Since returning to Maui, I’ve been assisting for local wedding photographer Natalie Brown, above.
At the beginning of June I finally made it back home to Maui. Maui was home for 10 years before moving to the Big Island for the last year and a half. I missed Maui and my community here and decided last summer that I would move back within a year. So I’ve finally relocated back to Maui and am starting over with my photography business in the hope of making it a full-time thriving business for me.
When I lived here previously, I photographed family portraits and weddings on a part-time basis. I also waitressed for my main source of income, but photography has always been my passion. It is also what I got my bachelor’s degree in. After working as a news photographer for seven years, I moved to Maui for what was supposed to be four months. A year later, after deciding to stay, I started photographing weddings and family portraits. Though I was shooting some of the time, I did not have the business skills and knowledge to market my business successfully so I settled for my sporadic portrait sessions and weddings.
While on the Big Island, I made it a priority to work harder on figuring out how to make my business more successful. I discovered a website called creativelive.com which helps to educate photographers and other creative professionals. Through creativelive, I was able to learn photography business and marketing skills. I also took several classes to help improve my shooting and editing and learn about photographing newborns. In all, I took 20 different classes and was able to reeducate myself through creativelive. I’ve come to realize that when starting a photo business, you must know how to run a business! Sounds like a no-brainer right?! But many photographers make the switch from shooting for a newspaper to branching out on their own and often do so without the business and marketing skills you need to create a lasting successful business.
I’m Ready to Go!
So now, here I am back on Maui and I am ready to go full-speed ahead. No regrets but feeling very determined to make it happen this time. I’ve decided to pursue two different niches, weddings and family photography with a specialty in newborn photography. I have connected with an awesome Maui wedding photographer, Natalie Brown who can be found at www.nataliebrownphotography.com. Natalie has been very helpful in answering questions I have about the industry here, and she is very pleasant and easy to work with. It’s also been fun to watch how another photographer works and approaches a session.
I have reached out to other photographers and will soon be marketing myself to wedding planners and vendors and to newborn/baby businesses. Any help from friends here on Maui to help get the word out would be greatly appreciated and rewarded with a discount on a session. Please share this blog with your friends on Maui. I will be asking people how they heard of me and will give credit where it is due. Any suggestions or comments are also greatly appreciated in the comments section above. Thanks for any support you guys can give me! I look forward to many fun years of shooting here on this beautiful island of Maui!