Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Esposito.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi everyone, my name is Travis Lee Esposito, I’m 37 years old and I’m the owner and lead photographer of Travis Lee Photography. I’m married to my beautiful wife Jennifer and we have four amazing daughters. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but moved to Ohio when I was very young. I’ve spent the majority of my life in and around the Mentor area. I’ve always been creative, but I never knew how my passion for the arts, particularly photography, would change my life.
At 15 years old I got my first job and have been working at various places my whole life. I knew deep down that I had so much more to offer than just working a typical 9-5, but I just didn’t know how to break free of the daily grind and build something for myself. One night after I had gotten off work, I had a light bulb moment. At the time I was installing tires and batteries in cars full-time and abusing my body for very little pay.
I thought to myself “That’s it… What do I love to do?” I had been taking pictures with my phone for nearly a decade and using little editing tools to create amazing photos for fun… and I thought maybe, just maybe, I can turn this hobby of mine into something more. At the time I was engaged.. to my now wife, and she gave me my first real DSLR camera. I had never used a real camera and I quickly realized it was much more than just pointing and hitting the shutter button.
There were so many options and settings, and it felt very foreign to me. I started this journey in November of 2020 by just going out and shooting landscape pictures because I needed to get comfortable using my camera and had to show people that this was serious for me. I ended up selling quite a few landscape prints to friends and family which was amazing to me, and I knew I was on to something. I knew I was going to be great at this. I then dedicated every spare waking moment to learning the art of photography.
I spent countless hours on YouTube, watching video tutorials and learning the editing process. I would go out on any kind of day. rain, shine, and snow to try to learn more and capture great shots. I booked my first paid shoot in December 2020, with a Mother and her two-year-old son. I took their holiday photos outside near local Christmas lights. I do not recommend that being anyone’s first paid shoot, haha. It was 30 degrees, and she and her son were freezing, I knew very little at this time, but luckily I got some amazing shots and she was very pleased with the outcome.
After that, I went on to start a business page on Facebook and a legitimate website for future clients to visit. Things started snowballing for me after that. I started booking more and more frequently, and before I knew it, I had a pretty steady little business. I left my full-time job and began working part-time in another position M-F, and doing photography on the weekends. I did that for nearly a year and a half before jumping into my photography business full-time.
This November of 2022 will be two years since I began this journey and I have now done over 300 sessions, 30+ weddings, and promo shoots for local and national bands including one album cover and classic car shows, to name a few. I was given a media pass to shoot for a large concert venue in our area called Mentor Rocks, and have had many of the national touring acts reach out to use MY photos for their promotions.
This journey has been amazing and I am truly blessed to be living my dream and being a successful business owner. My wife has been such a huge help in the success of this business as well. I ended up training her on a professional camera, she now is my second photographer on my larger weddings so now it’s a family business! We are booking up for 2023 already, with no signs of slowing down. We have so many amazing, creative ideas for next year and can’t wait to share them with everyone.
We plan to expand our team and open a studio in the next few years. My advice to anyone is Just Go For It!!! You will succeed if you’re truly passionate about something and give it your all! It’s scary yes, but success lies on the other side of fear… and that’s why you have to just leap. The reward is worth it. “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life” – Mark Twain
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, nothing about my life has been smooth… haha. I think that’s what it takes though. You learn nothing without hardship and failure. Some of the struggles as far as getting this business up and running were that my wife had just had a brand new baby girl together. I’m also a step-father of three other amazing girls all nearly approaching their teenage years. pray for me, lol. My Wife around the same time also went back to school to become an OTA which demanded a lot of her time over the last 6 months.
We were also planning a wedding so we had our hands full, but we somehow managed to make it all work. I firmly believe you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Having my wife as my partner in life has made all the difference and I urge you to choose wisely when picking a partner. A bad partner will hold you back and hinder your dreams… a good partner will fuel your fire and make all your dreams a reality.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a professional photographer and I specialize in Wedding, Concert, Family, and Event Photography. Most photographers have a specific area in which they shoot whether it be just weddings or newborn photography. I’m unique in that I shoot a very wide variety of things. I may do couples shoot in the morning, a boudoir shoot in the evening, and a concert that same night. I like the creativity in all of it, the variety keeps things interesting and at the same time, I’m forced to keep learning.
I’m most proud of leaping full-time photography. It was scary… having a family to provide for and the fear of the unknown. It was also the greatest decision ever made because now I’m my boss, I make my schedule and that has allowed me to spend much more time with my family. You don’t get back time… so every extra minute I have with them now is a real blessing and I’m so grateful.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
You have to LOVE it and work HARD! My passion and work ethic have propelled me leaps and bounds over others who have been doing this for years more than I have. Post content regularly. Keep yourself fresh in people’s minds. I felt that if I didn’t post something new almost every day I would be forgotten or that people wouldn’t take me seriously.
I don’t have to do that as much now but in the beginning, I was posting a new picture I had done every day. If I didn’t have any new shoots, I would create one just to have new content. Learn from others… I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of local photographers in my area and we shoot a lot together. We’re in a photography group chat where we talk shop… ask questions and get great advice and constructive criticism.
Never stop LEARNING… If I can’t sleep I’ll usually turn to YouTube and watch any new videos I can find on photography. Sometimes I’m up till 4 am learning about a new lighting technique or the latest lenses. Another tip would be to shoot for free for the first few months and then when you think your work is good enough to charge, start small, but never shoot for free again. It’ll be hard because you want to help out friends and family, but if you want to be taken seriously you have to set boundaries and stick to them.
Treat your business like a business. As you get better and build up a portfolio start increasing your prices gradually. Every 6 months I went up a little. I started charging $60 for a full hour and now I charge $275 after 2 years. Get yourself familiar with the business side of things. Creating content and a website, how an LLC works and if it’s right for you, how to streamline inquiries, and keeping track of expenses. All great things to know before jumping in.
Pricing:
- Half Hour: $175
- Full Hour: $275
- Weddings: $800-$2300
Contact Info:
- Website: travisleephotography.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: @travis_lee_photography
- Facebook: @travisleephotography85
