Last week, Her Campus Oregon attended the Social Media Club meeting which hosted professional photographer, lifestyle blogger, and social media expert Valorie Darling. Darling, a former Duck cheerleader and SOJC alum, Skyped in to the meeting to talk about her career path, share some advice, and answer questions for students. As a professional photographer, Darling has photographed notable people such as Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell from the Bachelor, and Lauren Conrad! However, Darling specializes in and mostly shoots weddings and couples. Some of her work has been featured in People, US, InStyle and The Knot magazines.
Darling shared many valuable pieces of advice with the group of 25. First, she mentioned how important social media has been in helping her to create a community and build connections. Through building her social media presence, Darling has been able to connect with other photographers and lifestyle bloggers who support each other and share tips. Social media has been a great outlet for Darling to answer questions for other photographers, and learn how she can even improve her own work and style. Social media has also helped Darling find new clients and increase her exposure.
She continued on by telling group members that one of the biggest ways she was able to jump start her career as a photographer was by cold calling and direct messaging people and companies to get business and work gigs! In her words, “Don’t be afraid of “no’s”! Make it a goal to get 20, and you never know how many “yes’s” you’ll get along the way.” Valorie shared that in order to get more business, she really had to put herself out there. Once she was no longer afraid of getting rejections, she opened up many doors along the way from the yes’s she did receive!
Finally, Valorie had advice for those of us searching for jobs and internships. Valorie has had a few interns herself who have helped with both the photography and social media sides of her business. Her advice was, “Do your research and be clear about what you want to do and why you want to do it.” To her, it is obvious when job applicants are unprepared and haven’t done their research about her or her business. She advises that doing research ahead of time will show how passionate you are and how badly you actually want the position! In addition, being specific about what you want to do and why you want to do it can help both you and your potential employer determine if the position is the right fit for you!”
The hour long Skype call was very informative. Darling brings so much passion, creativity, and positivity to her work. Her photographs are simply stunning as they have a light, airy, and dreamy feel. If you want to check out her work, you can find Valorie Darling on Instagram and Twitter as @valoriedarling. Thank you to the Social Media Club for inviting Her Campus Oregon to the meeting!
The Social Media Club meets every other Thursday at 6 P.M. in Allen 141.