Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Sloan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Samantha, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I have always been creative… so photography has come natural to me. I started off years ago photographing families, babies and maternity. As I honed in more on maternity and newborn photography, I found that my favorite part was connecting to the new moms. Sharing my own journey and hearing about theirs fed my soul.
It was such. joy to be able to speak positivity to new moms. While photographing maternity sessions, I loved getting feedback from the moms about how beautiful they looked and felt… something that isn’t always the case with pregnant women. Soon I branched out into maternity boudoir. Pregnant women have the right to feel beautiful and sexy too! And whoah! I was hooked! As photographers we know it all about the angles and posing… and being able to actually SHOW ladies how gorgeous they are is definitely something I am meant to do.
When I chose to do boudoir photography full time, I found that I connected to my clients on a whole new level. These ladies pour their hearts and souls out to me and entrust me with not only their stories… but their journeys too! Whether they are on a journey of recovery, divorce, weight loss, or simply just trying to reconnect with their sexuality… I am always so honored to be a part of the ride!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a boudoir photographer… and for those of you who don’t know what that is, simply saying “sexy photos” usually does the trick 😉
Boudoir is SO much more than that though! It’s about reconnecting with yourself. A lot of my clients are struggling with self confidence and need someone to guide them on a journey to love themselves again. As women, we have a lot of roles to fill, and often times we are the last one on our own lists. Booking a boudoir session is making the conscious choice to put yourself first again.
Yes, sometimes I do sessions for ladies who are doing it to gift their partner some spicy photos… and those are super fun sessions too, but the vast majority of my clients do it 100% for THEMSELVES – and I f*cking love that!!
I always tell my clients that our time will be spent accomplishing the goals that they set out to accomplish. There is never any pressure to get nude… or even partially nude. Using a carefully curated questionnaire… I get info from them on what they are comfortable with. What they aren’t. Do they want a little push out of their comfort zone and try something new?
Anyone can take pretty photos… I try to offer my clients a kick ass experience from beginning to end with a heavy dose of encouragement and emphasis on self love.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Being ADD/ADHD is my number one secret weapon. When I set out to do something… I f*cking get it done.
Having that creative mind AND strong business sense is what sets me apart from most artist. I get it… as artists, we have all the feelings… and I am no exception! But putting solid systems and workflows in place keeps my business running on course.
Learning how to fulfill a clients needs is key. Solve their problems for them!
Don’t give up! So many people do. If you want it bad enough… go all in and figure out a way to make it work… even if it’s scary!
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Outsourcing!! I knew that if I wanted to grow my business that I’d have to outsource.
Getting into the nitty gritty of that thought was a bit of a challenge. There are so many hours in the day… so I asked myself “what am I not good at and who can I pay to do it?” Finding my marketing team was a total game changer! Yes, my marketing bill is scary… but oh so worth it! Hiring an assistant was another major move that drastically freed up my time so I could do other things that were important to my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://boudoirbysamantha.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boudoir_by_samantha/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoudoirBySamantha
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boudoir-by-samantha-san-antonio?osq=boudoir+photographer
Image Credits
me 😉
