Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Adams.
Hi Chad, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I received an Olympus 35mm camera as a birthday present when I was 13 years old, and really haven’t stopped studying and practicing photography since. A short-lived travel blog when I was in my early 20s led to my first paid gig, and when I became disenchanted with my major in university, I dropped out and started a business. That was 12 years ago!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggles were all at the beginning. I mostly dealt with imposter syndrome and being completely unsure of what to charge for my services. Austin is a weird and oversaturated market for creatives, where there is always someone who will do it cheaper. It took several years to gain the confidence to say “no” to someone’s generous offer of half my rate. I kept a part-time job with my family business for my first year or so, but there was a certain point that I knew I needed to either go all-in or find something else. Filled with trepidation, I took the leap, and it turns out to have been the right choice. Most of the other struggles were business-related: keeping the books, maintaining the correct insurance, responding to clients in a timely way, separating business assets from personal ones, dealing with global pandemics. Y’know, the little stuff.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a supernatural rapport with small kids, so I leaned hard into the family photography space at the beginning. Parents are always thrilled when they see their children show me their real smiles and assume it’s some sort of voodoo. And I feel a strong sense of pride when I get a text with my photo framed and hanging in their home. It’s always fulfilling to hear that your clients’ kids excitedly talked about their photo session the whole way home and how cool “Mr. Chad” was. I’ve been doing this long enough now to see some of my kiddos grow up and leave for college. I don’t offer senior portrait sessions to the general public, but I can’t help but stay involved with my ride-or-dies.
I have a subsidiary business photographing architectural projects. I studied architecture and design as a minor at UT, my father was a builder, and I have a strong DIY mindset. So it started as a passion project turned full-fledged venture in 2019. It’s fun to show other people’s designs in their best light, and I know someday my body won’t be able to chase kids around a playground anymore. That’ll be a conflictual day that I have to give it up, but I also love to photograph interesting spaces so I know that being a photographer it will continue to bring me joy.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I’m the boss. I tried really, REALLY hard to make everyone happy in the beginning, and it bit me in the behind so many times before I learned my lesson. I’m in charge, I get to say yes or no, I even get to fire clients if they’re too much. A good example is when folks want to schedule a session with me at 2:00 in the afternoon when the sun is directly overhead and casting shadows under their chins and noses because that time of day is convenient for one reason or another. Sure there are ways to handle that (shade structure, scrim, OCF, etc.), but the problem disappears if they just meet me at sunset instead. I’m the one who’s dedicated my life to the study of light; I’m the expert, so they get to defer to me no that. Not everyone is happy to concede, but most folks are happy to listen to me.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@chadwadams.com
- Website: www.chadwadams.com
- Other: www.claraboiaphotography.com
