“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
-Thomas Jefferson
This January, Lena Mirisola Photography turns six years old.
So where did it all begin?
I never really had an official date as to when Lena Mirisola Photography became “official”. I was shooting non-stop back in 2008, posting all my horribly cliche photos to DeviantART. I would spend hours experimenting with glitter, reflections, water droplets, and bokeh. By 2009, I had transitioned to shooting people, mainly my friends. It was in January of 2010, though, that I became a business entity. First, it was through photographing musicians and concerts, and quickly graduated to shooting my first paying family portrait gig soon after. It was a double shoot – Lisa & Dan, accompanied by their three boys, and their friend Paula with her toddler, Elijah. They paid $50 each and received a CD.
Fast forward to my busiest wedding season ever, in the height of 2015, and I’m photographing Paula & Jerry’s wedding while I make Elijah, who is now seven, my unofficial assistant for his mom’s big day. Lisa and her husband are seated at a table with another one of my first clients.
Never forget where you started.
Over these past six years, I have had successes. I have fallen on my face. I have made huge mistakes. I have learned. I have grown. I have sought the help of others. I have rebranded at least 5 times. And I have failed again. But each time, I stood up, and grew stronger.
If I could tell someone the #1 most important part of growing my business, it is word of mouth.
There is nothing more powerful than a happy client.
Your client quality is exponentially higher when they have been sent to you by their friend, coworker, or family member versus from a “Boston photographer” random Google search. Yes, SEO is important, but you want clients that resonate with your brand, love your imagery, and share your vision, not someone who is price shopping for the best deal on the internet.
I am in a constant learning environment, and rarely go a day without doing something beneficial for my business. It’s all I’ve never known – I shot my first wedding season as a freshman in high school, and God bless Danielle & Kyle for being so excited to be my first wedding ever. I mean, I had never even attended a wedding before their big day. But after just one wedding, it became second nature. It was where I felt most excited and comfortable.
I am forever grateful for every client who has trusted me for their most important moments in life.
From portraits to commercial work, no one has impacted my career as much as the amazing Barbara Peacock has. I wish everyone could be blessed with a mentor like her to encourage and teach them.
I recently started The Newsletter, a string of educational blog posts for creatives, in hopes of passing on the advice I’ve received over the years and lessons I have learned through my own experiences. I am so excited for all the things 2016 has in store for my brand and my clients. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes
