out of a pretty big burnout episode actually. I found I was giving and giving and giving and giving, and in the process, I wasn’t prioritizing what filled my cup, like REALLY filled it up. I had to take a mental step back and ask myself “do I have enough to give right now?” and most of the time, the answer was no.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I freeze moments in time in a professional yet laid-back way 🙂 From the aisle to the nursery, I create art with my lens that I strive to stop scrolls with. It’s a profession that has allowed me into so many families homes and lives and my work that is being created now, will be passed down for generations to come. It stands the test of time and tells stories as they are in the present, in the messy, in the chaos, in the beautiful. This job honestly makes me cry happy tears A LOT.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Most would probably say that knowing your camera like the back of your hand is the most important skill, but there’s SO MUCH MORE TO IT than just that. If I had to put it in order of most important to least important, it would look like this: 1: People Skills 2: Know How To Use Light In Your Favor 3: Technical Knowledge
My number one goal is to make sure the people that are in front of my camera are feeling good and having a fun time. If I don’t accomplish that, I haven’t done my job. A lot of what I do is taking the time to get to know my clients so that I can know how to make them open up, feel confident, and just focus on the fact that this can be a fun thing! The type of photography I do is people focused, meaning, if the light is beautiful but the background sucks, guess what? OH WELL! Good light over everything else! I’ll of course do what I can to hide distractions in the background, but let me tell you, it’s light that can make or break a photo.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Price. Price. PRICE. When potential clients reach out to you, whether they know it or not, they have a number in their head that they have deemed acceptable for spending on your services. That number doesn’t take into account the amount of hours you’ve put towards your training and education, the amount you’ve spent on your gear, the time it will take you away from your family, it doesn’t account for any of that. What the client thinks is acceptable is what they will judge your actual price against, and if you don’t have a strong system of marketing in place to show that your pricing is worth what you are going to provide for them, then you’re going to lose the client to a less expensive option, plain and simple.
When you are marketing your business, don’t be afraid to market yourself first. Especially in this day and age. People want to see the behind the scenes like never before, so use that to your advantage! For me, when I post BTS content, those posts always get more engagement then when I just post photos of a recent wedding or portrait session. Marketing with yourself is the best most unique marketing you can do because there isn’t another you! Show your audience why they should hire you by showcasing how it will benefit them and how it’s the best decision they can make for what they’re looking to have done.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.erinmariephoto.com
- Instagram: @erinmarie_photo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emphoto.ny/
Image Credits
Headshot taken by JP Elario
Wedding photos taken by me 🙂
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
