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Stories

July 19, 2024

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Photography is not just about capturing images. For some, it can be about preserving memories, telling stories, and expressing emotions.

In today’s visually-driven world, high-quality photography has become more important than ever, yet it often remains out of reach for many due to its high costs.

Enter Shoott, an AAPI female-run startup co-founded by Jennifer Tsay and Jennifer Yeh, redefining photography with an innovative, affordable approach. Their pay-per-photo model offers free 30-minute sessions, allowing clients to pay only for the photos they love, creating a win-win situation for both photographers and clients.

Jennifer Yeh (left) and Jennifer Tsay (right) co-founded Shoott after recognizing the financial struggles many photographers face in the gig economy.

In June 2018, they tested this idea in New York City, and it worked. Clients loved the convenience and affordability, and photographers appreciated the improved logistics and reduced travel time. The company grew rapidly during the pandemic, expanding to over 60 cities in the US and increasing revenue from $807K in 2019 to $9MM in 2023.

In an exclusive interview with Asian Hustle Network, Jennifer Tsay shared Shoott’s inspiring journey, the challenges they faced, and their vision for the future.

The Inspiration Behind Shoott

As an actor and creative, Jennifer Tsay saw firsthand how most artists struggle because their lives are gig to gig. You may have one gig a week, two in totally different places, or sometimes none at all. This led them to develop a business model with two complementary goals:

  • Goal #1: Improve logistics for the photographer.
  • Goal #2: Create a hard-to-resist offer for clients.

This blossomed into Shoott’s unique model which offers free photo sessions with clients only paying for the photos they want, and photographers benefiting from Shoott handling all marketing, scheduling, and logistics on top of a minimum hourly rate plus commissions.

A joyful family of four poses together, captured by Shoott

Early Challenges and Indicators of Success

Starting Shoott came with the typical hurdles of first-time entrepreneurship. The team had to learn quickly, constantly test hypotheses, and maintain strict alignment on goals. They also faced skepticism from photographers who feared exploitation. Shoott navigated this by ensuring transparency and creating a model where photographers’ earnings were directly tied to the company’s success. Positive client feedback and growing demand confirmed they were on the right track, with Shoott maintaining a 4.8 star rating on Google and expanding to over 60 cities in the US.

Staying Relevant in a Changing Industry

Shoott stays ahead by engaging with photographer communities, reading industry trends, and listening to feedback from clients and photographers. This constant evolution helps Shoott remain relevant and meet the changing tastes and demands of its clientele.

According to Tsay, “It’s also crucial to always stay sharp on what’s trending on social media in terms of tastes and demand. What do people like? What do people value? What are people trying to convey about themselves? This has so many implications for what we provide as a service and also how we approach our brand as a whole – to run a brand is to be continually evolving!”

Community Impact and Contributions

Shoott’s mission is twofold:

  • To support freelance photographers in the community by providing a reliable source of supplemental income so artists can stay artists if they so desire; and
  • To help people in the community capture their life moments both big and small with a beautiful and affordable photography service. 

“We truly hope our offer creates more demand for professional photography – anything we can do to promote and normalize the habitual support of artists is a major win in our book!” Tsay shared.

A Memorable Client Story

One touching story comes from Lydia, a solo parent who praised Shoott for capturing authentic moments with her daughter. Despite financial constraints, Shoott’s affordable model allowed Lydia to obtain high-quality photos that she otherwise couldn’t afford.

Diversity and Inclusion

Shoott is an AAPI female-run startup that prioritizes diversity and inclusion. They ensure varied representation in their marketing and hire team members from diverse backgrounds. Understanding the different personal commitments of their team, Shoott offers a flexible work environment, accommodating various needs while ensuring dedication to the job.

Personal Rewards

When Shoott started, their primary goal was to see if they could create a business model to balance all parties and create an ultimate win-win-win for clients, photographers, and staff. “We didn’t know if we could do it, but we had to try,” Tsay shared.

“What’s been personally rewarding is to see that we could start with this really ambitious goal and actually make it a reality. It sounds nuts to be able to make a business that offers free photo sessions work, but we just achieved profitability last year for the first time. It’s so gratifying to see that when we put our minds to something, we can make things work. And on top of that, we provide a service that is fundamentally about gratitude and love – how many people can say that?”

Shoott co-founders Jennifer Yeh (left) and Jennifer Tsay (right), celebrating their journey from an ambitious goal to a profitable reality, provide a service centered on gratitude and love for all parties involved.

Message from Jen and Jen

In addition to our free 30 minute consumer offer, we’re so proud to be building out our headshot and branding offer for teams, organizations, and conferences. We realized how many people hate having their photo taken and we wanted to provide a fun and empowering experience for folks while delivering high quality photos to support their endeavors. If your team is in the market for new and affordable headshots, please let us know!

Connect with Shoott

IG: @shoottphotos

TikTok: @shoottphotos 

Facebook: Shoott

LinkedIn: Shoott

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Connect With Jennifer Chun

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