Geeta Randery is one of our incredible SLR Lounge Educational Ambassadors, offering her professional wedding photography experience and lighting tips to our Master OCF & Lighting Facebook Group. Aside from being on our all-star Ambassador team, Geeta represents companies such as Fundy Designer and Trillo & Son Leather Co. You can follow more of her work on her Instagram and Website.
Before you jump in, here’s a video of Geeta introducing herself! Read more about her in our artist interview below!
Your clients hire you for your specific vision. How would you define that vision or approach to your photography?
One — I aspire to make the viewer smile, laugh, feel, cry, or gasp. Then only have I created & captured something meaningful, soulful, and joyful enough to be proud of. Two (and more importantly) — I aspire to vibe with my clients/couples. What I mean by that is, early-on, I work on digging deep to understand them as a couple, as individuals, along with what they value. Enough to assimilate comfortably together, resonate with each other, and be able to be vulnerable in a judgment-free relationship. Being a classic introvert, I have to get out of my comfort zone and allow my clients to LIKE me as a human being and TRUST me to take care of them. Once I’ve accomplished that, they can fully release and let go of their anxiety, stress, nerves, etc., so as to be vulnerable and authentic with me and in front of my camera. Let’s keep it real… if they don’t KNOW me, they can’t trust me, and if they don’t trust me, they can’t be completely one & present with me (and each other), and ONLY when they’re able to show me their authenticity, can I create and capture the WOW!
Why Does Photography Education Matter To You?
“It’s the foundation of living my most purposeful life! Ordinary people love entertainment — extraordinary people adore education! While entertainment is great & all, it doesn’t bring me success. Success only comes to relentless learners, because as you know more, you can achieve more. Seriously, investing in yourself is the best investment you’ll ever make. It not only improves your life, but it also improves the lives of all those around you. So, I’m extremely honored and humbled to be here within this beautiful community and sea of knowledge as an Educational Ambassador for the SLR Lounge Master Lighting + Off-Camera Flash Facebook Group. A huge thank you to SLR Lounge for providing the best and most positive community for us to learn and share within.”
At the beginning of your career, what is the single biggest thing you did to help you get your business off the ground?
“I don’t know if it was any ONE thing I did, to be honest. But if I HAD to pick one, I would simply say – be a compassionate & empathetic human being. That’s all – plain & simple! It’s very important to believe in yourself and in your journey enough to keep showing up, putting yourself in uncomfortable situations to learn, grow, and evolve. Don’t take rejection personally, rather use it as fuel to prove otherwise. I’d recommend taking every step, whether it’s an email, text, introduction, social media post, showcasing your images — whatever it is, do it with LOVE as your intention, and in the highest regard as an instrument of service to others.”
“Constantly ask yourself, ‘How can this help someone?’, the reader, the viewer, the vendor, the client, etc. If you can approach every task with that simple foundation in mind, you’ll attract so many people your way, you’ll have trouble finding available weekends. Seriously, you can be the world’s most average photographer, but if you have a warm heart with a drive of compassion, you’ll be more successful than you can imagine! Then, just hustle, network, meet new people, introduce yourself (even if you’re an introvert), second shoot for others, learn the craft, and practice, practice, practice! Lastly, always focus on proactively delivering MORE value, or going above and beyond set expectations. I.e., if you’re hired for 8 hours, show up an hour early and throw in an extra wow-shot or night-shot at the end of the night. If they order an album, throw in a photo-mug, a calendar, or extra prints! It requires minimal effort, but gets hugely noticed and makes you extremely memorable.”
What are you currently reading (photography or non-photography)?
“I’m reading The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani (Founder of MindValley). What if everything we thought we knew about how the world works — our ideas of love, education, spirituality, work, happiness, and love, were based on ‘Brules’ (bullsh*t rules) that got passed from generation to generation and were LONG past their expiration date?! Oh Yass! Intrigued, are you?! Well, the book is a super easy-read about personal growth, mindfulness, well-being, productivity, and a bunch more. It basically teaches you to think like a non-conformist, to question, challenge, hack, and create new rules that fit YOUR life so you can define success on your own terms. Highly recommend it!”
Join the Master the OCF and Lighting Facebook Group to get to know and learn from Geeta and our 12 other incredible Lighting Educational Ambassadors! The group is guided by our best-selling Flash Photography Training System designed to help you master off-camera flash photography!
All images used with the artist’s permission.
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