A Time to Celebrate

The COVID pandemic was a dark time for many photographers. Interpersonal interactions were taboo, people stayed home, and businesses that relied on personal contact, like portrait photography, suffered. But while many businesses languished in the altered environment, or closed their doors entirely, Tina Haydu, M.Photog., thrived. Sure, she followed the restrictions imposed by her state and temporarily closed down her Windber, Pennsylvania, studio in Greater Johnstown. However, when things started to open up, her business blossomed. In 2021, she says, her portrait business doubled from pre-pandemic levels. Her senior portrait bookings in particular skyrocketed, increasing fourfold in the year after the world shut down.   

“During that time, I think people realized how important a photograph is,” says Haydu. True, but not every photographer saw this kind of growth. Those with strong community ties and deep-seeded referral networks came out ahead. And, as in the case of Haydu, photographers who found ways to celebrate life’s important stages have found particular success.

GIVING BACK, GETTING BACK 

All her business’s growth came with zero advertising. Instead, Haydu leaned into relationships she’d built for years in her community and through volunteer work. She credits much of the growth to the volunteering she does with a camp for teens and tweens run by the Pennsylvania State Police. She photographs for the camp and donates her time, and while the work is purely charitable, the connections she makes circle back to her as clients and referrals. Haydu says she also gives back to causes important to her clients, whether it’s a local school’s PTA or a soccer team fundraiser. “I’m a firm believer in giving back,” she says. “I give back everywhere I can with my photography. I don’t do it to get business. I do it because I believe in it. But over time the relationships I’ve built helped launch my portrait business.”

Today, about 90% of Haydu’s new clients are referrals, she says. “Very rarely do I have a client who’s never heard of me,” she adds. She starts booking sessions a year in advance and notes about a quarter of her available times are reserved within a couple of weeks of opening her appointment calendar.

BE WHO YOU ARE

Booking far in advance helps Haydu work through her multi-step creative process with plenty of advance notice, especially with senior portrait clients. Every year in May and June, she schedules two weeks for senior portrait consultations. The kids come in one at a time with their parents and spend at least an hour talking with Haydu about all of their interests and activities, and what they want to get out of the portrait session.

Sports are a huge part of many of her clients’ lives, and the student athletes want to represent that in their portraits, Haydu says. Teens often let their guard down and show who they really are when she can tie their portrait sessions to their favorite sports. “This is how they get to shine,” she explains. “Whether it’s in the pool, on the field, or on the court, this is where they’re comfortable. So they’re bringing me into their world. They can be themselves and it shows in the pictures.”

Haydu also wants to show her subjects something about themselves that they may not have noticed. Her portraits, and the entire portrait experience, are meant to be a celebration that honors the kids’ identities amidst the pressures of teenage life. “There’s a lot of pressure on these kids, whether it is academics or sports or other things in their lives, and they have a lot of weight on their shoulders,” she says, “In the brief time I have with them, I want to help them feel like they are everything. So when I’m photographing them, I’m showing them ways of seeing themselves that they never saw before.”

A FAMILY AFFAIR   

Haydu likes to involve the parents in her portrait sessions, not just as observers, but as active participants. After the pandemic, she’s noticed people placing a higher priority on family connections and what they feel matters most in their lives. It’s a natural reaction to people being unexpectedly forced to contemplate their own mortality, and how fragile the lives they’ve built can become, Haydu says. As a result, she adds, she is seeing more instances of both parents showing up at senior portrait sessions and being more actively engaged. To emphasize the family’s role, Haydu puts parents to work as de facto photo assistants and makes them part of the experience. “Before 2020, I would have moms show up with the senior, and that was it,” she recalls. “Now I have both mom and dad wanting to be there. It becomes a family thing. And I tell them, ‘Listen, you’re not going to be standing back and watching this happen. You’re going to be part of this. And we’re going to make this an experience and a memory for you, too.’”

THE VALUE OF AUTHENTICITY

To other photographers looking to kickstart their portrait businesses, Haydu urges an emphasis on authenticity. There is so much competition, so many photographers plying their trade even in small areas (for example, more than 50 photographers show up in a recent Google search of the area around Haydu’s town of 4,000 residents). The only thing that distinguishes you is you, Haydu says. “You need to be yourself,” she urges. “You don’t have to be like everybody else. Do what works for you and your business. And if it doesn’t work at first, don’t worry. Keep going. Evolve. You only fail when you stop trying.”  

Jeff Kent is editor-at-large.