Alex Cohen – Building a Photography Business Brand & Being Kind to Yourself during a Pandemic| FloInsider Ep #2

Welcome to the second episode of FloInsider, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs who want a fresh perspective on business, communication, art, design, branding, and life as we know it. 

In this episode, our lovely host, Brandi Potter, is chatting with Alex Cohen – a successful destination wedding photographer from Perth, Australia. At the age of 20, Alex decided to leave her Parisian life behind and move across the globe, to a new country. She didn’t speak the language, had no friends or connections in Australia, and had a budget that would last her for only a month or two. Yet she managed to build a profitable business, has traveled to the most breathtaking destinations, and is living her dream life. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? Definitely!

If you’re just getting started with your photography business. If you’ve been struggling during the pandemic and want to hear how others are going through it. Or if you simply want to discover inspiring new people within the creative industry – give this episode a listen!

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Here are a few cliff notes from our chat with Alex Cohen:

• If you’re just getting started in the photography business, take care of the financial and tax aspects first thing. A lot of people get too caught up in the creative process when they’re kicking off their business, completely forgetting about the financial part that comes back later to bite them. 

• The wedding photography industry is oversaturated. The only way for people to notice you, is to be unapologetically yourself, rather than follow trends and try to mimic someone else’s success.  

• When you spend too much time comparing yourself to other photographers, you stop yourself from developing and flourishing. Trust the process and be confident in what you have, because what you have is very different from what others have.

• When people book you for their wedding, they don’t do it just because you take pretty photos. They do it because they like your personality and they want you to bring this personality to their special day. They don’t see it as a transaction but as an experience.  

• Make as many friends in the industry as you can. Having a strong network of photographers you can connect with is crucial, especially at the beginning of your career. Create real friendships without expecting anything from them. 

• Curiosity is a good thing. Stay curious, but also stay open and share the knowledge you’ve already gathered. Never keep it only to yourself. 

• A tip during a pandemic: It’s ok to be unproductive and do nothing on some days. The whole world is on pause. There is no FOMO. Your competitors aren’t traveling and shooting. We’re all in the same boat, so don’t worry if you spend your whole day in bed eating Nutella. There’s nothing guilty about that.

This episode turned out very inspirational and rich in simple truths that are nice to be reminded about from time to time. Definitely listen to it if you need a boost of motivation or a pep-talk right now. If you want to connect with Alex Cohen and check out her work, head over to her website here: alexandracohenphotography.com

Our lovely host was Brandi Potter. You can connect with her here: brandipotterphoto.com

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