Interview with Vicki Knights from Vicki Knights Photography

1. Will you start by telling us where you work and live and the type of photography you do?

I am based in Surbiton, Surrey and cover the whole of Surrey and SW London. I specialise in lifestyle photography of babies, children and families using natural light.

2. What inspires you as a photographer?

The children I photograph constantly inspire me and I love capturing what it is that makes them special. Whether it’s that shy smile, the hilarious laugh, or even the odd sulk!

I am also inspired by everything in life;  nature, the changing seasons, fashion, interiors, magazines and other photographers.

3. How long have been a photographer?

I picked up my first digital SLR less than 4 years ago and set up my business just over 2 years ago when my first son was around 6 months old.

4. When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?

Annoying my boys by smothering them with kisses and cuddles! I love the outdoors and walking in the countryside with my family is one of my favourite things to do. I also love a few glasses of wine and a gossip with the girls!

5. Any books that inspired you {or helped you} in your business?

I love Tamara Lackey’s ‘The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography’. It offers great advice on running a business and getting the best out of kids during the shoot.

I recently bought Alicia Caine’s Easy as Pie pricing guide, which has changed the way I think about pricing and made it so much clearer for me.

6. Best marketing idea? 

I believe the best marketing is word of mouth and I get most of my new business in this way. If your images are great and you offer fantastic customer service, then your customers will want to spread the word. People love to talk about a good experience they’ve had!

My blog is also one of my best marketing tools and I get a lot of business from it. It’s a big thing to invite a photographer into your home and lives for an hour or two, and I think a blog is a fantastic way for potential customers to learn more about you.

7. Worst marketing idea?

Many photographers run competitions to give away free photo sessions and prints. I did this once when I was first starting out and got a lot of entries but I didn’t actually get any new business out of it (and still had to do the free session!) I think by running competitions you can attract people who love a freebie and don’t necessarily value lifestyle photography. It’s very nice to have hundreds of fans on your Facebook page, but not much good if they aren’t your right target audience!

I would much rather incentivise customers to come back to me for future sessions, and I do this by offering a complimentary 10x8” gift print with any future sessions.

8. Do you have a studio and if not do you feel having a studio would help your business grow?

No I don’t have a studio. I LOVE working on location and believe that we have so many beautiful places to photograph in this country, in seems such a waste to have a family portrait in front of a white background! I also love working with the change of seasons and the new opportunities (and challenges!) that each season brings. I have nothing against studio photography, and some of it is lovely, it’s just not my style. I also think babies are always happiest in their own homes.

All that being said, when I have to reschedule yet another shoot due to the miserable British weather I do find myself dreaming of a huge natural light studio like Chicago’s Audrey Woulard!

9. What do you think makes a photographer successful?

Branding, marketing and customer service are key. Many of the photographers I admire the most aren’t necessarily the best photographers or the most skilled. But they do have powerful brands.

I also think people skills are as important, if not more important, than your skills with the camera. It’s all about making people feel relaxed and natural in front of the camera. That is what results in an unforgettable portrait, not what shutter speed you were using!

10. What’s your weakness in this business?

I spend way too long pouring over photography blogs and websites. Sometimes that 2 hour editing session I’d planned in, ends up being 90 minutes of oohing and aahing over fantastic websites, and 30 minutes of editing! (sshh, don’t tell my husband!)

11. Are you a Nikon or Canon?

Canon. Although with hindsight maybe I should have started with Nikon as I hear so many good things about them.

12. and Lens?

Canon 50 1.4mm is my favourite lens and the one that is on my cameras the most. I also use the Canon 24-70 L 2.8 lens for most of my location shoots. I shoot with 2 cameras on most location shoots, as I don’t want to miss amazing shots when I’m changing my lens!

13. If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?

It probably sounds cheesy but I really wouldn’t want to do anything else. I worked in advertising for 10 years and used to dream about owning my own creative business, and now I do it. I’m just full of new ideas for the business and how I can grow it, I just need an extra day in the week to implement them all!

14. Can you give the readers your best piece of advice for starting or running a photography business.

Don’t start offering your services too cheaply like I did! Make it clear that you are portfolio building and your prices are low for a very limited time only. Then you can start charging what you should be much more quickly. It’s so easy not to take into consideration all of the costs that go into running your business and therefore price yourself way too low. Even though you love what you’re doing, you’re running a business at the end of the day, and need to ensure that you are making a profit.

15. Tell us your proudest moment of your career?

There have been many amazing moments and I feel a huge sense of pride every single time I get a client email me or ring me saying they are delighted with the photos. But I think my proudest moment was when I entered my first ever photo competition and won a gold award with the SWPP which got me into the final for the Baby Photographer of the Year 2009. And it made it even better that it was this photo of my first boy as a baby!

Here is where you can find Vicki Knights:

Website: http://www.vickiknights.co.uk/
Blog: http://www.vickiknightsblog.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vickiknightsphotography
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VickiKPhoto