Today we’d like to introduce you to Leo Solomon
Hi Leo, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Photography has always been a part of my life in my professional career, I started my career as an admissions counselor and social media manager at my undergraduate college. In this opportunity, I built my love of storytelling through photographs highlighting college fairs I personally attended and editing photos my colleagues would send from their trips recruiting around the state for the college. I also showcased open houses, new student orientation, and other events happening around campus. Looking back on this time, I truly enjoyed the big smiles a photo would bring to families. I still carry that same joy throughout my photography opportunities. I also started my MBA in digital marketing during this time at Clayton State University.
After my time at my former college, I transitioned into working for a large family entertainment company overseeing marketing for an entire location. I created a ton of original content in the form of video and photography highlighting the amazing experiences the family entertainment venue has to offer. I had an opportunity to work with the Chic-fil-A Peach Bowl organizers on the players night out as the family entertainment host location for the Michigan State vs Pittsburgh game. The passion for photography continued to blossom even more while in this role and completing my MBA in digital marketing. I had the opportunity to meet some big time artists and play a large role in record breaking six figure sales year by providing a healthy balance of photography content and digital marketing.
I later transitioned into working in the tourism industry highlighting small businesses by showcasing their amazing offerings through photography and videography. The joy on the faces of business owners and their excitement in the quality of work I produced deeply inspired me to an even higher level to begin a photography business. Hearing their stories of how they started their businesses helped me realize, you can start a business and continue to improve the business over the years.
Today, I carry the amazing stories and experiences that have prepared me to confidently run my photography business (CapturedByLeo). The photography services I offer are wedding photography, event photography, branding photography, food photography, and portrait photography. I went from two paid opportunities within my first year to 70% booked my following year. I want to continue to expand my photography business in new avenues to book more corporate events, festivals, city events, concerts, and more.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Accomplishing any dream or pursuing anything worth having requires an immense amount of hard work, I definitely think my journey was no different. The initial struggle was identifying how to do the establishing steps on starting a business. LegalZoom was awesome for me and made the process simple as well as stress free. Without their seamless walkthrough process, I think I would be still doubting if I set up my LLC the appropriate way.
How do you find clients? I think this was the second biggest struggle for me. We often don’t consider family and friends to help us build a portfolio. With a service like photography, the cost is eliminated for them and they receive great photographs to showcase to their circle of friends (free marketing for you). They were more than willing to be some of my early days portfolio clients. Outside of this approach, I quickly learned that there is no one solution for finding clients. You must continue to get your services in front of many people in various ways. Finding clients took time for me, I think roughly 6 months or more to really understand there is no one magic approach and to experiment with every approach possible until something works. As the expenses to keep my business operational continue to be consistent, I knew that self funding the business is not the end goal I desired. I needed to understand the process of obtaining clients so profit can fund my business.
Once I obtained clients and the payment of service became bigger, I think like most….I had impostor syndrome for about a month or two. I never thought this would be something I face because I pursued a dream and was starting to really accomplish more than I ever thought in a 6 month span of time. Looking through my photography communities, I quickly learned how common it is and often times we critique our work more than our clients ever will. We view things from an intense eye from our knowledge of photography and consistently ask ourselves what we can do better. Meanwhile, the clients jump for joy when they see our work. I overcame impostor syndrome by learning that as a photographer, we see technical components not followed but often times it creates the best photographs. In my experiences, the clients loved the standard photographs but absolutely fell in love with the outside of the norm photographs that provide unique perspectives.
The more subtle struggle that I’ve faced is rejection. The “no” of not being part of an incredible opportunity used to sting a little. Over time, I’ve learned that “no” is multidimensional response. Regardless of how amazing you believe your work is, the “no” is not a rejection to your quality of work. The “no” could mean the style of work isn’t what they were looking for, the price is too high for their budget, and etc. You are not defined but the yes or no you receive. You are defined by the pride in your work, your client satisfaction, and your level of joy doing your work. I live by this to keep me grounded as a business owner.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
CapturedByLeo is a photography service helping clients reserve the special moments from their events, portraits, and restaurant offerings in an authentic way. CapturedByLeo specialize in event photography, wedding photography, food photography, and portrait photography. CapturedByLeo sets itself apart by allowing clients to invest with confidence by speaking directly with me (the owner) the entire way, without any pushy sales approach just a conversation that leaves the decision making in your hands. I am consistently available to ensure every question is answered along the way whether you’re a booked client or just inquiring over a few days. I am most proud of CapturedByLeo being selected to photograph a Peachtree Road Race Qualifier 5k, to be a sponsor at a silent auction, and to have my logo displayed on a t-shirt at an event. When people discover CapturedByLeo, I want them to know for photography services they are selecting a person with high character and fun to be around. I hope to always bring joy with my presence and in the end provide photographs that authentically captures the essence of your day in a candid way.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
With the advancement of smartphones and their camera ability, I see cellphones playing a larger role in the industry. For small backyard weddings, I can imagine clients considering using their phones versus investing in a wedding photographer. For birthdays and other personal events, I can imagine a world where clients decide that their phones provide a good enough quality versus an appreciation of hiring an event photographer. I think the value of photographers within segments of these spaces diminishing.
I think artificial intelligence will begin to play a larger role in the photography space. I’m unsure what role it will play but I think the impact of what artificial intelligence can do currently can’t be ignored.
Pricing:
- starting at $1000 – Wedding Photography
- starting at $250 – Event Photography (includes Corporate Events)
- starting at $200 – Portrait Photography
- starting at $200 – Food Photography
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.capturedbyleo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturedbyl.e.o/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086688470703&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://pin.it/2ifBl0Z
