The drive to be the recommended commercial photographer in Lincoln.

When Chris Vaughan Photography was launched in October 2011, I wanted to be the number one recommended commercial photographer in Lincoln. I wanted to be trusted by my clients to deliver their image requirements.

Looking back, I think I also wanted to prove that I could be a successful photographer running my own business, and I hadn’t fully thought about what would define success for the business. Honestly, I hadn’t considered the importance of the phrases "trusted" and "recommended" when thinking about what I wanted to achieve. Maybe at the time, the thought was that if I could win an award for my work, that would demonstrate my success - being able to label myself an award-winning photographer. Over time, I realised the trust and recommendations from those that I work with were more important.

Clients trusting me to deliver images for them, or recommending me to their contacts is a large part of judging how successful I am in business. It shows me that I am running my business by the values and beliefs I have developed.

I had a lot to learn over the first few years of being a business owner. And that’s not to say I’ve finished learning. I’d never run a business before. In fact, I never really had an intention of running my own business. I wanted to be a photographer out and about taking pictures and not worrying about the business's financial, admin and marketing side.

As I celebrate 12 years of running my own business this week, I’ve been reflecting on where my business has grown in this period. I feel privileged to work with the clients I do. My photography has grown and (excuse the pun) developed from being a local press photographer into a commercial and business photography. Learning new skills that have allowed me to offer drone photography services alongside what I could only previously offer.

Have I reached the pinnacle of my business? No. Not yet. I still have plenty more to achieve and to learn. The drive to be the recommended photographer for commercial photography still drives me on every single day.

As I take five minutes to write this post, I feel proud of the number of clients I work with who repeatedly commission me for commercial photo shoots. Or those, who move company they work for and continue to use my photography. For me, this is a sign of how trusted I am by my clients. It's hard to put into eloquent words how important this is for me - knowing my photography has played an important part in my client's marketing content.

So, to those who trust me to deliver images for them. Thank you. For those who have the confidence in me that they are able to recommend me to their clients. Thank you. You’ve all helped me reach 12 years in business.

One of my core beliefs and values is that I work in partnership with my clients, not for them. So here’s to many more years of successful collaborations!