Inside the Photography Business: Sharon Chapman
PhotoMerchant: Tell me about yourself and your photography business.
Sharon Chapman: I’ve been photographing weddings for about 10 years, and have recently given up my full time job as a law clerk to focus on my business, Whole Package Photographics.
I also do horse racing photography, working for a trainer at Caulfield Race Course. I had a friend who owned a horse at Caulfield, and he suggested I come down to take some photos of trackwork in the morning, for something different for my portfolio. The trainer wanted a photographer to take photos to keep the owners updated on the horses’ progress and hired me as the stable photographer.
In 2011, I won the Quill Award for News Photograph of the Year, which has been great for giving my racing work exposure and credibility.
My business is split evenly between weddings and horse racing. I’m happy with the way things are balanced. The horse photography tends to be during the week, so I can do weddings on the weekends.
PM: Can you tell me about winning the Quill Award?
SC: I went to Warnambool last year and lucked into a media pass. A horse jumped a barrier and into the crowd, and even though there were seven photographers lined up next to each other, I was the only one who managed to get the shot.
Because I continued to shoot the aftermath, I didn’t immediately go through my photos to see what I had. It all happened really quickly. When I saw that I had the photo, my initial reaction was to think that everyone else would have it, but I spoke to a few photographers and they said nobody else had got the shot.
Then the media frenzy started. There was a bidding war between newspapers to run the photo on the front page. As part of negotiations, I made sure I retained rights to the photo. The Herald Sun ran the photo as did The Australian, New York Times, and Washington Post.
PM: How did it help your business?
SC: I got good exposure. The next day I had seven radio interviews, and I was interviewed on Channel Seven news. I think people liked the underdog story. I was a wedding photographer with no press experience who sat with the pros and got the shot that nobody else did.
The photo and attention gave me a lot of credibility. I could easily approach race clubs and sales companies and it no longer mattered I didn’t have 20 years’ experience in the horse racing industry.
PM: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about running a business?
SC: Organisation and managing the client’s expectations are very important, particularly when it comes to timing on the wedding day. I always do a pre-planning session with the client to manage expectations. It’s crucial to organising the wedding day.
PM: Why do you think your customers like working with you?
SC: I have a unique work ethic and will work extra time outside of what’s booked if necessary to get the best shots.
I also make sure that the couple has a lot of fun during the day. I try to keep it as candid as possible while still giving some direction. I get so many clients during the speeches thanking me for making their wedding such a fun day. That’s one of the elements I repeatedly get praised for.
I also try to turn around photos quickly and make sure I communicate with them through the whole process.
PM: What about your horse racing clients?
SC: The passion I have for horses comes through in my work. I’m happy to get up at four in the morning to go to track work and make sure they’re getting the photos straight away for the owners.
I also have a different viewpoint. My competitors have done horse racing photography their whole career, and might give some standard shots. I have a different style and look at it through fresh eyes.
PM: Is there anything you’ve changed about your business?
SC: Pricing. In the beginning I didn’t value my work enough, so I priced it quite low. I’ve realised as I’ve become better and more experienced that I should keep my prices in line with my experience.
PM: How do you manage your workflows?
SC: I used to have a full time job and do photography part time. I found it really difficult to do both. Last year I did 32 weddings, had a full time job, and spent four months away in America. It was crazy.
I’m constantly looking at new workflow systems that other photographers are using. I now use Lightroom rather than Photoshop which is very good for processing high volumes of photos. PhotoMerchant has also helped a huge amount because I’ve got a great gallery system that I can show clients for work.
PM: What do you do to stay competitive with other photographers in your market?
SC: I’ve created a niche with wedding photography by giving a disc to clients. As an extra service, I also allow client friends and families to access my PhotoMerchant galleries, so that for weddings with 300-400 guests, they can purchase prints without bothering the couple.
With horse racing, it’s quite complicated because you can’t sell individual photos because of licensing issues. I get my work from racing clubs who would hire me for the day to cover the whole event, including fashions on the field. My wedding experience helps because I’ve done a lot more people photography than the other photographers. Like I said before, with horse racing, I’m starting to get a name for myself because I try to come up with something new to keep people interested. I don’t just stand at the winning post to get the winning shot.
PM: If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?
SC: I wish I’d started photography 20 years ago. I bought my first camera 10 years ago. I was working in property law and a girl asked me to take her wedding photos. I happened to have the fanciest camera of all her friends, so I got the gig!
PM: Do you have any tips for new photographers?
SC: Always believe in yourself and don’t devalue your work because you don’t have the confidence. Those are the mistakes I’ve made in the past.
You never know what will happen. If a year ago someone had said to me I was going to take an award winning photo, I would have laughed. It’s about believing in yourself, because if you don’t believe in yourself, how are you going to get a client to believe in your work?
PM: What do you think is going to happen in photography in five year’s time?
SC: I’ve noticed I’m constantly challenged by the wannabe wedding photographer who’s done an afternoon class and think they’re a professional wedding photographer. They take a bit of the market away without being experienced.
I know that’s how I got into it, but I started out slowly, doing one wedding a year for a long time. I knew I needed to do courses and develop my portfolio before I could go full time.
PM: What do you do in your spare time?
SC: I do try to have a balance now. Since I left my job, I’ve realised that I don’t have to work every night. I can go see friends, go out to dinner and relax a bit. I like to have that balance because it gives me time to step back from my work for a while and come back with fresh eyes.
I try to mix my photo jobs with going interstate. It’s not really spare time, but I feel like it’s a bit of a holiday. I’m away from my normal computer so there’s only a limited amount of work I can do. I’m forced to relax!
[image align=”right” imageurl=”http://www.photomerchant.net/wp-content/uploads/120508_Sharon_Chapman_150.jpg”] Sharon Chapman runs Whole Package Photographics, a Melbourne-based wedding and horse racing photography business.
