Informational Interview Essay

For my informational interview, I chose to talk to Molly Hoffman. Molly is a photographer at her own company, Molly Hoffman Photography that serves Kansas City, Mo and beyond. She specializes in weddings, elopements, couples and seniors. I found her by social media and through a classmate who had her senior photos taken by her. Molly’s work has never been less than amazing and she has always inspired me, so I thought she would be the perfect person for me to interview.

As Molly and I both own photography businesses, I knew there would be some similarities to our thoughts and lifestyle. However, I was stunned to realize that yes, we do the same thing, but ultimately go about things in a completely different way. Which, in total honesty, makes sense given her location in the heart of KC, and me in a small town with a population of 2,000. I think the thing that surprised me the most about Molly was her resilient attitude. Her job is nowhere near easy, and she opened up to me about her struggle with mental health issues in the past, but she always bounces back and produces work that is outstanding. 

I can see myself following in her footsteps of living in a bigger city and traveling the country to take photos of people, creating memories that they can cherish forever. I honestly don’t think I would do much different than her, except I am not sure what photos I want to specialize in quite yet. I am still testing the waters to see what I do best. 

I learned that there really isn’t an easy way to break into the photography business. It is a very saturated market right now, so the best thing you can do is just jump right in, and start marketing yourself on social media. You may have to do some photoshoots for free at the beginning, but that will start a word of mouth train. Don’t invest in the most expensive equipment first, start out with a beginner camera and work your way up as you start gaining more clients and making money.

Personally, I think I need to learn more of the business and accounting side of photography. I can always use more knowledge with marketing as well, but knowing how to successfully own and run a business the right way is very important to me. There is also so much more I can learn about my camera, editing, posing and creating a positive client experience. Workshops and content days are a great tool for photographers to learn how to work with other photographers, pose clients, and create magical photographs. There are also online courses you can take, but I have always been a fan of Youtube videos. There are so many photographers that show you behind the scenes and they pour all of their knowledge into you. 

This experience and interview has made me so excited for my future in photography. Molly really made me feel like I can do this, and that I will succeed. It definitely changed the way I perceive my immediate future, in ways that are hard to describe. I am currently trying to move out of my small town to a bigger city with more opportunity and she lit a fire to my behind to do just that. I am so excited to continue my journey and am really grateful for her and this experience in more ways than one.