Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherry Thomas.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started photography in a darkroom in high school. I always loved it but never thought seriously about making it a career. In college, I was neighbors to Brooks Institute of Photography students and loved assisting in any way I could. But that’s all it was, enjoying a hobby I’d had for years. Fast forward quite a few years and I attended a childhood friend’s wedding. I knew I wasn’t going to know any other guests so I brought my little point-and-shoot camera loaded with black and white film and kept myself busy during the wedding by taking candids throughout the night. Being poor at the time I gave, those prints to my friend as a gift. She cried and said they were so much better than the professional photographer they had hired for their wedding. At that moment, I decided I would stop putting off going to school for photography. All the Brooks alumni I spoke to said not to spend the money at such an expensive school. I looked around and turns out that Santa Monica City College’s photography department was ranked in the Top 10 in North America. And affordable!! I spent three years there absorbing what I could and then just hustled for work.
My story is unsexy. I kept my day job so I could let my business grow organically. My one worry was that I never wanted to say yes to a client that I didn’t like because I needed the money. All my mentors had at least one horror story wishing they had just said no. I took my time and made sure I had my business structure in place to handle growth such as having a CRM, business plan, liability insurance, etc. And because I had a CRM I was able to track my projected income. Suddenly, after a few years I realized that I could make photography my full-time gig. It’s been exciting devoting an additional 40 hours a week to my art and business.
I’ve built my business on wedding photography yet I’m excited to finally branch out and I’m currently rebranding to include other portraiture that I love.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Art school is freaking expensive. I was so fortunate to discover Santa Monica City College and that they offered an amazing and affordable program.
I was poor and in a lot of debt so I couldn’t just go out and start a business. I had to spend years with a day job to support my life, pay tuition, and pay off debt. I slowly built my business over years versus some friends were able to just dive right into it. I had to strategically enter a field (weddings) that I could do on the weekends when I wasn’t at my regular day job. This has limited my options over the years but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Please tell us about ByCherry Photography.
ByCherry Photography specializes in wedding photography with a strong love of elopements. My style is photojournalistic and I love to focus on the moments and the absolute joy that happens on the wedding day. I have a reputation for putting my clients at ease-especially the ones who hate to have their photo taken.
I’m proud of the fact that I’ve grown my business to the point I need to hire associate photographers and can funnel my recommendations to other vendors of my choosing. And I’m most proud of the reputation I’ve grown in the past 10 years amongst my clients and my industry colleagues.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Absolutely nothing. Every step has been a learning experience and I’ve met amazing friends and artists along the way.
Pricing:
- Wedding full-day coverage starts at $3000
- Elopements start at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bycherryphotography.com
- Phone: 3233772320
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @bycherryphotography.com
- Facebook: bycherryphoto
