Business Spotlight: Aida’s Photography
As a new Mum, I wanted to capture all the special moments with my little one, to capture how he grew and all of the beautiful milestones to come. Through that, I met my next guest, Aida - owner of Aida's Photography.
Aida is a Family, Newborn and Maternity Photographer based on the Gold Coast and someone I can personally vouch for! She has an amazing style of photography and is so good with the little ones - something that's not an easy feat when it comes to wrangling toddlers for a photoshoot!
Here, I chat with Aida about her business, how it came to life and some of the challenges along the way.
Q: Hi Aida, tell us a bit about yourself and what you do
My name is Aida and I am a Gold Coast Family, Maternity and Newborn Photographer. I am a wife and mama to 2 little ones. My daughter Emma is turning 8 and my son Denis just turned 6. We moved to the sunshine state in 2019 just before COVID decided to take over.
Q: What inspired you to start your own business?
Long story short, basically motherhood. After having children I wanted to work my own hours around them. I wanted the flexibility of choosing when, where and how I work. I couldn’t see any employer being that flexible, so I decided to jump straight in and work for myself.
Q: Can you share the story of how your business idea came to fruition?
I’ve always been good with a camera, and after having my kids and getting their professional newborn, milestone and family pictures done I just knew it was something I wanted to do professionally for myself. It was the perfect career that gave me everything I needed to have the perfect work-life balance around my family.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when starting out, and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge in starting this new business was definitely trying to gain clients. I did many model calls and free photoshoots in order to get some exposure for my new business to create a clientele and an idea of who my ideal client is.
I did a variety of shoots to decide what I enjoyed the most and what I didn’t really want to shoot to avoid. I love family, maternity and newborn ~ that is ideally what I love to shoot and typically do majority of the time.
It definitely took at least 6 months of model calls and free sessions to bring in paying clients and the majority are still supporting me today with yearly sessions as well as mini sessions.
One of my absolute favourite photos shot by Aida
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of being a business owner for you?
The most rewarding part is definitely having the loyal repeat clients come back to you year after year, child after child, milestone after milestone. There is no greater reward for me and my business personally to be able to capture growing families and their little ones year after year.
Q: Have you had any mentors or role models who have influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
I have not had any mentors however I had a whole heap of role models I looked up to on social media who were killing it in the photography industry who I still look up to, to this day.
There is quite a broad community of photographers on the Gold Coast that are very supportive and helpful to each other which has been so nice to have that community over competition spirit.
Q: I know as a mum myself, it's so hard to juggle work and life. How do you balance it all as a business woman?
I’ve definitely struggled with work life and personal life and definitely find myself mixing the two. I try to keep my businesswoman hat on during school hours to have downtime with my kids but some days it can be overwhelming and I’m back to emails and sending out contracts and answering queries.
I hate letting people down and I’m definitely such a control freak with these types of things so I’m always trying to stay on top of it all.
Q: What advice would you give to other women looking to start their own businesses?
100% do it. You will only ever regret not trying and giving it a go. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back. Have confidence in your abilities and trust your instincts. Your unique perspective and experiences as a woman can be valuable assets in business.
Remember, every journey is unique, so trust yourself and stay focused on your goals. You've got this!
Q: What is something you'd try if you had infinite resources/time?
If I had infinite resources I would definitely hire an assistant to follow me around and create more behind the scenes of what goes on during photoshoots, to help with the admin and social media as well the editing of galleries.
If I had more time I would love to collaborate with other professionals such as event planners, makeup artists, and decorators to offer all-inclusive packages for special occasions like weddings, reunions, and milestone celebrations, ensuring that every family has the opportunity to capture their most cherished moments in a truly unique and meaningful way.
Q: What’s next for you?
No major changes for Aida’s Photography because I love where I am and now that I’ve had the help of rebranding thank you to the Marketing House I’m working on spreading my new branding everywhere and updating everything to reflect the new changes. Lots of behind the scenes quietly happening.
I have however decided to add weddings + events on to the list of photography services I provide this year. So I’ve done a few recently and have really enjoyed them so I am hoping to add a few more to my portfolio this coming year.
A beautiful gift from Aida for our readers
If you'd like to book a family, maternity or newborn session, Aida is kindly gifting our readers $100 off any full-price package. To take up this incredible offer, please contact Aida directly by visiting aidasphotography.com.au