Today we’d like to introduce you to Svetlana Frolova.
Hi Svetlana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Photography is all about the manipulation of light. It now seems natural to me that I became a photographer as my name, Svetlana, in Russian means “light” but the road to where I am today has definitely not been the smooth one. I wanted to share the longer version of my story with you that I have never publicly shared.
I was born and raised in a small town in Russia and as long as I remember my mom always encouraged me to learn a foreign language and get out of my home country so I could have a better life. While in high school, I literally studied day and night and got admitted to a very prestigious University (The Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod) where I studied English and French. Upon graduating in 2002, I decided to pursue the “American Dream” and came to Austin, TX with only $300 in my pocket!
The first year was tough and like many newcomers I took any job I could to get by. In the process I made enough money to buy my first camera which was a Nikon point and shoot. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up being a successful photographer and make a career out of it.
I did not pursue photography seriously until about 2005 when I found myself in a very unhealthy relationship in which I was controlled financially.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I was working for my ex at the time and basically ended up running the business side of his very successful company. I learnt a lot from that job for which I am very grateful! I also knew if I left the relationship I would be fired no matter how hard I worked since there were so many threats like that throughout the years. Which is exactly what happened in 2009 when I finally got courage and left. Luckily for me, I had taken many photography classes at ACC and started building my photography business on a side. As scary as it was for me to lose my full time job especially under those humiliating circumstances, it also gave me the opportunity to solely focus on my photography business. I had some money saved and a few weddings booked. The thing that helped me the most during the first few years was attending Bridal Shows (Bridal Extravaganza in particular) and charging lower prices since I did not have a lot of experience. I did advertise here and there the first few years but ultimately the ROI was not all that great so I stopped doing it. As I built my portfolio and had more wedding experience under my belt, I raised my prices, continued to network with wedding venues and other wedding vendors by sharing photos from past weddings which is the best thing a wedding photographer can do for! Since then, I have photographed hundreds of weddings and made several good friends as a result of my profession. My great adventure reached its pinnacle while I was working a wedding in 2013. A bride introduced me to her very handsome cousin, Ben, right after he caught the garter.
Two years later we were married! As our love has grown, so has our family. In 2016 we welcomed the little love of our lives, our darling baby Sasha. Being a full time mom and a full time photographer taught me the value of time and made me a much more productive business owner. Surprisingly, my turnaround time for delivering a wedding was cut down by a 1/3 all because I utilize every spare minute I can to edit the photos and design albums. What did I do with all that free time before I became a mom?! All in all I am a perfectionist and a very hard worker who is also “good” with money. Having come from “very little money” I am very smart with how I spend it including my business expenses. I taught myself to do everything myself from running books to post production to building my own website. One of my wedding clients described me perfectly in her recent review. “Svetlana has been a total dream! She is professional, talented, and caring. She is what you want in a best friend who also happens to own a camera”. And I think that sets me aside from others.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in wedding, boudoir and lifestyle photography.
Pricing:
- Weddings – $2500 – $8000
- Portrait Session – $500 – $700
- Mini Sessions – $300
Contact Info:
- Email: svetlana@LanaFoto.com
- Website: www.LanaFoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/svetlanaphotographyatx/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/svetlana-photography-austin
Image Credits
Svetlana Photography
