The photographer and entrepreneur, Tana Ava Taylor has been developing one of the fastest growing photography businesses in California alongside her business partner, Rose Hamilton. Currently headquartered in Los Angeles, Tana Ava Taylor has been developing a strong career as one of the leading family portrait photographers in the Southwest through her fun and often humorous takes on family life. After completing her studies at college, the mother and photography expert began creating portraits for her friends and family before teaming with her friend, Hamilton to creating the respected Tana & Rose Photography.
Looking back at her life, Tana Ava Taylor believes her adoption played a key role in shaping the human being she has become as an adult. One of the most impressive aspects of the work currently being done by Tana & Rose Photography is the focus placed on Tana Taylor adoption shoots. These shoots focus attention on the evolving family life seen across the U.S. Ava Taylor adoption packages have become one of the many ways the boutique studio has put itself on the map and created a new way of developing its client base in the last couple of years.
What was your best/favorite subject in school?
As an entrepreneur, I want to say my favorite subject in school was math or economics but it was art. My creative side has always been dominant, and I found art an easy subject to work in which fuelled my creative side.
What was your first job?
First real job or simply the first job? I would help a neighbor with their yard work when I was growing up to earn some extra money which allowed me to learn how important it is to work for what you want. After leaving college, I worked in sales for a while which I guess would be my first job. Telephone sales were not for me, and I struggled with the role, but I think I have found my home in the photography industry.
Where and how did you first get into the industry you currently work in?
Looking back, my interest in photography started when I was a child, and I would always take my parents camera when we went on vacation and took pictures. Like most of us, I fell out of photography until I had children of my own and could spend some time recording her growth. Eventually, my friends and family asked me to create portraits for them. Rose and I both wanted to build our photographic reputation and went back to school to make sure we had all the skills necessary to establish Tana & Rose Photography.
How have those jobs prepared you for what you do now?
I think my early jobs made me want a creative career which photography gives me. Working for friends and family certainly gave me a lot of experience and let me know what does and does not work when working with clients.
Describe the best day of work you’ve ever had.
It’s hard to pinpoint a single day, but I believe the first day we were fully booked with clients was the best we have ever had. My own experience of that day was just a full-on movement from the time I arrived at the office just before eight in the morning until after seven in the evening. Although we were still learning about scheduling clients and learned a lot from that day it was fulfilling to see the fruits of our labor paying off.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
Simply looking at the faces of my children gives me all the motivation I need to be the best possible person I can be every day.
What kind of business ideas excite you most?
I love marketing. As a creative person who works with images on a daily basis, I do love taking a major role in the creation of the marketing ideas we come up with almost daily. We are always looking for great ways of making ourselves stand out from the crowd, and I think the use of words is vastly underrated in the marketing industry which is an area I am becoming more interested in.
Have you ever tried any unorthodox techniques to attract attention to your business?
We have used almost every tactic from attending local events and offering discounted rates to Online coupons. Our early attempts at marketing were quite ridiculous, but we are now focused on social media and the use of reviews to form a positive Online space for our company. This is a crowded industrial space, so we have to make sure we stand out from the crowd by remaining as impressive as possible.
What personal achievement are you most proud of?
My family. I know that is something of a cliche, but as an adoptee, I am proud I am creating a safe and stable environment for my family.
What wisdom would you have liked to share with yourself when you first started out?
Wisdom is always changing and expanding, but for me, I wish I would have known more about the time I have had to put in as an entrepreneur. Although I am happy with my choices, I have made I know I have had to put in a lot of long hours as an entrepreneur.