Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick.
Hi Rick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It’s funny how this began. To give you some background. I am a very frugle person. I tend to DIY tasks myself instead of throwing money at something. My wife wanted photos of our first child. She had shopped around and found a photographer she liked. When she told me the price my response was “heck no, I’ll do them myself”. So I bought all of the equipment needed and started teaching myself photography. I practiced on my kids and friends. This turned into taking small bookings. I was drawn to the creative outlet that it afforded me. I went from taking pictures of kids to adults. For years I was one of the most renowned fashion/boudoir photographers in Ohio. I had a large following but it still didn’t fulfill me. It was the same thing over and over. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted variety. I decided to leave that brand behind and started “Samos photography”. This was going to be my wedding brand. I grew extremely quickly. I was able to charge much less than other photographers because I had a full time job in addition(which I still have – I am a software engineer). The first year I did 15 weddings. The second year I did 33, 3rd – 45. After the third year I convinced my wife to do the videography for my weddings. I set up her equipment and showed her the ropes. We grew very quickly. We had 55 weddings the next year, then 63. Then 72! At this point I realized our brand didn’t match our services. We decided to change our name to Feelstory. We felt this was a name that encompassed both photo and video.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge for me over the years has been appealing to a broad audience. When a couple doesn’t book me, I look at the photographer they booked, and I am influenced by their shooting style. And so this changes my style slightly to move more towards their style. Then another couple might not book me, and their photographer might be completely different. There is this push and pull with trying to appeal to every couple. I know this isn’t possible, but it’s always been top of mind and one of my most challenging goals. The other challenge I have is developing close connections with my couples and the community. For me this is a creative outlet, not a way to be social. I love taking pictures and the social aspect is required to facilitate that. It’s always been a challenge putting more effort into the social aspect of photography vs actually taking pictures.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in finding the beauty in anything. Capturing moments in vivid detail. I am known for the way I use lighting and posing ability. And Liz is known for her storytelling ability. We specialize in weddings, engagements, and portraits.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was an introvert. I had almost no friends. I would play video games by myself most of the time. I was a very strange kid. My only hobbies were computers and video games. I had zero creative ability or hobbies. No one in my family has any creative ability either. I’m not sure where this came from. We are mostly analytical minds.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.feelstorycreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feelstorycreative
