Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Linkwald.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rachel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After college, I was working as an actor. I had two months down between shows, and a friend introduced me to a local photography company, saying they’d train me and it would fill in my gap. Instead, they handed me a camera and sent me clueless into the field. As life circumstances evolved, photography became my focus. I craved understanding everything from the technical, to the artistic, to the business.
Then, my grandparents passed away. I cleared out their home, and brought back the generations of portraiture I had grown up seeing on their walls, including childhood images of myself. It hit me, that I was a professional photographer- with no pictures of my own children on my walls. When I asked myself why, a whole series of hurdles that exist, not only for my clients, but for myself, became apparent. I set out to revolutionize my business and the way my clients think about fine art photography.
I love creating custom art with my clients. Crafting the perfect image where everyone looks like the best version of themselves, photographing their walls so they can virtually see those images in a gallery designed for their space, printing calibrated, archival pieces so that they can be enjoyed daily and passed down for generations, and even hanging the gallery. If you don’t have something gorgeous to admire daily, you’re spending a lot of time and money on online profile pictures your children will never see.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I can’t believe what an adventure the last 15 years in this industry have been! There’s so much I learned the hard way, that I wish I had known long ago!
1. You are unique. What do you have to offer? There are hundreds+ of people in your field right here in Atlanta. Figure out how to solve a problem.
2. If you don’t pay yourself for your work, you cannot continue to offer it. I literally lost money for years. You must figure out your cost of doing business- it’s costing you more than you think.
See the value in yourself, your talent, and your services. The right clients for you will see it, too.
We’d love to hear more about Shayna Image.
I am known for head swaps. And service. And being fun.
You know that picture where everyone looks good, but that *one* person? I’ll fix that.
You know how you feel overwhelmed trying to pick out a print size, so just print 8×10’s, they can’t figure out how to make it look right on your wall? I’ll fix that, too.
Do you know how you feel nervous about this shoot? Because you want to look good, but you never feel like you look good? I like people! And then, they feel comfortable! And then they look good!
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
1. I loved the arts, visual, performing, and they were encouraged.
2. My parents taught me young about saving money and spending carefully. I always knew I’d likely have less reliable endeavors, and having savings would allow me to take more risks. I didn’t know how to charge appropriately for years, and I definitely operated at a loss. If I hadn’t been so fiscally conservative early on, I would have been driven out of the industry in order to make rent. Thank goodness, I could lean on savings while I figured out how to make this an actual job.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shaynaimage.com
- Email: shaynaimage@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel_shayna_image/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shaynaimage
Image Credit:
Shayna Image
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