Startup Story
Tamryn Lowe is the owner of Tamryn Lowe Photography based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is an international award winning photographer with a passion for helping change the way women see themselves, as well as helping businesses receive more qualified leads through being intentional with their personal branding photos. While she founded her business eleven years ago, she spent the first four years also working for other photographers and the second four years in corporate - all while running her own business at the same time.
LoA spoke to the talented Tamryn Lowe about her love of photography and her passion for helping others to positively change their lives and the image they have of themselves.
What does your company do?
Help people exist in photos to improve their lives!
1. I help women in particular, by bringing them into studio and giving them a full portrait experience. They get to experience a day of being pampered, they get to see how incredible they can and do look, they get to realize that they too can look like those women on the cover of magazines that they have been comparing themselves to for all their lives. And most of all, they get a massive confidence and self-value boost so that they get to walk out of that studio knowing that they are 100% worthy of chasing their wildest dreams!
2. I help businesses appeal to their target market through images that they love. Using very intentional light, colour, pose, expression etc., I create images that are appealing and speak to their ideal target market helping businesses get more qualified leads.
“I love photography. I love the way photos can transport you back to certain times in your life. How they can evoke particular feelings.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I love photography. I love the way photos can transport you back to certain times in your life. How they can evoke particular feelings. And most of all, I love how I could see people change and blossom before my eyes when they saw photos of themselves that they loved.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
My focus is entirely on providing the client with photos that they absolutely love of themselves. On a business level this makes marketing and establishing a known and recognized brand so much easier. But the bigger difference comes on the personal level. When people see photos of themselves that they love, something inside them shifts, and they start to value themselves more. And then there is a snowball effect, when people can see their own value, they go after their dreams and they start curating the life that they want for themselves.
“My focus is entirely on providing the client with photos that they absolutely love of themselves.”
Tell us a little about your team
I work with a handful of carefully selected, truly amazing, make-up artists and hair stylist who come in on shoot days to help my clients if they want hair and make-up done. And then behind the scenes I have a small team who I outsource the majority of my retouching to. This helps me spend more time taking care of my clients and working on my business!
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I founded my business 11 years ago, and for the majority of those years struggled with my confidence, my money, and my life. One of the big reasons I ended up getting a corporate job was for the salary, but I had to keep at my photography after hours and on weekends to fuel the fire in my soul. Three years ago, I went on an incredible journey of discovering my own self value. Leading to the evolution of my business to what it is today - where my main focus is on helping others go through a similar journey and discovering their own self value, one beautiful, powerful image at a time.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
While I would love to give you the 20 year plan, I'm going to rather spend the time working towards those goals than just talking about them.
“I cannot put into words how incredible it is when I have my clients arrive for their portrait/photo session all nervous and shy, and then as we get into the shoot, I get to witness them come alive, and blossom.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Seeing how I can play a small role in changing people’s lives!
I cannot put into words how incredible it is when I have my clients arrive for their portrait/photo session all nervous and shy, and then as we get into the shoot, I get to witness them come alive, and blossom. I get to see them falling in love with themselves. I get to hear them talking about their dreams, and then I get to hear the shift in their tone, in their words and in their energy when they realize that those dreams don't have to just be dreams. I see them, before my very eyes, realize that they are worthy of chasing down those goals and creating the life they want for themselves.
And then I start to see it happen!! I see, on social media, or when they reach out to me, how slowly they are walking towards their dreams and achieving whatever goals they set.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Find your "Why". And if it doesn't come to you when you find your 'why', find your value in your 'why'. And focus on that every single day!
Contact or follow Tamryn Lowe Photography
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | EMAIL info@tamrynlowe.co.za
Why LoA loves it…
There is always something truly heartwarming about reading the story of a woman entrepreneur who is able to turn her passion into a business, and as a result, positively impact other people’s lives. Tamryn Lowe is one of those women entrepreneurs, and her passion and talent for photography is channeled into making her clients’ feel confident in their personal images and themselves. Through her business she is helping others to fulfill their potential in life and in the process, helping them to fall in love with themselves too. Inspirational! — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa