Small-Town Charm: Growing a Portrait Business With Custom Touches

Photo © Amanda Reed Photography

Sponsored by Black River Imaging

By Jeanine Moutenot

The small town of Rainelle, West Virginia, is home to 1,505 residents and is nestled in the mountains of Greenbrier County. It’s in this former coal town where photographer Amanda Reed first opened her business in 2007, and she’s been attracting clients ever since (“Living the dream from Greenbrier County,” the website proudly states). It’s a beautiful place to live and work, but running a business in a mountain town has it challenges. “Being in a rural area limits my in-house consultations, so being available by phone is very important,” Reed explains. Throughout the creative process, she sets aside plenty of time for phone calls and text messages to discuss wardrobe options, locations and ideas on posing. “I enjoy my clients; I enjoy the human experience. My job is to make my clients feel as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside,” she says.

Speaking with Amanda, you get a sense of her love for her community and the outdoors. She’s fallen into the water and had near misses with snakes during shoots, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “The client is always first, but if I can feel the grass under my toes and hear the water running from a nearby stream, we will create something amazing together, there is no doubt,” she says. She also makes sure that together, she and her clients have some fun. “Laughter is the key and laughing at myself is a great ice breaker. I find that if you can be real with your clients they will be real with you,” she explains.

As they get to know her photographic style and personality, Reed also takes care to familiarize her clients with the print products that she offers. Her studio’s specialty are photographs printed and presented in Folio Collection Boxes from Black River Imaging. The handcrafted boxes hold individual, double-sided Folio Collection Prints in a variety of sizes and depths. Box covers can be highly customized, offering different fabric options, faux-leather colors or photo covers printed with a glossy or matte finish. Images are printed on Black River Imaging’s ultra-thick LOFT paper, which Reed says she values for its quality: “Images printed on [the] rich LOFT paper feel very luxurious.”

A Folio Collection Box containing prints from Amanda Reed, printed on LOFT paper.

One of her studio’s special touches is to have an inspiring quote or a message included on the back of a print as a surprise after portrait sessions. “Clients have no idea what quote or message I may leave them until they receive their collection. I have seen tears of joy and belly laughs upon opening,” she says. Folio boxes are also discreet and elegant options for Reed’s boudoir work. Here too, text becomes a playful creative element. “We customize the back of a print to look like the worn paper of a love letter,” Reed says. “When the product arrives, we invite our clients to write their letters of love directly onto the thick LOFT paper. If it’s a gift to themselves, this is a wonderful place to write reminders of how they feel beautiful and empowered.”

Visiting the Greenbrier County visitor’s bureau website, you’ll find a playful suggestion: “It’s difficult to capture a true sense of the area through the lens of a camera, but we encourage you to try.” Amanda Reed captures all of the charm of her region through her business with stunning success. “I am honored to be invited to be a guest in this small window of time in people’s lives,” she says. When asked about her plans for the next year, Reed says, “My plans for the studio are to continue creating fine-art images and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We will be offering more destination sessions in 2015 after our Central Park sessions were received so wonderfully. I see a beautiful future for our business.”

Visit www.blackriverimaging.com for more information on the Folio Collection Boxes and Folio Collection Prints on LOFT paper.