Connect
To Top

Meet Mark Chaudhary of Jackrabbit Photo in Long Beach

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Chaudhary.

Mark, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved from Minnesota to Long Beach in 2012. I had gotten started with photography in Minnesota back in 2010 but hadn’t really made the decision to pursue it as a full-time business. Once I got to California, I had some free time so I spent it exploring the region. I also got serious about my photography as a business. It felt nice being able to incorporate looking for beauty into a way of making a living. People started responding and enjoying the experience of shooting with me and business grew from there. As a solo freelancer, I’ve done weddings, headshots and lots and lots of family related work. Everything from engagements to maternities, even new borns and events such as private birthday parties and corporate events too.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Perhaps the biggest struggle is getting to a point where one is comfortable with one’s technical skills in front of a client. I’m a bit of a loner so I don’t go hang out with other photographers. Instead, I spend my time learning and playing around with cameras and stuff. And when you lack that supportive professional network to bounce ideas off of there’s a lot of uncertainty about whether you’re good enough. That’s always a struggle but staying with it has naturally led me to a point where I’m very comfortable with my skills. This then becomes a self-reinforcing cycle as clients instinctively sense that and it reassures them too. My professional background before discovering photography is that of a software engineer. Fortunately, that means I don’t struggle with the technical side of things much at all. Perhaps another struggle is deciding where to stop though. Photography has naturally led me into film and I now organize and run a small group of filmmakers in Long Beach. There’s so much to explore in this world I feel I can’t ever just stop and say ok…. I do…. Newborns, or weddings, or headshots, or whatever, and that’s it. That feels stifling to me but sometimes I wish I could. Constantly exploring new ground professionally means I’m constantly nervous about whether I am devoting enough energy and time to learning a specific skillset. I guess maybe that also means I don’t get complacent. Maybe that’s a good thing?

Jackrabbit Photo – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I enjoy everything about photography. The technical side, the gear, the artistic side of it. Freezing looks and emotion to be enjoyed over and over. That sort of attitude defines me in a way. People who work with me enjoy the experience. They like the photographs. I like the photographs. We all like the photographs and everyone has a good time. Of course, that’s with family photography. Jobs like product photography are different in that they’re more technical. With weddings I show them how beautiful they are and how wonderful it is to have their family all there. There’s something about looking at a photograph that allows you to experience a scene and even your own family members very differently from say looking over a garden full of people. That ability to look slower, to linger and savor. That’s what makes photography so special. There’s that moment of “ooh! That’s what I’m looking for!” or “that’s what reaches me”. If you can give that to your clients over and over they love you for it.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is defined by being able to guide one’s life and allot one’s energy and time where one wants to. I need my business to support me and not the other way around. If I were to grow my business to the point where I spent 80% of my time thinking about or had to keep juggling it non-stop I might feel like it was more of a trap than success. When I’m out with my family clients for example I am very much in the present moment and enjoying the outdoors and the beauty and not worrying about the next appointment or whether I have enough appointments booked this week. Appreciating the moment allows me to look for beauty and find it every time. Being able to pay the bills, put something aside, replace gear when I need to and be comfortable. To me that’s success. Having clients feel like their time and money was well spent. That’s success. Leaving a little bit of beauty in each client’s home to mark a moment in their lives at that point in time. That sort of stuff makes me very happy.

Pricing:

  • An average client session for families runs about $300 and comes with prints and a disk of images.
  • I charge $175/hr for events. Weddings, corporate, birthdays, etc. Comes with everything I shoot plus prints. 2hr minimum.
  • I offer a $35 voucher on Groupon which is a great way for 1st time clients to get their feet wet and decide if they love what I offer.
  • Rates for videography are generally $1000/day or $500/half day and include the final edit as well.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in