“Believe in you, and work with a mentor. Self-belief is the thing that will keep you going when no one else is there to keep pushing you. And working with a mentor because they’ll give you the tools you need to move forwards.” – Emma Wilding

Founder@ Interview

Interview with Emma Wilding

“Believe in you, and work with a mentor. I know that’s 2 pieces but I couldn’t keep it down to one! Self-belief is the thing that will keep you going when no one else is there to keep pushing you, you need to convince yourself that it’s possible and that you’re the person who will make it happen. And working with a mentor because they’ll give you the tools you need to move forwards, whilst also reassuring and supporting you through all of the ups and downs of running a business. Don’t underestimate the right support system..” – Emma Wilding

Today we feature Emma Wilding, the founder at Pursuit Images. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.

Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
I’m a photographer who initially specialised in equine photography, having been raised around horses, they have always been my first love and are very much in the blood as I’m from a family of horsemen.

As well as being an avid equestrian, I’m also quite an artistic individual who has often found a release in creating art, especially during my teenage years when I first started struggling with depression, it has always been a way to make sense of the world and often create something beautiful from it all.

Outside of work and horses, I take great joy in my other chosen sport, powerlifting. I’ve been lifting for as long as I’ve been running my first photography business (6 years), and love the technical element that comes alongside this sport, analysing each lift, finding ways to make movements more efficient, and seeing myself gradually get stronger.

It gives me the perfect mental release from focusing on work too, as I’m a bit of a workaholic, and, like many of us who run our own business, struggle to stop thinking about work 24/7!

I’ve always been a passionate, driven person, with an eye for perfection, setting myself incredibly high standards for everything I do, tie that in with inheriting my mother’s stubbornness and you get someone as ambitious as myself!

A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?

Before launching my fist business, SkyLimit Photography, I worked as a groom at various different yards over the years. When I dropped out of college at 17, I thought I wanted to work with horses full time, but soon after working as a groom full time (A groom is someone who looks after the day to day care of someone’s horses, this can be for someone who just needs an extra hand on the yard, or up to working for full time professional riders) I realised this wasn’t the path I wanted to take.

After 3 years of this, at the age of 19, having been taking photos of horses for fun and for the people I was working for, I saw that a local yard needed a photographer to cover their equestrian events, so I reached out and said I could do that for them. This was where my first business, SkyLimit Photography was really born.

From there, I reached out to a number of venues to try and fill up my diary. Money was extremely tight, I had gone from full time pay to scraps of whatever I could get, it was fortunate that I was still living at home otherwise I couldn’t have afforded to do this.

I always had the dream of purely doing private photoshoots, eventually planning on dropping the events coverage, as that wasn’t where my heart was after a few years, I yearned for more creativity.

In October 2019, I visited a small tradeshow for photographers, and one of the guest speakers was Damian McGillicuddy, I was incredibly inspired by his talk, and wanted to speak to him about the mentoring program he was running. At this point I was feeling incredibly stuck, knowing where I wanted my business to be, but having no idea how to get there.

After speaking one on one with Damian, I made the decision to join his mentoring program as of January 2020. As we all know, 2020 was a hard year, but it was one that rapidly sped up the trajectory of SkyLimit Photography. With all events cancelled due to COVID, I was able to really focus on how I was going to shift the business from events coverage, to private shoots, all with the help of Damian as my mentor.

With this new found confidence, I finally found the push within me to make another dream come true.

I absolutely adore being in the gym, I love speaking to likeminded individuals who are driven in their training, and I personally think that a well sculpted physique is a thing of true beauty.

This is why I’d always wanted to photograph those with fantastic physiques. The idea of carving out muscle with off camera flash, shaping a physique under the lights, that got me really excited, but I’d never had the confidence to really go after that dream.

But after seeing how I was able to move SLP to where I wanted to, and having a new mindset of “Stop putting things off” thanks to Covid (Covid really helped put some things in perspective!), I decided to approach a friend who is an WBFF Pro, to ask her if I could photograph her totally free of charge to start building a portfolio.

I knew I had to shove myself into finally taking that first step, because once the first step was made, in my mind, there was no turning back. I had to make this happen.

From there I reached out to a few more people I knew, and put a wanted posted out on my personal instagram, looking for people (mainly women, but I was willing to work with one or two men as well, to add another string to my bow in the way of experience) who would be willing to be photographed in a gym setting, for me to create images for my portfolio.
Just for time frame, that fist conversation took place around May 2021, and was 25 (26 as of January 2022).

Over the course of May – July 2021, I did 5 portfolio shoots. That probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but alongside this, I was still running SLP, and with the summer months being my busier season, I was stretching myself extremely thin. I had a number of private shoots with SLP, plus freelancing a few days for a large equine events company, having to keep up with all marketing, keeping things running smoothly and keeping on top of editing for all the images I was shooting.

I did all the work to set up myself. This meant from thinking about what on Earth to name this new business I was building, through to logo design, branding, website building, and making up the framework of how I wanted everything to look and run.

I was thankful for all the experience from running SLP that I had a basic idea of how I wanted everything to run.

When choosing a name for this new venture, I wanted something that inspired the ethos behind the brand. I wanted to honour those who put some much work, so much sacrifice, and so much dedication into building a phenomenal physique or having flawless performance every time they put their hands on the iron. I know that obsession, because it’s what I’m like, I wanted my brand to speak to those who think and feel like me. The gym and training being an obsession for greatness.

So I thought about the kind of journey we’re on to be the absolute best we can be; it’s a Pursuit. A Pursuit of excellence.
And that’s when the name “Pursuit images” was born, with the tag line “Capturing you in your pursuit of excellence.”

Over those months, I worked constantly, barely finding the time to take days off (Not something I would recommend as someone who is trying to find a healthy balance!!).

I was so stressed that I constantly felt nauseous when I tried to eat, struggled to sleep enough thanks to nightmares, cried more times than I care to count, but I knew this was all only temporary. I knew that once it was out into the world, I could breathe a little.
Come September 6th 2021, the website was ready, posts were scheduled, images edited, branding finalised. It was launch day.

I can’t explain the level of pride that this put into me. Knowing that at the age of 25, I’d just launched my second business all by myself, I’d actualised a dream that had been in my head for years, put in the time and graft, and brought it to life.

Since moving from being a full time groom and starting my first business at 19 (A business which is now wildly successful and definitely a dream come true in itself!), to the present day, I’ve transformed into a totally different woman.

I’m so much more confident in myself, I know what I want in this world and know that I have the power within me to go after it. With a camera on at the end of my arm, I’ve gone from shy and nervous, to a friendly professional who moves with poise and self assurance.

I’m so proud of how much I’ve grown, and I completely believe that this growth is down to the moves I’ve forced myself to make in business.

Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?

Pursuit Images offers both private and commercial phototshoots. I work with those who have put in the hours of time and dedication both in and out of the gym to build an incredible physique and want to honour that with high quality images that sculpt out every inch of muscle.

I also work with fitness professionals and businesses within the fitness space who need quality images that help their brand/ business stand out both in the online space, and in print.

Visual marketing is huge in this day and age, the online space is saturated, so brands need high quality images that will catch the eye of their potential customers.

Pursuit Images is based just outside of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, but offers UK wide coverage.

What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?

The biggest thing has to be pure determination and shoving myself to “do the scary thing” – this is a sticky note I have on my front door that I see every time I leave, this reminds me to do the thing that I’ve been putting off, the thing that makes me uncomfortable, the thing that seems a little bit scary, because that’s what’s going to push my business to where I want it to be.

One of the main things that has helped me move forwards, is take the plunge and working with a mentor. When I started working with him, the biggest barrier was money, but shifting the mindset into seeing mentoring as an investment has paid off.

Without the guidance from Damian, all of my dreams would still be miles away. He’s given me the tools I need to step up my work to the level where I want it, the skills I need to market effectively, and the confidence and guidance that we all need when we start to have a wobble.
I’ve learnt to ignore all the online chatter and the temptation of the “shiny things” that we see as yet another online course or a targeted ad on my Facebook feed.

The problem with taking all the different course is the constant mixed messages, one person will day X is the solution, whilst another will day X is the problem. It’s hard to stay true to yourself and focus on just one strategy with all the online chatter, you’ve got to learn to tune it out and ignore it.
People skills and relationship building has been another big one.

I’m an introvert, so it’s quite easy for me to go full hermit and not socialise for a week, I’ve had to learn to be more sociable, to connect with people and find ways to make them feel valued.

Making clients feel cared for, no matter how much I have on my plate, means the service I provide goes that extra mile, because at the end of the day, photography is a personal service. It’s the industry of making people feel good about themselves, and that is something I really love.

Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?

It’s hard to come up with one single biggest lesson, going it alone and building a business to support me has been one lesson after another, from learning how to resolve problems for clients (not matter how tricky the situation may be!) in a way that keeps them happy, to learning how not to take anything personally, which can be hard when you pour your heart and soul into you work.

I guess the biggest turning point was learning that no on gives a damn about you, they only care about what you can do for them. And I don’t mean that in a “the world is cruel and cold” kind of way, just in an observational manner, learning how to direct my message to be all about the client, whilst still revealing enough about myself so they know the kind of person who will be photographing them, has been a real game changer in my marketing.

It’s something that’s been quite a tricky balance to find.
When it comes to challenges, comparison has been a major issue. Seeing what looks like huge amounts of success from my competition when I’m in a rough spot has, at times, wreaked havoc on my mental health. I’ve had to learn how to step away, stop the comparison, unfollow or mute on social media, and focus on what I’m doing and where I’m going instead of constantly comparing.

The quote “comparison is the thief of joy” has never been truer than when I’m in a downward spiral of comparison. Focus on you, notice when you’re comparing, analyse any underlying emotions, and understand that we’re all on a very individual journey.

Time off is essential.
The amount of times I’ve been burning myself out, working constantly, a stressing more and more, thinking that the solution is working more, when the actual solution is taking time off.

If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell my younger self that you’re going to make it, embrace your weird, it’s what makes you the photographer you are, and understand that the right people will find you.

Something that always motives me was someone once commenting “but you can’t really make enough to live off photography really, can you!” And all I wish I could say to that person now is “watch me.”
Sometimes I think it would have been easier to just have a normal job, to forget about work the moment I clocked out, to not have to stress about money because of the consistent paycheck, but I know I wouldn’t be happy in life. Normal jobs just aren’t for me, I’m built for a different life where I make my own rules.

We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?

1.The first tool is Facebook business suite – without post scheduling I would never be able to keep up with posting! I’ve got 2 business which I like to post 7 days a week for, so that’s 14 posts per week!

2. A physical diary and calendar. I know that seems pretty old fashioned, but I’m very much a pen and paper person. I like to have a calendar that gives me a view of the month, I can see how close together bookings might be, and it gives me the ability to ensure I’m getting the time off that I need. I then refer to the diary for more detail on any bookings that I have. Without this combination, I’d been booking all sorts of things back to back and burning myself out.

3. I haven’t got a number 3, but I am considering looking into a virtual assistant. With both businesses continuing to grow, I need to be able to free up my time to provide the best possible service directly to my clients.

What do you know now that you wished you had known before?

Time off is essential.
The amount of times I’ve been burning myself out, working constantly, a stressing more and more, thinking that the solution is working more, when the actual solution is taking time off.

Last year was incredibly full on, and I had points where I’d been totally burnt out with no end in sight, and each time I’d taken the time for myself, I’d been able to decompress an come up with creative solutions to problems which seemed to big and scary to solve.

I bought myself a calendar for 2022 and preplanned all of my time off to ensure I didn’t end up burnt out like I have last year.

What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?

Launching Pursuit Images.
The fact that I was able to find the courage and drive to go after this dream and make it a reality fills me with a huge amount of pride in myself, it makes me feel unstoppable.

What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?

To purchase my dream home by the age of 30 and maintain a healthy work/life balance whilst I do it.

I spend my life in extremes, and I’ve been grafting and growing my businesses for the last few years, but I don’t want to have to live life at 100mph, it’s not sustainable.

I want a property to call my own, that’s a safe haven of peace for me, whilst running 2 amazing businesses that support me and allow me to have the time outside of work to engage in the other things that I love.

To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?

Believe in you, and work with a mentor.
I know that’s 2 pieces but I couldn’t keep it down to one! Self belief is the thing that will keep you going when no one else is there to keep pushing you, you need to convince yourself that it’s possible and that you’re the person who will make it happen.

And working with a mentor because they’ll give you the tools you need to move forwards, whilst also reassuring and supporting you through all of the ups and downs of running a business. Don’t underestimate the right support system.

“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and Pursuit Images”

To learn more about Pursuit Images Visit www.pursuitimages.uk

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