Today we’d like to introduce you to Jairo and Natalia Chacon.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We are a husband and wife who made up Chacon Photography.
We started our journey into photography right after our honeymoon.
We talked about building something together from scratch. We just didn’t know what it would be. All we knew was that we both had shared interests in the arts. We would spend time together visiting museums, watching certain films together and even dissect styles we’ve observed in music. She studied interior design and had taken photography in her university. While I, on the other hand, never owned a single camera in my life. I only used a camera in my home church once in a while but that was it. I never had past experience with photography. I understood the basics of composition because I loved to draw. I loved to come up with new images that would pop in my head.
I began to think about what business we could legitimate start together. We didn’t have a lot of money to spend. I know I wanted something that didn’t require us to spend each time we provided service. I scratched off a lot of side business until I realized that I was omitting our interests. I knew we both loved art. We loved music. We loved paintings, drawings, and portraits. Then, I pondered about photography because the thought that came to mind was that we paid a hefty sum for our wedding photographer and I just thought that I could that. Right after that thought, I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth is.
Days after our honeymoon, I saw that we had a bit of money left over and I decided to purchase a camera and lens without her knowing about it (the first mistake as a newlywed husband). I just remembered the look on her face when she saw me walk in with the package and opening it up with excitement. She wasn’t happy but she didn’t say anything because she is an angel from heaven. I now learned to consult with my wife before making a large purchase.
I became obsessed with my camera. I took it everywhere I went. It didn’t matter where we went I had the camera in my bag. I took it out and started taking pictures of anything that caught my eyes. I watched countless hours of youtube photographers sharing tips and advice on photography related topics (thank you for my fellow YouTubers such as Sean Tucker, Art of Photography, and James Windsor). I just started to love the process of creating images.
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?
It has not been a smooth road at all.
People believe in luck or in opportunities. I believe that opportunity is hiding its true identity behind luck.
I would sometimes take pictures of people, mainly musicians, around churches and its events and shared it with them without putting a watermark on my pictures or charging them. They would offer payment and I would just respond I accept tips. I didn’t want to come across as someone that was money hungry or money driven. That is very difficult to do in a heavily competitive business such as photography as more and more are jumping into it. I welcome it because it keeps me on my toes and challenges me to offer something a bit different than the rest of the competition.
I struggled mainly because, in the beginning, I didn’t know where to start or how to price myself. Case in point, my first paid gig was an hour-long session and it was for $50. I took a half day from work just to do the session. I’ll never forget that day. It was hot, sunny, and at the beginning of Spring, right when my allergies begin to act up.
BUT, the joy of dialoguing with the clients, and seeing the dynamic of the relationship between Photographer and Subject(s) is such an experience that can only be had in those moments.
All in all, I had to learn the basics of charging for our services and mainly it came down to knowing how much we wanted to earn. I needed to understand what my clients wanted and what they were looking for and then price according to their needs.
My wife didn’t actually join in my shoots until the summer of 2018. More and more people were requesting my services and I couldn’t handle it by myself especially on events. It was at this time we bought a second camera and we both began to do more shoots together and it was so much better having her by my side. She is a great photographer and I couldn’t be any more proud of her growth.
Now, there was a time where photography was becoming a positive and negative priority in my life.
The positive is that it was bringing extra income to the household and that is something we are extremely grateful for no matter the amount. There has been a time where our clients give us more than we originally charged that we just didn’t know how to respond but with gratitude. The downside of the business is that I began to see a shift in my social media usage. I began to post daily and ultimately fell in the pit of comparison. There were times where I couldn’t help but critique my own work because I felt it wasn’t as good as the other photographers I followed. Sometimes, I would ask how come my follower count didn’t increase or why I didn’t get as many likes as of this photographer. I was losing a bit of my initial joy when I began taking pictures for fun rather than for being paid.
However, modern technology has found a way to help us place a limit on our time spent on the phone, so I put a 30-minute limit on my time spent on social media, which has been a struggle but a reminder to be more productive if I’m on it.
Chacon Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a husband and wife duo photographers.
When you hire Chacon Photography, you are paying for two photographers for the price of one.
We are in the business of making people look good.
We strive to ensure our clients’ satisfaction by listening to their needs and working with their budgets.
We specialize in delivering timeless images that you will treasure forever. We focus on candid moments that are full of raw human emotions. Nothing is provoked but the images will evoke emotions from within when you take a look at your album and online gallery.
We present our pictures in a beautiful composed online gallery that will leave you in tears at times.
We love black and white images and we prefer to stay there but we can compromise and offer the pictures in color per clients’ request.
We are most proud of what we have been able to accomplish in one year’s time in which others would take three to four years to accomplish. We have already booked weddings, quinceañeras, newborn, and portraits sessions.
We set ourselves apart from the others by our dynamic interactions in our sessions. There is never a dull moment with us as we love to laugh and have a good time together. Photography is so much fun and it isn’t a boring experience with us.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Honestly, it is every session that I am able to do with my wife! Those are the proudest moment.
I did it by myself for 3-4 months and it does not compare to when my wife is around in our clients’ sessions.
She truly is one of the major reason why we have been able to flourish in our business.
Especially when it comes to weddings, and quinceañeras in which at times, the ladies are more comfortable with a woman photographer more so than with a male photographer and we understand that.
I just love working with my wife during our sessions. It has some of the most memorable moments together. The drive to the sessions, and the drive back home with a smile on our face knowing that we had a good time.
Pricing:
- Weddings – $1,000 (Album, Online Gallery, Large Prints from Engagement Session, Full Wedding Coverage)
- Quinceañeras – $1,000 (Album, Online Gallery, Large Prints from One-Hour Session, Full Event Coverage)
- Newborn – $200 (Prints, Online Gallery)
- Portraits (In-Studio) – $200 (Prints, Online Gallery)
- Portraits (Outdoors) – $250 (Prints, Online Gallery)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chaconphotography.pic-time.com/portfolio
- Phone: 7135693529
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chacon.js/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chacon.photographie/
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
