Meet Tom Vartanian of Los Angeles County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Vartanian.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I always had a fascination with photography at a young age. After the birth of my first son in 2009, I took portrait-style photos of him the first 6 months (probably around 2,500 photos). My friends and family encouraged me to do it professionally. I started my business on a part-time basis in 2010, primarily on weekends. I was working a corporate job doing finance. Finally, in 2015, I decided to leave the corporate world to focus on my photography business full time. I now do family portraits, maternity, and corporate photography among other things….but about 90% of my business is primarily as a wedding photographer. I love building relationships with my clients. I have several couples which I have photographed their wedding, followed by their maternity photos, and family photos for several years. Like I said, I love building long-lasting relationships with my clients!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has pretty much been a smooth road to get to where I am now. The only struggle/bump in the road was in 2020 when Covid hit. We were on lockdown here in SoCal and most venues and churches were closed and were not hosting weddings. For over a year, my business was flat. Luckily, I was able to overcome the Covid times and my business continues to this day.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I look at photography as an art. You have to have the eye for it. You can study it, practice it and take a thousand photos. But if you don’t have the artistic eye, it won’t really work. When photographing a subject, I look to capture that specific memory, to freeze it, for the client to last a lifetime. Whether it’s a wedding ceremony and the parent of the bride is crying, or a fun family moment with their child, capturing that specific moment is what it’s all about. That’s what pushes me…creating lasting memories for my clients!

What does success mean to you?
Success can have different meanings to different people. Success to me is the long lasting relationships I build with my clients. I have clients who have been with me since 2010. That’s 15 years of memories I have captured for them. Seeing my clients be happy, cherishing the photos I capture for them, that is what success looks like for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tovicand.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tovicand_photography/