Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Reese.
Hi Gretchen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Since we’d spoken last, it’s been fun to reflect on how my business has changed. I’m still based in Minneapolis, but doing this interview from Miami where I’ve been for the last month expanding my client base.
I still love thinking about the fact that I’ve always wanted my own business – something that can bend and shift depending where I’m at in my life and what I want from it. First, it started in the writing space, then website design, and now it’s commercial photography. There’s been a couple of agency and corporate detours along the way, but I always seem to find my way back to being my own boss in the end.
Because I’m in the commercial photography space, I didn’t want to feel like I would be all over the map – so I actually decided to niche down pretty early. My background for photography was in travel and lifestyle, but my official niche that I serve clients in now is beverage and hospitality. I specialize in wine & spirits, but I work with a variety of clients in all aspects of that niche – cocktail rooms, wineries, whiskey distilleries, restaurants, barrel cooperages, even coffee companies from time to time.
It’s a fun space to operate in and it’s been a bit of challenge to get going in (which I actually love), because you need to really love it if it’s not going to discourage you at first.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not – I think commercial photography takes a certain kind of grit, just like almost any creative profession. You’re going to hear “no” WAY more than you’ll hear “yes”, and it’s something you can’t take personally.
I almost kind of view freelancing/entrepreneurship like dating – it’s got to be a fit on both sides, and sometimes it just doesn’t work out. For a variety of reasons – timing, budget, familiarity, the list goes on.
The key here is to be consistent when you’re showing up in your marketing – not just on social media or email, but in your client experience, how you network, how you converse with and speak to potential clients. All of these touchpoints are an essential piece of building a client roster that keeps coming back time and time again.
I think the hardest part of starting a business is getting your foot in the door. Especially if you are new to an industry that has NO idea who you are. Sometimes this difficulty of getting going can make it easy to want to go back to a stable job or something you don’t love – but it’s something that if you really want to make it work, you HAVE to find a way to push through.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Like I said before, I’m a commercial photographer. Coming from a marketing and writing background, I’ve always loved connecting with people and being able to tell and document their stories.
This carries over into my photography work too – because while it’s a different way of telling stories, you’re giving what previously might have only been words on paper a visual to accompany it. It makes a story so much more powerful if you can SHOW people what it looks like instead of only telling them.
For example, think about the last really good memory you have. Maybe you mostly remember the words that were said, or the feeling you experienced, but I can guarantee that when you close your eyes and think about it – there’s a visual there too.
That’s what I’m trying to do here.
Because of that, and I think a lot of photographers like to consider themselves as storytellers – telling the story of the brand, product, etc…, but I think what really sets me apart is that I’m heavily influenced by life and it’s small moments. I take a lot of inspiration from elopement photoshoots, birthdays, romance, love stories – love for the land, for the grain, the grape, the space, the people – this is the story I’m looking to tell. Then adding in the product as an accent, where it feels inevitable – not forced.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’m a big reader – and recently I just listened to the audiobook version of Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. I was able to take a LOT away from that book, and I love the conversations he’s been a part of on podcasts like Modern Wisdom and Diary of a CEO.
I also really like Cues by Vanessa Van Edwards – she delves into the psychology of communication and that’s something I think is incredibly important. Not just in speaking to clients, but for creating connection through visuals when you specialize in lifestyle photography that ALWAYS has a human element in every image.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gretchenreese.com
- Instagram: @gretchen_reese
