Speaker 1: 0:30

My name is Iris Savoy. I have a company called Iris Nikki Photography it's a twist on my first name and my nickname for my middle name that my family calls me and I've been in photography business for over 20 years and I specialize in concert photography as well as branding photography, and what my services pertain to is like I take pictures of the artists as they come in to do their, whether it's a jazz festival, concert. What have you, as well as I like to for 2025? To branch off and to do more branding for like businesses, business owners who are looking to showcase their business in the area, and it can range from doing just head shots, which is just the top of your head to mid body, to going out and shooting If you have like a hairstylist or a hair salon, I can do that or different businesses down there.

Speaker 2: 1:27

Very nice. So like kind of, if they have like products too, like branding type stuff you can do, like those shoots where everything looks like super like beautiful.

Speaker 1: 1:34

Yes, we can do like a little shoot, photo shoot for that particular services that they provide.

Speaker 2: 1:40

Amazing. I love that variety. I actually love content photography and do that a lot on my own time.

Speaker 1: 1:44

I love it so that's great, you're right up my alley.

Speaker 2: 1:47

Yes, it's great, right, I love it. I wanted to ask you how you got into your industry, like what started you on your journey as a photographer and these specific niches.

Speaker 1: 1:56

Okay, what started it? It was back in 2006. I was looking for a church home. I was in the Catholic church, but I went to a different church in the Washington DC area and they were heavy on people volunteering and serving in the church. So I had to figure out where I wanted to serve. I couldn't sing and definitely was not going to be ushering people into the church, because that's not my thing. So I decided to work as a volunteer in the photography ministry and when I did that, I was assigned since I didn't have a camera, I was assigned to be just downloading photos and at that particular time, there wasn't very high tech in 2006. So I was just downloading the photos that the photographers took on the server.

Speaker 1: 2:41

And then, over time, people left the ministry for various reasons and I ended up having to shoot. Hey, I'm getting well at it, doing shooting at Sunday services, special events. Let me do some other things and learn how to do shoot, camera and learn different techniques. And from there I created my business in 2010 and I shot just about everything, from landscapes to food, to events you named it and around COVID time. Well, actually, backtrack, I did shoot, started shooting concerts in 2015.

Speaker 1: 3:27

That's my mistake, but in 2020, I paired with a photographer back in Atlanta and she showed me that it would be best for my business to grow after COVID shutdown takes place and we're all back into normal, that I need to niche down my photography instead of being wide open, just to niche it down to some things that I'm really good at, and when I came up with that, it was I'm really good at branding headshots and I'm definitely good at concerts, because, of course, I love music. There's a background that I did when I was in high school and middle school with high school band and I thought it was a good avenue and I've been very successful with it in the Washington DC area.

Speaker 2: 4:11

I absolutely love that and I love that Sometimes it's hard for us to hear stuff like hey, you need to find your niche, and like dwindle down to what you're best at, and like part of being an entrepreneur and growing is like hearing that advice and being like you know what you're right. Let me go ahead and like scale it down a bit and do what I'm best at.

Speaker 1: 4:29

And it was much better because, yeah, it's great to have that wide open, but when you're niched down you don't have to worry about being all over the place. It's very narrow.

Speaker 2: 4:39

That's right. And now talk to me about marketing for yourself. How are you getting the word out there about the type of services that you provide? Is it mostly word of mouth? Are you online making videos?

Speaker 1: 4:48

It's mostly a combination of word of mouth of people knowing me in the area, as well as social media, I do post every day. I try to, monday through Friday, through Instagram Beautiful and as well as being personable and being out, and about trying to find being out and being sociable, and it's what I learned with music, photography. It is a the way that you will learn about our people, learn about you is if you are constantly around and you network with other people. Yes, so that is the way, another niche of way of getting out.

Speaker 2: 5:25

Love it. And then let's talk about I'm sorry I have like my little notes here that I'm looking at you were able to partner with NextUp, a nonprofit women's organization in Chicago.

Speaker 1: 5:38

Talk to me about that. Yes, that happened because I work full time at Giant Food. It's a grocery store in the Washington DC. It's the number one grocery store in the Washington DC area. I have to put that in there, that's right. And I work as a print distribution coordinator there and I handle the distribution for our circulars that you see in the stores, and we have this organization that we participate in.

Speaker 1: 6:03

Several of our workers in the corporate office as well as in stores are members of the group and just so happened, one of the members has seen my Instagram page and he saw all the concerts and different things that I do and he asked me. He was like, would you be interested in helping us? And I was like, oh, yeah, cause I always volunteer and come to their different events and things. So it was a perfect opportunity and this year it led me to go to their leadership conference in Chicago. I got to meet with other NextUp members from different organizations and regions throughout the country, actually pretty much through the world too. Wow, so it was a pretty good conference. Sounds like it. World, too Wow, so it was a pretty good conference. Sounds like it. Yeah, it was over a thousand female women, business owners or business women in the area. So it was great.

Speaker 2: 6:53

I'm sure, and then getting being surrounded by that community and all the women.

Speaker 1: 6:56

It was very empowering and it was giving you an advice hey, do this, do that. And it was just very, very uplifting few days yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:05

I love that and then, okay, so you have 20 years of advertising experience from Washington, from the Washington Post. Can you talk to me a little bit about that? That's so cool.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Well, actually I worked with the Washington Post. They were a subsidy. They owned a smaller newspaper called Southern Maryland Newspaper, but I worked with Southern Maryland Newspaper. I worked with the Washington Times for six years. That was interesting. That's a whole nother podcast in itself. But I worked with Katz Media Group, which is a media buying firm that will buy commercials throughout the TV for different TV brands throughout the country. And I also worked with Capital Gazette newspaper just before they had got sold to the Baltimore Sun. So I've been I. My background in advertising was basically with classified advertising, handling everything from car sales to employment, which I really liked to, moving on to doing retail sales.

Speaker 2: 8:04

Yeah, that is incredible, though you have, like a background in so many departments and like it's cool that you've had those experiences to find out, like, what is working for you, what you want to do in the future. I love that.

Speaker 1: 8:14

It's like a Jack of all trades and it makes you really be experienced in what you really like and what you really don't like. And if with branded, it will really branded photography, I know what people really need for different niches, for different shoots.

Speaker 2: 8:32

Yeah, and then talk to me. Do you have a team? Are you doing this all on your own?

Speaker 1: 8:36

My photography business is just a one person shop it's just me, for right now I have great CRM systems with HoneyBook Aftershoot. I still use SmugMug as my backup, but those three main things have helped me so much.

Speaker 2: 8:52

Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for sharing those insights that you use there for other entrepreneurs who maybe are considering what to use what have been some of your most memorable, I guess, stories or experiences that you've had, whether it's with concert photography or branding.

Speaker 1: 9:17

Favorite or more memorable. The memorable is I had to. I left the company, left Capital Gazette three months before. Unfortunately, they had the mass shooting. And from learning from that is always chase your dreams. Life is short, things can happen. So always go after your goals and dreams, even if the people tell you no thousand times. Keep going, because life can change in an instant. Memorable things, I would say over 20 years. I would say just go after your dreams and do whatever you want to do. If you fail, you fail. At least you try. When it's all said and done, at least try to do something, because you never know.

Speaker 2: 9:54

Yeah, absolutely. That's such a powerful message because truly, like since that shooting had happened, like I'm guessing, it kind of puts you in like a certain perspective, like man, have that.

Speaker 1: 10:07

Yes, yeah, but not to down on it, but yeah, but they. That was one lesson, but I also learned from being laid off, as always. You always want to evolve. You don't want to always be stuck in one position, and this is how we and just do that for 30 years. Yeah, so you always want to evolve and keep moving, and even if it means taking classes, if it means um, long nights yeah, do it.

Speaker 2: 10:39

Oh yeah, thank you for touching on that. You're absolutely right about that, and sometimes we do kind of forget to think about those long nights that we have to stay up and sacrifice that and it leads you to a new perspective and yeah, yeah and then um, where do you see yourself in the next five years as as a person and with your business?

Speaker 1: 10:59

with my business. I hope, within five years, that I am working more with the artists and developing them for marketing, outside of just just shooting them for their festival or their concert, that I'm moving on and helping them with their marketing scheme as well, as I would also like the branding side and headshot side to be developing as well, and then hopefully, with both of those going, I will be out of the industry, so to speak, for full time. I'll be just doing that full. Love it. Yeah, I love that. You've given it thought and you're the industry, so to speak, for full time. I'll be just doing that full.

Speaker 2: 11:28

Love it. Yeah, I love that you've given it thought and you're just like. This is where I want to be and this is where I hope to be in the next five years. Thanks, and then, what kind of experience do you hope to give to your clients when they're looking to hire you? Talk to me about that.

Speaker 1: 11:41

I want it to be more personable, like I'm part of the group, want it to be more personable like I'm part of the group, I'm part of their team. That way, if I'm part of their team and they think of me as part of the team, then the flow will go so smoothly because they will be able to talk to me hey, can I have this done, can we do this? Or I can put more of my standpoint or my opinion on the situation.

Speaker 2: 12:04

Yeah, love that. And then, what do you like to do on your free time? Like, I know, you love music, so that's probably like I love this.

Speaker 1: 12:10

This is like woo, I'll give it to you, I would love. I like going out to concerts without my camera gear and having it be checked by security, so I would love to go to concerts. I'm a travel head. I love to travel Bali, all those or my travel to-do list, so I want to get that done. I'm also an HGTV addict, so I would just love to have a day where I can just have my electric blanket and my TV remote and the HGTV playing.

Speaker 2: 12:44

That is beautiful.

Speaker 1: 12:45

Sounds like a dream Just in peace and quiet.

Speaker 2: 12:48

That's all. I love peace, and quiet.

Speaker 1: 12:49

But I'm also a good foodie. If you give me a good restaurant, I can deal with it. What?

Speaker 2: 12:54

are your favorite foods.

Speaker 1: 12:56

My favorite foods is Italian, sometimes a little bit of spice, but I'm trying to get used to sushi. I have to get used to it. But I'm trying it out now because of my coworkers at Giant, but I am trying to learn it.

Speaker 2: 13:11

No, I love that. I love that. You're all about exploration. You're like. You know what I'm going to try. I'm doing my best here. Yes, I don't know how I feel about that raw squid right there, but okay, we're going to try it.

Speaker 1: 13:19

It's just the raw and it's the seafood smell, but I'm getting used to it, wow.

Speaker 2: 13:32

I give. You don't know that I could, so keep going, girl. Thank you, you're welcome. And then, what have been some of the hardships for you as a business owner and how have you overcome some of those things? Just to offer some insight.

Speaker 1: 13:39

The hardest is being working at the same time and trying to manage being part-time and trying to struggles. It's hard because some evenings I want to go lay down and I don't feel like doing it. Some evenings I want to go lay down and I don't feel like doing it, but I have to do it because I'm the only person that is going to run Iris Nikki photography. So that is one thing. Another thing is funding everything, because, as a camera person, technology changes. Everybody wants you to have this equipment, that equipment or something breaks and so that's another obstacle.

Speaker 1: 14:12

And especially with concert photography, it is extremely hard to get in and trying to get credentials and get to shoot the artists and then have them follow up with you Because sometimes they go on. They may shoot. You may say, for instance, I may shoot them at Ram's Head or at Warner Theater, but the next night they're going on to another city. So it's hard to get in contact with them to make sure that they got the images and that they are happy, they want to pay for them and all that stuff. So it's it's an ending cycle. So it's always trying to make sure that you are in your P's and Q's.

Speaker 2: 14:50

Yeah, absolutely no-transcript. It's extremely hard, exactly so. I want to know, like, how you're navigating that and how Exactly so? I want to know, like, how you're navigating that and how.

Speaker 1: 15:12

The best thing is my mentor down in Atlanta. She told us is to always shoot your best and always try to over deliver. And I tried not to, not to give them a thousand one images, but try to give them the best images from the show and try to see if from that that they are interested in doing it. And if they tell you, no, don't worry about it, you have it for your portfolio and you can just move on to the next artist. It's not the end of the world, yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:39

No, I love that. And about your mentor like I see a lot of business owners that I've interviewed, they always have like that one coach, that mentor. Talk to me about how that's helped you.

Speaker 1: 15:48

It helped me because she gives me insight, that's helped you and like it helped me because she gives me insight, it's harder because it's photography is mostly male dominant.

Speaker 1: 15:56

Oh yeah, and it, especially with concept photography is male dominant. So you need somebody that's been in the she might been, well, she's in the wedding industry, but some of those techniques that she has in the wedding industry can be carried over to what I do with concerts and branding, and it's's just. You just have to have that hunger to keep going, no matter what. Yeah, that person told me no, this person told me no, but the other person told me yes, and from that, yes, I'm going to build on it. I always deliver and make sure that they are happy with the service that I provide, and they'll lead me to X, y and Z and then move on.

Speaker 2: 16:32

I love that, and now I'd like to ask you is there anything, maybe that I have not touched on, or I'm not touching on about yourself or your business, that you would like to share on the podcast?

Speaker 1: 16:42

I would say always be a learner. Don't always assume that you arrived, whatever level you're at, because there's always somebody else that's going to outdo you. Technology will change. Anything could happen, so always be in the mindset of learning.

Speaker 2: 16:58

Yeah, no, that is a good one, Because oftentimes we get a little bit comfortable right. We're like oh, we made it, we did it, I don't have to do this. And we're like no, no things change Technology.

Speaker 1: 17:07

If I take you back to 2006, when I first started in photography, it is totally different from now.

Speaker 2: 17:13

Oh, I believe it now with the AI and everything.

Speaker 1: 17:16

Yeah, so, and also, don't be afraid of AI. Yeah, I know that everybody's panicking about it, but AI can be your friend.

Speaker 2: 17:23

Yeah, a resource, a powerful resource, if you use it right Right.

Speaker 1: 17:26

Yes.

Speaker 2: 17:27

Wonderful. Okay, and so for my last question, I would like to ask you if you have anything that's inspired you, maybe something that someone said, a music lyric, a poem that you would like to share and just leave our audience with.

Speaker 1: 17:41

Anybody that inspired me, it was my dad. He unfortunately he lost his battle, a 12-year battle with cancer. I'm sorry to hear that.

Speaker 1: 17:48

I'm so sorry. Thank you Back in 2022, however, but he taught me the work ethic of keep hustling, working everything. He had to work his government job Monday through Friday. He was up like at four o'clock in the morning and get home at six, six, seven, seven o'clock as well, as he was in army reserve for 20 years and that meant that you had two weeks away Plus you had to do drills what they call every. I think it was two weekends a month. Yeah, so that's tiring, and he still made sure that we were provided for and it's just. I think he gave me the tough work ethic that work ethic right yes.

Speaker 1: 18:29

So that's my model and role model I love that.

Speaker 2: 18:32

Thank you so much for sharing that. That was such a like, personal and powerful piece. Thank you, thank you and we appreciate you for making time to be here and offering us your insight thank you absolutely.