May 8, 2017

Meet Amy Reid of AReid Photography in Galveston

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Reid.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a mom of 3 and have always been that mom who had the camera at every event trying to capture every moment. About 6 years ago I was laid off from my 9-5 job where I did recruiting for oil and gas companies and I was having trouble finding something in my field due to the downturn in the industry. We had some friends in town from Colorado and she marveled at some of the family photos I had taken and hung on our walls in our home. She was a part-time photographer outside Denver and encouraged me to pursue photography as a living. But what did I know about running a business? Turns out nothing LOL. I had no idea how to work with actual clients, recordkeeping, how to market my business and I was extremely shy around new people. What I did know was how to build relationships once I got passed the shyness. After countless workshops and what seemed thousands of hours on YouTube teaching myself how to pose, how to use Photoshop and through referrals I built a following and continue to grow. Just starting out I had no idea what my niche would be trying every form of photography to not only pay the bills but to see if I would be good at it. Turns out senior photography is my niche. I do a few newborn sessions a year and many many family portrait sessions and just a trickle of weddings but seniors is where I thrive. I love meeting with seniors before their session and learning who they are and who they want to be and planning that session that reflects all of that and more. Many people can take pretty pictures but not everyone can truly capture who someone is and where they hope to go. That is always my goal.

Great, 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?
No!!!!! But what business owner has a smooth road? I don’t even know where to start.

Forcing myself to be outgoing at sessions when I am a very shy person
Learning to take control at sessions
Learning how light works
Learning editing software
Realize that community is more important than competition
Finding my style instead of trying to be like everyone else
Deciding what my niche is
How to say no!!! (I still struggle with this)
Deciding to believe in myself and what I am worth

AReid Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is photography but what I really am is a time stopper. My clients give me the honor of capturing those moments in time that they want to cherish forever. I take that task very seriously. I specialize in the experience. I work very closely with every client I have. I want them to know they are special to me. I always try to make sure they know they can call or message me anytime and it will never be a burden. The one word that I hear most often when clients speak about me other than my skills is “patient”. So very often they tell me I am the most patient person they know. Whether it is with a newborn who refuses to sleep, that two year old who just wants to run or the husband who doesn’t like pictures. What’s funny and that most of them don’t know is I am a VERY impatient person. Except in sessions. God has blessed me with the ability to be what my clients need when they need it. I am very proud of the fact that I have a very good reputation in my community and as a community partner. I do complimentary senior sessions for those who otherwise could not afford them as well as donate my services and sessions to many of the clubs at our local high school for auctions and other fundraisers. I think what sets me apart is I am always looking for and trying new things so that my clients feel special and that I listen to them to make sure their session reflects who they instead of what I want them to be. I know the importance of building a brand and some photographers will disagree and want their images to reflect the same style throughout but I think my brand is uniqueness so it’s ok that every image doesn’t look the same.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think the proudest moment of my career so far was the day my middle daughter came home and told me she told the whole football team at school that if they were a senior they needed to call me for pictures. Its one thing for your clients and peers to praise you but it’s a completely different story when you teenager puts it out there to her peers.

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