May 15, 2017

Meet Erin Fitzmaurice of Erin by Design

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Fitzmaurice.

Erin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always loved photography. I remember when I was about 10 years old I got my first film camera. I would walk around my backyard taking pictures of acorns (who takes pictures of acorns?) In high school I started taking a photography class and that is really when my love for the art bloomed. I purchased an old Minolta camera and, as I learned all the technical stuff, I starting getting really creative. I would take pictures of anything. I remember one time I found an apple that someone must have thrown out of their car window and put it in a snow bank to look like something out of Snow White. I know, gross that I picked up some random half eaten apple, but the picture came out beautifully! Back then it was all film. There was something exciting about not knowing how your images turned out and taking the effort to develop everything by hand. Its stuff like that I truly love. Someday I will build my own dark room and go back to those roots! I didn’t start taking picture of other people until I went to college. I bought my very first DSLR camera and would take pictures of friends, couples, babies, you name it. After my first few sessions I realized I should probably be asking for money! (Daft little Erin) I carry my camera around with me everywhere. I even have a smaller camera I take with me on trips as well. You never know when something will pop up that will make a stellar photo. Now, my work is definitely a mix of portraits and art, but I love them both equally. Whenever I get a phone call from a friend of relative asking for me to take their picture or telling me they may have a client for me I am over the moon! There is nothing quite like doing what you love for a living, and having your clients love your work as well.

Great, 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?
Definitely not a smooth road! My biggest struggle has been getting my name out there in order to get clients I’m not related to! I have signed up on service websites, like Thumbtack, but that only gets you so far. In college I majored in Marketing Communications so now I am very much trying to build my brand and continue to get my name out there. It’s an everyday struggle, but word of mouth has definitely been a good friend to me. Even still, I have to work a full-time job in order to pay my bills. I’m hoping someday I can open up a studio and practice photography and design full-time.

Erin by Design – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Erin by Design started as just photography but has slowly added in Graphic Design and Marketing. I try to use all my assets to help as many people as possible. What I truly try to emphasize is pure focus on the client. All my work, no matter what the medium is, I want the people I am working for to feel that I am channeling their personality and strengths into my product. There is nothing worse than putting your all into a project and having the client not like it. I want to keep people up to date every step of the way. I believe this sets me apart from bigger companies out there. Photography wise, I talk to my clients as I take their picture in order to get to know them and have them relax. Most of my photos end up looking very much candid, instead of posed, and that is how I like it. (My subjects love it as well.) I want you to feel the personality emanating from the portrait. From a graphics perspective it’s the same way. I sit down and talk to clients about their companies or events so I can make sure whatever I am designing for them matches their personality in the same way my photography does.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I took the portraits of 3 sisters last December so they could use them as a gift for their grandparents (great gift option!) I had so much fun that I couldn’t wait to go home and edit them. I got everything done so fast and sent them a few as a preview. They loved them! They sent me a long email saying how beautiful the work was and how happy they were that the pictures portrayed their personalities. They also thanked me for not only making the experience so much fun, but getting the photos to them so fast. Its reactions like that that make me proud of the work I do. I absolutely love how confident and happy my work can make people feel.

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