Meet Matthew Chambers

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matthew Chambers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matthew below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Matthew 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?

Work ethic is one of the most talked about concepts in day-to-day business discussions with other entrepreneurs. Whether it relates to where you got it, complaining about employees not having it, or beleaguering younger generations saying they lack it.

I hear all these amazing stories about being driven by some higher calling, by a desire from deep within someone’s soul to be the best, or by some deep seeded experience as a child.

For me it came down to being hungry and not wanting my family to be hungry. I show up and put in 100% every day because I have bills to pay, because I need my business to succeed and continue providing for my family, and because at the end of the day when your name is on the door it hits different.

I get jobs that other people miss out on because despite my success I’m still hungry. I will put in the extra effort for a client, because not only do I want their business this time, but I also want it next time, and the time after that too. Not only that, I want that 5-star review too. I want my clients to like me and my work enough to share my name with anyone and everyone they know who needs a photographer.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I started Matthew Chambers Photography in 1996 very much by accident. I started shooting when I was about ten years old on 110 cameras, in high school I learned to shoot on a 35 MM camera. In 1995/1996 I paid $50 for a Canon AE1 35 MM film camera at a yard sale. Since I worked a night job, I really couldn’t party in college so I would go across the street from my apartment to St Edwards University and meet girls at the track and ask if I could take their picture to practice. I got to meet a ton of amazing people and got lots of practice.

In the summer of 1996 a high school friend and his girlfriend visited my apartment. The girlfriend noticed the pictures scattered on my bar and asked if I could do something racier for her to send with my friend who was deploying. A week later I earned $50 and a six pack of beer for doing her shoot in my apartment, Over the next few weeks she would share my information with her friends, one shoot became two, two became three, and a few weeks later I was steadily shooting but all my business came from word of mouth.

I learned some critical lessons in the early years, First and foremost from the beginning I treated every client like family. My early subjects were strangers, not coming off creepy is pretty critical if you want to convince someone trying to work out to pose for photos. My early clients were all friends of friends, and I wanted them to send me more business, so I treated them like I did my friends and family, and it worked perfectly! As time went by, I would add postings on Craigslist, chat boards, and eventually social media and the business plodded along, never earning a ton of money early on but always reliable because of the word-of-mouth referrals.

There were challenges along the way. Following a divorce in 2004 I dramatically cut back my shooting to focus on being a single dad. In 2008 I married again, and in 2009 my wife bought me a Canon Rebel T1i as a birthday gift and I began shooting far more frequently and focusing more and more on understanding how to truly make money in photography.

In 2010 following the death of my infant son I turned to my camera not only to keep my mind off his death but also to help pay his medical bills and went all in on the business. By 2012 I picked up an international ranking, began getting published domestically, and in February 2014 picked up my first international publication when Tabu Tattoo magazine published a spread I shot of acclaimed tattoo model Mischief Madness.

Over the next decade I worked tirelessly to grow the business, made lots of mistakes along the way, and kept going. Today I am proud of what I have accomplished, the market share I continue to have, and the growth I have made both personally and professionally.

I still treat my clients like family, I go out of my way to make their experience fun and unique, and I still strive to make every client 100% happy.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the most overlooked skill is quite simply learning how to read the room. In a tech heavy world all too often the first time I meet a new client is at the shoot. Even with weddings, many brides hire me without ever having a face-to-face meeting. Walking into a wedding you have seconds to read the room, to figure out the best way to communicate with each player, where they are at in that moment, and what they need. If you are on point you’re the hero, if you off you might be in for a long day or night.

The next most important point is to know what you know, and more importantly what you don’t know. Understanding where your skills are is important not only for viable pricing and setting reasonable expectations but also for being sure you don’t get in over your head on a job. I have seen people destroy their reputation and lose a ton of money by assuming a skill was easy, a job was small, or by thinking they knew how something was done when they didn’t. Take the time to know what you know, research what you don’t, and commit to lifelong learning, it’ll save you time, money, and reputation.

Lastly, never forget where you came from. When you forget where you came from you have lost your starting point and therefore your direction. It is so easy to feel the need to prove yourself by showing off your awards, accolades, and accomplishments. In reality humbleness is always better received.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I have been fortunate enough to have dual careers in Criminal Justice and Photography.

In my early years working in the prison system, I was blessed with some amazing leaders who took the time to drop some golden nuggets of wisdom my way that have stuck with me my entire life in both careers. The most impactful are:

How to communicate with people:

Don’t tell me how to make a watch, just tell me what time it is. Keeping things simple and relevant is keenly important.

Integrity and ethics:

Morality is knowing right from wrong. Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. In life and business integrity is everything!

How you should handle people:

Be fair, firm, and consistent. If you aren’t going to be fair firm and consistent and if you are going to be a prick, be a prick every day so people know what they are getting. No one likes it when they don’t know which personality they are going to get today. If your reviews say you’re a patient person then that is what people expect, be sure that person shows up at the session!

Charity

If you give something, give it quietly, don’t expect anything back including other people’s admiration otherwise it isn’t giving it’s trading. Nothing makes you look worse than bragging about your charitable works, do it quietly, the act alone speaks for itself!

Business and Relationships

Be the person that cheers on other people. I love that I have helped a ton of other photographers and business people through the years, there is always enough pie for everyone at the table!

If you can learn those five lessons, you can overcome just about any challenge in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.matthewchambersphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewchambersphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthewchambersphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewchambersphotography
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/matthewpics
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/matthew-chambers-photography-leander