Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Yoder.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Justin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve had three passions in my life since I was a little kid: my faith, Africa, and photography. In high school, I thought I was going to pursue becoming a professional photographer, but after I took trips to Guatemala and South Africa, my path changed. Instead, I started a nonprofit called Project Africa in 2003. Our primary focus was helping kids with AIDS/HIV in Africa.
In 2010, my life changed dramatically and I began to learn to accept myself fully and the board of directors of my nonprofit did not like this. They ended up taking Project Africa away from me and I was left without one of my greatest passions, but also without a job.
I ended up getting a new job as a manager at a restaurant which brought some connections into my life in the photography world. I started looking at the possibility of becoming a professional photographer again when a friend asked me to photograph her wedding. I had a blast doing it and was hooked. Through this wedding, I had a few more people ask me to do their wedding. Soon, weddings started to become a conflict with my day job work schedule and soon stepped out do to photography full time.
It’s been a journey to get to where I am going. Joining the Professional Photographers of America and Wedding and Portrait Photography International played a big role in my professional development, I think Sal Cincotta, a wedding photographer out of O’Fallon, IL, played the biggest roll in my success. When I learned about him two years ago, I was addicted to his style and business model. I soon applied it to my business and I’ve just seen amazing growth ever since. Another is a friend turn client who is in marketing. After shooting his wedding, he took time to meet with me weekly for about a year and a half teaching me in depth in everything social media marketing to SEO to successful blog posts.
Has it been a smooth road?
It for sure hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s been full of up and downs from “this is amazing” to “what on earth am I doing?” but I’ve stuck with it and happy where I am at today. I am eager to continue growing, for more clients, to be the best of the best in my industry. I think the biggest challenge I face is people not understanding the cost of wedding photography as well as other “wedding photographers” having incredibly low pricing- so low they have to have another job to be able pay their bills. It cost money to run a successful photography business: studio rent, equipment, business insurance, vehicle maintenance, education, editing tools, advertising, website, networking, memberships, and the list goes on. My photography needs to fund all of this plus provide enough to live on, It’s not cheap. Plus, as a wedding photographer we are usually limited to weekends, so this limits how many weddings I can take on and demand for my services also drives up the price.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Justin Yoder Studios primarily does photography and films for weddings. The biggest thing about my studio is we believe we not just a business transaction, but an experience. When we do a consultation, clients are welcomed in our studio with a glass of wine or beverage of their choice. We truly get to know our clients and their desires for their big day. We provide a number of high quality products as well, but our flagship items are our albums…they are truly works of art which will become treasured family heirlooms.
I also have Justin Yoder HeadCorp which is a part of Justin Yoder Studios; however, its focus is more headshots and corporate clientele.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes! Dallas is booming right now and the economy is good and stable currently. If someone came to me and asked me if they should be a wedding photographer I would probably try to talk them out of it. It’s a very difficult business to break into and remarkably competitive. So if I, one person, could talk them out of it, they probably don’t have what it takes. You have to have a thick skin and determination like no other. But if they tell me they are going to do it anyways, I would tell them they already have the biggest thing, determination.
In today’s world, anyone thinks they can buy a “good camera” and be a photographer. If you can’t take a good photo on a bad camera, you can’t take a good photo on a good/expensive camera. Not everyone can be a great photographer because having a good eye is a gift that is hard to learn.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7700 John w. Carpenter Fwy #215
Dallas, TX 75247 - Website: justinyoderstudios.com
- Phone: 2144047805
- Email: info@justinyoderstudios.com
- Instagram: @justinyoderstudios
- Facebook: facebook.com/justinyoderstudios.com
Image Credit:
Justin Yoder Studios
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
