Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Williams.
Hi Molly, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve had an interest in photography since I was four years old when my Grandma Katie gifted me a colorful toy camera. I took it with me on every “adventure” I went on and used it to the point of needing to use scotch tape to keep the batteries from falling out the bottom! Fast-forward to my freshman year of high school when my love for photography led me to think about how I could actually make money doing something I love. My parents would drive me to photo sessions prior to obtaining my driver’s license and supported me every step of the way.
They saw something in me long before I did, always acknowledging my work ethic and drive to learn something new even if I had no clue what I was doing. I continued running my photography business on and off throughout high school and officially launched Molly Suzanne Photography when I started attending college at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The college degrees I’m pursuing actually have nothing to do with photography or business, so I guess you could say I have learned everything through SOHK, the School of Hard Knocks. I hope to continue this business part-time throughout school and be able to take it with me wherever I go!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If there is one thing I have learned about entrepreneurship it’s that there’s no smooth road to success. Starting a business in a brand new city, where I didn’t know a soul, was not an ideal way to go about things. Portrait and lifestyle photography requires building connections with local couples and families. To overcome this obstacle, I started by sharing my business goals with the friends I was making at school and began to network at campus events.
I sought out local businesses with missions that focused on building community and contacted them explaining that I’m an up-and-coming photographer that can help you grow, and here’s how. From there I began booking sessions more consistently from past clients recommending me to their friends and co-workers.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in portrait and lifestyle photography. This includes senior photo sessions, couples/family shoots, weddings, and branding for local businesses. Each and every day, I try my hardest to live my life based on the poem “The Dash” by Linda Ellis and that is also how I strive to operate my business (I even got a dash tattooed on my wrist).
What sets me apart from other photographers is how I encourage my clients to come as they are, with the goal of capturing people in their happy places with the ones they hold dear. Not in a fancy outfit they will never wear again in a staged location with fake trees and tinsel. I admire photographers who are able to set up the most beautiful session locations and create flawless images, but that’s just not who I am. I’m here for the real stuff.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk-taking is a required element of entrepreneurship, but it should be calculated. When my need for more professional systems and equipment grew, I thought about the timing of when I needed them. I was more willing to take the financial risk of investing in a nice website rather than the latest camera equipment.
A website is something that I could showcase all my work on whereas a flashy lens would not benefit me as immediately as clientele. I would not say that I’m a huge risk-taker, but I pride myself on my bravery.
My decisions are backed up by the confidence that I will succeed, rather than the fear that I won’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.msuzannephoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msuzannephoto/
Image Credits
Molly Suzanne Photography and Cece Boyle
