These past three years have been exceptionally tough for us, not necessarily from a business standpoint but more from a personal one. Nobody in their right mind would ever dream of starting a business while at the same time trying to start a family. With Karis in and out of maternity leave these past few years, we really tried our best to hold down the fort as a one-and-a-half-man show. In the beginning, it was relatively manageable with the few bookings that we had. But as our business grew, so did its demands. And like most newly self-employed folks, the only items of value we had at the time were a few Washingtons and a paltry bag of peanuts.
Fortunately for us though, we managed to find some folks who would be willing to work for those peanuts :).
Like the slave-driver that I am, I worked these assistants and second-shooters hard. Oxen pulling plows for a lifetime had it easier than these folks. Despite having jelly-legs and all sorts of disheveled-ness going on with their hair and clothes by the end of every wedding, many of them still came back for more. Seriously? All this suffering for these mediocre, not-so-tasty peanuts?
Their answer was a resounding YES!
Just like us, they LOVED chasing brides and grooms around with a camera all day long (at least that’s what they tell me). They had the passion, they were committed, and they were enjoying every minute of it.
When Karis came back from maternity leave in late 2012, we found ourselves in a very fortuitous situation. We were surrounded by all this talent, and nowhere to put it!
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that our awesome photographers now have a home of their own!
(boom!)
We had considered expanding our business by adding associate photographers under our brand here at Ben Lau Photography, but that business model simply didn’t make any sense (to us, anyway). Our clients deserved much more than just the “associate photographer†of any studio, and it was only fair that our photographers had the opportunity to shine on their own as individual artists, as opposed to working under the shadows of an already established brand. Our elegant solution was creating an entirely new brand, a new home (of sorts) for our very talented photographers who now had the freedom to operate independently from Ben Lau Photography. Now that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?
So without further ado, we welcome all of you to join us on this new adventure, as we continue to create stunning images while delivering top-notch service…all with a cherry on top :).
Please add/like us on:
Blog: http://www.pearlpaperstudio.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pearlpaperstudio
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pearl_paper
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pearlpaper
We hope you guys enjoy :).
Ben & Karis