6/15/2010
At First Sight Photography
"“The SBDC and Ms. Price were integral in the development of our business. They were very knowledgeable and patient in explaining any questions we had regarding the start-up of At First Sight Photography. The SBDC is an invaluable source of information on starting or furthering your business.” "
Whenever you pick up the weekly Pensacola newspaper Independent News, you may see a cover photo that catches your eye immediately. That would be the work of Samantha Crooke who co-owns “At First Sight Photography”. Samantha, a Summa cum laude graduate of UWF in Fine Arts, also has extensive experience as an art director, graphic designer and painter, all of which contributes greatly to her work, especially in post processing. She decided to start the company in 2008 with her husband Ken. Ken studies English as a major at UWF, but is considering changing his major to enhance his photography experience. They had both been doing photography work ranging from high end modeling shoots to family sessions, weddings and business portraits. They saw the need for something a little different rather than the stiff, formal portraits or the usual beach background. They specialize in working with props, costumes and finding the fun, inner person with every subject they photograph. Both have always had a passion for photography and they felt opening their own photography business was a great way for them to work together and do something that they both love. Above all, they keep a positive attitude and always have a blast during their photo jobs. Samantha and Ken came to the SBDC in 2007 to get information on the basics of starting a business. They met with Certified Business Analyst Thawanna Price and received valuable information on start-up such as choosing an appropriate legal structure, tax information, licensure, insurance requirements and financial recordkeeping. Initially, Samantha and Ken were concerned that it would be hard to generate business on a consistent and reliable basis, but they found that word of mouth goes a long way. Their business has been picking up more and more, and most of their clients have found them via recommendations from others that they’ve photographed. They both feel that the fact that they work as a team is definitely their primary strength. Being married, they each know the unique qualities the other brings to the business, so that they complement each other well. Although they both still have full-time jobs and do the photography business on the side, business has picked up significantly so that they may be able to devote their efforts to the business full-time!