Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy V. Cooper.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to New York City after completing a Fashion Design degree at Louisiana State University in 1997. I started my career as a photo editor for Elle Decor Magazine. After Elle Decor, I worked as a photo editor and photographer for MTV for seven years. I moved to Austin, Texas in 2008 and started working as an art buyer in the advertising industry, supporting clients such as UPS, Coca-Cola, Allstate Insurance, Microsoft and 7-11. After eight years in the ad industry, I decided to open my own photographer and stylist representation agency. It was the first agency in the U.S. to support a roster of all-female photographers. I represented talent all over Texas and quickly expanded to the east and west coasts.
It has been my passion all along to mentor young photographers, especially female-identifying photographers, so I made the decision in 2020 to close my agency (with Covid and the cancellation of SXSW, my business would not have survived) and move to full time consulting and coaching. I am a photography consultant and I help photographers refine their portfolios and websites and develop marketing strategies to attract work that lights them up. I’m proud to say that I support photographers all over the world but many in Houston, Austin, and Dallas. I love seeing my clients land shoots with big Texas brands such as Whole Foods, HEB, and Texas Monthly.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My life has always been a roller coaster. When I started my agency, I was filled with passion to support artists and I also knew that it was just the beginning of a long journey that I am still on. I was also struggling with a thyroid condition that I didn’t realize at the time was causing increasing anxiety. I learned so much in those years about managing stress, managing people, building my confidence, taking full responsibility for my energy and success and listening to my body and intuition. I feel like that has, and still is guiding me to a place of helping others do the same. Running your own business can be very isolating, it’s important to have people that you can check in with to get out of your head/bubble.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a photography business consultant for commercial and editorial photographers. I help photographers edit their websites and portfolios to attract their dream clients. I also help them develop consistent marketing practices and do my best to provide an insider view of the industry so that they can understand how to work and communicate successfully with bigger brands and advertising agencies. I’m known for portfolio editing and helping photographers with their marketing communication and strategy. I’m most proud of my positive energy and supportiveness as well as my reliability and accessibility. When I work with my clients, I have them set goals and expectations for me so that we can measure the success of working together. I want to make sure they have tangible advice and are clear on what they need to do. It’s really important to me that they see a return on their investment when working with me. I’m always most proud when I am able to lead them directly to a new client.
What sets me apart from other consultants is how long and varied my experience is. I’ve worked as a photo editor for national magazines and television networks, I’ve worked as an art buyer and producer in the advertising industry, I’ve owned my own photographer representation agency and I’ve also worked as a professional commercial photographer shooting celebrities, beauty, and interiors projects. I’ve been on every possible side of the camera and I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years. I like to start my new clients with my signature Portfolio Review and Marketing Strategy Consultation package. This starts with a juicy questionnaire about their business that allows us both to gain insight into their needs and goals. After I receive the questionnaire, I look over all of their work, social media presence and marketing and then we’ll jump on a 75 minute call where I’ll make recommendations, give them a basic marketing strategy to move forward with and dive deeper into any topics that they need more direction with.
After that, we will usually work together to edit their website or we’ll go in to a 6-month Accountability package where I meet with them monthly to help plan and complete a project or keep them on task with their marketing. This summer I created a Commercial Photography Masterclass which I am really proud of. This is a great course for photographers who want an inside view of how the advertising world functions and those who are feeling stuck or are new to the industry and have no idea how things work. It’s also a great course for retail photographers (wedding, family portrait, etc.) who want to move in to doing more editorial and commercial work and gain more understanding of how the industry works. The course covers advertising and editorial structures and language, how to find your niche, build a website, create a marketing strategy that is authentic to you, and the basics of estimating and licensing. It’s almost everything in my head all in one place for photographers to access. The course also comes with more than 50 downloads including estimate templates, marketing scripts, homework and exercises. There are no other photography courses available like this from someone with my experience. Like I said, I am VERY proud of it! It was my quarantine masterpiece. 🙂
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I can’t recommend enough that photographers at any level of experience take advantage of my Masterclass. The feedback has been incredible. I also love to collaborate with photo editors and art buyers who are interested in supporting photographers. I have a YouTube channel where I interview photographers as well as art buyers, photo reps, creative directors, and other people working in the industry. I have free office hours on Clubhouse and a quarterly group Portfolio Review Roulette events on Zoom. It’s so much fun! The best way to keep up with all of my events is to jump on my newsletter and follow me on Instagram.
+ Clubhouse @amyvcooper
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@amyvcooper.com
- Website: https://www.amyvcooper.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyvcooper/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyvcooperphoto/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/amyvcooper
- Other: My Commercial Photography Masterclass https://www.amyvcooper.com/commercial-photography-masterclass
Image Credits
Jessica Arroyo
