Hey There,
I'm Aaron Jetelina...
The photographer behind all this madness. On this site I teach other photographers how to earn more income and grow their business through dance studio photography whether full time or as a side hustle.
Here are a few things about me....
- I Grew up in Waco Texas - a town now known for the hit HGTV show Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gains.
- I attended a public university and studied business. At this point I already had a good grasp on photography and didn’t want this to be my main focus of study.
- I was bitten by the photography bug early and started a photography business in high school. It definitely has evolved sense then!!!
- I grew my business, making over $100,000 just photographing dance portraits 2 months out of the year.
- A proud Eagle Scout and enjoy everything the outdoors.
- My go to cocktail is a nice glass of Jameson.
- My true photography passion - Travel and landscape photography.
So what is this site all about?
There isn't one path to success as a photographer. You have endless options with services you can offer. From family or senior portraits, newborns, weddings, commercial, sports, etc. The list goes on...
The one thing I can say from experience is whatever path you take, the moment you focus on that one or two things and excel at them, your life will change.
This site is designed to help you navigate the world of dance photography, but more specifically photographing dance recital portraits. This is my go to service I offer with my business because it allows for MASSIVE returns.
I get it, being a photographer and making an income is not an easy thing to do. You don't just need to be a skilled photographer you also have to understand business.
Everyone comes to this site from different experiences, but that is good. Everyone in this community can learn and grow from each other. I'm not some guru photographer but the one thing I can do is share with you my experiences as a photographer and the process that I took in order to grow my business to what it is today.
You might be a photographer that has years of experience but are looking for a different perspective on how to grow your business. Whether you're old or young, new or experienced, you are definitely in the right place if you are wanting to learn a proven strategy in photographing dance recital portraits.
You can check out a few articles to give you an idea on what to expect from me.
My Story:
You know it hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns with my business.
I started at a young age in high school as a photographer and was apart of the school yearbook / newspaper staff. My teacher, Mr. Wilkens, inspired me to pick up a camera, and would have never thought I would be continuing that passion today.
Over the years my business evolved from being a wedding photographer to being a portrait photographer taking pictures of families, children, newborns, and everything in between.
I was just saying YES to any photography opportunity that came my way, just to get by and to grow.
The path I took as a photographer
So you would think after spending 4 years in college getting a business degree I would have it all figured out.
Well that wasn't the case, just yet....
It took me quite a while to really understand business and everything it takes to make it all work.
I had to go through a lot of pain, in order to figure out that the one thing that is required to be successful in anything is FOCUS.
When you are focused on one area of photography and are able to create a system that you can repeat and scale, then your business will grow.
There are a lot of great and successful photographers that focus only on weddings or as a new born photographer. But the one thing all of them have in common is they created a brand around ONE service.
Now, don't get me wrong, you can explore other passions and services in photography. I mean I don't JUST photograph dance portraits and have also grown a commercial photography business. Focusing and mastering a single service allows you to really understand everything about that area of photography and not just the surface.
Another mentor of mine, Doug, inspired me to change my focus and introduced me to the world of dance photography. You will see and hear more about doug throughout this site.
Why I chose to focus on Dance Photography - 3 main reasons.
- It is seasonal (2 months out of the year)
- High Volume High Margins
- Consistent predictable business every year
Because of this, I have been able to earn over six figures, every year. You can check out my income report for a breakdown. I share this information not to brag but to be transparent and to inspire you. This is a service that photographers ACTUALLY do well with and had NO clue when I first started
I can honestly say that the bulk of my income only comes from 5 of the dance schools, I work with. You don't need to photograph a lot to have a dramatic change in your business.
All of the dance schools I work with are unique in there own way with different variations. The one thing they all share in common is capturing dancers in their cute costumes.
Throughout the years I have photographed every type of dance school less than 100 dancers, some with more than 1000 dancers, and dance schools in higher and lower income areas).
I've also photographed at the dance school, dress rehearsals, and not just individual portraits but also groups.
Testing, testing, and more testing
I realized, with all the variations a dance school could have, it really didn't matter as long as you followed a system.
What am I doing next?
I'm in a good place right now if I'm being honest. I spent the last few years perfecting a process that I have proven and want to share with my readers.
The best part of my day is when a reader sends me a message telling me how I inspired them and changed their life by showing them a path to succeeding as a photographer.
That's really what it's all about for me these days. Helping as many people as possible. I don't care whether you're only wanting to photograph dance schools as a side hustle or if you're looking for a full time income from it.
I'm just here to teach what I have learned with my experiences and help you save a lot of time and headaches in your journey as a photographer.
Guys, if your truly interested in this NICHE, I have a FREE 5-day eCourse on Photographing Dance Recital Portraits.
This will really help get you started or learn something new.