Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Darko.
Gabrielle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started doing photography in around tenth grade basically just to take pictures for family events or for travel. People kept telling me I had a gift so I decided to pick it up more throughout highschool. By my senior year, I had started my own business and gotten many inquiries for graduations, weddings, etc. I went to college and then my business really started kicking! I built my own website, booking site, Instagram, portfolio, etc. and was having up to three shoots per week! Some of my work has been published in magazines and online publications and I have become an official photographer for various organizations! I’m proud of where I am at today and can’t wait to see where my camera continues to take me!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road! I resigned from my leadership position at my job and chose photography as my main source of income and that was a very hard decision. Photography is not always the steadiest of occupations. There were definitely some weeks where I went without being booked and it can really hurt your ego and bank account! It is all a learning game though. Most of my business began to boom by word of mouth and other people loving my results and prices so they recommended me to more clients who would then also become frequent clients. You have to keep grinding no matter what other people say. If it is your passion and you have confidence in your abilities, then no one can tell you that you WON’T be successful! You have to get past the mistakes and the days where you feel like you’re being lazy. Market yourself! Gain trustworthy clientele and most of all, KEEP GOING! To my fellow women, do not be discouraged when you’re the only one of yourself in the room. Photography is mostly male-dominated and there were plenty, almost all events where I was the only female with a VIP photographer pass.
There were also many times when I was the only one called back to shoot their next event! Do not be discouraged by the gender ratio, prove through your work that you’re the greatest and you deserve to be backstage too! Don’t lower your prices or hand out free photos either because you feel like you have to. A lot of times people would look at you crazy if you’re asking for a reasonable price, but if it was a guy they wouldn’t blink twice. Some people think because of our mothering nature we can be easier to persuade into giving discounts all the time. Put your foot down! Ask for that pre-deposit! It used to be hard for me to say no, but I have learned to appreciate the quality of my work and time and therefore, not let people take advantage of that. Also, use the male-domination to your advantage! Network with them and a lot of times they will put you into areas and spaces you didn’t even know about and vice versa. I have some great male photographer friends whom I am always collaborating with on different projects, advice or events.
We’d love to hear more about Eliza Photography.
I am a photographer from the Greater Houston area. I started out only taking National Geographic type of pictures. I never wanted to take portrait pictures of people until I realized the beauty in it and it is now what I do mainly. I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to independently market and grow my ability and business. Everything I have learned about photography has been self-taught and self-financed. I did not know how to edit, or even what Adobe Lightroom was and now people ask me to help them edit their pictures! I did not know what ISO, aperture or shutter speed was and now I teach some classes on how to use and adjust them. The only photography class that I have ever taken was a film photography one in high school. It taught me a lot about how to really use my camera and capture the right moments because you only have thirty-six chances on the roll to do so. I transferred that knowledge and delicate thinking even to my digital photography and I think that is what makes my pictures so special and set apart. Every shot is of value and every picture has a purpose, even if it’s just a selfie on an iPhone. Every person I shoot has a story and I try to capture that emotion in my sessions so that the viewer can interpret the story however they see fit.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I feel like the biggest barrier today to female leadership is simply the fact that there is a lack thereof of female leadership in this industry. When I was thinking about how to answer this question, it all kept circling back to the fact that there were mere opportunities to shine in such leading roles for this industry. It’s not because we are not creative or don’t have the talent, it’s simply because we are not in the positions to break the glass ceiling as much as we would like to…but that is definitely going to change soon! Just wait!
Pricing:
- Headshot Booking: 45 minutes = $40
- Portrait Booking: 1 Hour = $60
- Event Booking: 1 Hour = $80
- Studio Booking 1 Hour = $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elizaphotography.as.me/schedule.php?notembedded=1
- Email: photographyeliza1@gmail.com
- Instagram: eliza___photography
- Twitter: darkoooo_
- Other: https://elizaphotography.smugmug.com/browse
Image Credit:
@eliza___photography
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