What you should know about my personality before hiring me

People who are searching for a photographer - for whatever reason (weddings, family pictures, etc.) - have a lot of choices. It’s a saturated market so I fully believe that clients should choose a photographer by looking at all of the factors: price, quality of work, style, past reviews, print options, among others. Another factor to consider is the photographer’s personality, especially if it’s for a wedding day. If you’re going to be spending an extended amount of time with someone, you will want to actually like them! 

Here’s what you should know about my personality:

I am VERY Type A. I love planning and even more so, I love sticking to that plan. I hate to be late and I hate it when other people are late. Some people may call me inflexible but I like to think of myself as responsible. I think that a lot of photographers fail not because they are bad photographers - they fail because they are bad business people. They show up late to sessions, they don’t return edited images promptly, and they don’t take care of their clients. I beat myself up for days if I make mistakes like these (and I’ve never been late to a session. Ever). My mom has told me all my life that I’m “too hard on myself,” but I have found that this character trait has served me well when running a business. 

I’m a total left-brainer. Most photographers are right-brained, creative types. Creativity is definitely an important trait to have when you’re making art for people but my creativity comes from a different place. For me, the work I am doing isn’t for myself; it’s for my client. While I have a specific style and certain way of doing things, I am ultimately creating for someone else so I must analyze their personalities and their relationships in order to capture their memories. This left-brained personality of mine is also why I like to have a specific plan. Long before the actual session or wedding day I have analyzed a variety of factors - sunset time, number of people, the weather, locations, outfits, family dynamics, wedding colors, and strangely enough, the color of the ceiling in a reception location. I have a lot of things rattling around in my brain but by thinking it through, I am able to take better pictures. 

I’ll work my butt off. I’m a really hard worker and I have no problem saying that. I’m the type of person that gets a little adrenaline rush each time I cross something off my to-do list. Sometimes I write things on a to-do list that I’ve already completed just so I can mark it out. If this is also you we should probably be best friends. 

I wear my feelings on my sleeve. This isn’t always a good thing and I often consider it a negative. I do tend to stress out easily and it’s something I’m working on. Usually when I’m stressed out it has something to do with me running out of time. I hate to feel rushed and frenzied because it crushes my creativity and it doesn’t help me take great photos for my clients (which is my #1 priority). 

You can trust me. I took a personality test a while ago called “How to Fascinate.” The test aims to highlight your best traits and show how you add value to the world around you. The test gives a primary personality advantage and a secondary. My primary personality advantage is Trust. This means that I can be trusted to do what I say I’m going to do when I say I’m going to do it and that I earn trust by being predictable and dependable. Sounds boring but I don’t care. My second character advantage is Prestige and this means I am ambitious and that I expect a lot from both myself and those around me. I am always wanting to improve and do better than I did before. These two traits combine to form what’s known as “The Diplomat” archetype and it fits me to a T. I’m a detail and results-oriented person that gets things done. 

I am not going to be every person’s ideal photographer just like not everyone is my ideal client. By purchasing a luxury service, clients have the option to choose someone that’s a perfect fit for them. If my personality sounds like your cup of tea, let’s talk. If not, I would love to direct you to someone that’s a better fit. Contact me here.