There’s something pretty special about speaking with someone who has so much passion they’re about to burst. We are very lucky here at the NEA that we often come across such people, some are just starting out and some are well into their entrepreneurial journey but one thing is for sure their passion is infectious!
We are starting a series of interviews for our blog to try to capture some of that infectious passion, and we are starting it all off with 19-year-old Courtney Louise Howson, owner of Courtney Louise Photography.
Hi Courtney, First off can we have a little bit more background on you?
I live in the East midlands, in Lincolnshire and I run my own business, Courtney Louise Photography which I started last year. I have had a huge interest in photography from my early teens where I was introduced to photography by my father who leant me his basic digital SLR camera. I was in love with photography from then on, and since have strived to have a career in doing something that I thoroughly enjoy.
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Creative, hard-working and ambitious.
What are you doing at the moment?
It’s wedding season at the moment, so I am very busy particularly on Saturdays photographing them. During the week, I edit all of the photographs from the big day (a minimum of 400) and once that’s done, I get the CD of images sent off to the newly weds! I will then design the layout of their album which the clients then receive within a couple of weeks. I offer a quick turnaround of 1- 2 weeks, which is one of my USP’s.
In your own words your passions are ‘photography, colour and all things creative’ what else motivates you?
I am constantly motivated by hearing positive comments about my work and nothing is more rewarding than a happy client!
You mentioned you started a business sometime ago, can you tell us more about that?
I started my business straight after my A-levels, last year in 2009, aged 17. I knew for the entirety of year 13 that I wanted to start my own photography business. It was a choice of a business or studying photography at university. I applied to several universities and got offered Unconditional placements which I was very pleased with.
Once I had chosen my first choice placement, I deferred my entry to start in September 2010 as I wanted to give myself a trial year to see how things went if I were to do freelance photography. I began offering services in portraiture and since then, it has developed into weddings, fashion, commercial and film-stills photography. I have realised that experience is key for a career within photography. My deferred entry has now been cancelled and I shall be continuing to develop my photography business.
What made you decide to start your own business?
I was very lucky to have fantastic publications of my work from an early age. My first publication was in the UK’s best-selling photography magazine, Practical Photography, aged 16. Seeing my work in print really gave me the drive to realise I could make a good living from doing something that I love.
What would you say is the most important thing you can do to promote a business such as yours?
Networking! I meet lots of people in different circumstances, from networking events, to train journeys. I carry my business cards everywhere and I use MOO (www.moo.com) which print individual designs onto each card. These are perfect for my photography, as they are like a miniature-portfolio. With one image per card, I can show potential clients my work and they have my details printed on the back.
I recently attended a local invitation only business networking event. It involved an early start at 6.45am, and we had to give a one minute introduction to ourselves and our businesses. There were around 50 people there and I received 6 leads at that session, from people looking for a photographer. It may have been an early start in the morning, but it was very well worth it!
I get a lot of leads through word-of-mouth, the best advert any business can have is happy clients who can spread their experience with friends and family.
How important is the internet in promoting your company?
Extremely important! I spent hours uploading my photography onto various sites such as Flickr and Deviant art, which gave me a strong fan base. This encouraged me to develop my work. I also took the time to research photography businesses and see how the successful studios and freelancers worked, learning particularly from online forums.
I strongly believe that networking is a huge factor to any business - with sites such as Facebook and Twitter, we can publicise businesses to a very wide audience. Through Twitter alone, I have managed to land myself with £400 worth of free advertising, simply by meeting advertisers online who were keen on my work and they kindly offered me their services for free!
I have my own website which receives a lot of interest from potential clients. I used Moonfruit to create my website, a fantastic and very easy website-builder. Its affordable and I would highly recommend it to those looking to build their own websites. (www.moonfruit.com)
Why do you think the NEA is great?
Unfortunately not many schools are giving enough information for young adults to set up their own business. The NEA is unique in providing budding-entrepreneurs this ‘Can-do’ attitude which is much-needed!
Do you have any plans to start another business?
I am always thinking of ideas for new ventures! For now, my main priority is working on my photography business. I have got plans for expanding my business within 2011 which will include new services.
Visit Courtney Louise Photography www.courtneylouisephotography.co.uk
Courtney’s impressive publications list includes:
Film4 2010 calendar
London Fashion Week
Stills photographer (Almost Midnight Productions
Novel Front cover, ‘In too Deep’ by Jayne Anne Krentz
Novel front cover, ‘Deceptions’ by Rebecca Frayn
Novel Front cover, ‘La hora Secret’ by Scott Westerfeld
Novel Front cover, ‘Gevaarlike Dans’ by Margie Orford
Novel Front cover, ‘My soul to save’ by Rachel Vincent
Practical Photography magazine articles x 2 (Young, upcoming photographer)
Digital SLR Camera Magazine
Hopelessly Romantic (USA)
Snap! Magazine
What Digital Camera magazine
wow.. Nice Article.