From T2i to Trailblazer
Cane Sampson of CL Photoz has always gone “all in,” and photography was no different. It all started in 2012 when Cane and Lauren moved to Norfolk; Lauren was training to be a firefighter at the time, and Cane left a tiring 12-hour-day job to go with her. He bought his first camera—the classic Canon Rebel t2i—and started making music videos. And he didn’t stop for two years, even when they moved back to McDowell. Inspired by the works of Howie McCormick and Joshua Hanna, Cane knew he wanted to be a full-time photographer. So in 2018 he took a leap and made his first trip to SYNC, where he met Lisa and learned all about PhotoDay.
What Fuels CL Photoz
Having always been a hustler, Cane decided he wanted something to call his own. Something he could pass on to their kids. Something that impacts people for the better. So they entered the world of volume photography and CL Photoz was created. What makes everything worth it are the reactions from subjects and parents when they see their photos and composites. “Maybe a kid that never even got in the game can now feel like an all-star.” CL Photoz exists for the kids and families they photograph—to give them something exciting, fresh, and new—simply put, to make others happy.
It’s not just the families that are rewarded, though! Cane’s passion for the job makes a difference: “Every day I wake up, I wanna learn something new or try a new approach...When you’re passionate about something, it’s different.”
How PhotoDay Changed Things
When Cane came back from SYNC and shared the benefits of PhotoDay, Lauren was sold—“I don’t have to do any of this data?” It seemed too good to be true, but they went all in and it’s saved them from late nights that when into early mornings of processing order forms and juggling data.
3 ways PhotoDay has helped:
- Saved the marriage from tiring arguments and freed up more time to spend together and with their kids.
- More spare time to pursue other leagues, prospect new clients, and maintain a 48-hour turnaround for every shoot.
- “I want every order to be a PD100.” More poses. Green screen. Black and white. The options are limitless, and the parents are happier with more choices.
Results
As soon as they started using PhotoDay, they instantly booked more new leagues with the pitch of “Y’all don’t have to do anything!” Time after time, the league would say they’d call back in a few days, but as soon as Cane walked out of the room, his phone would ring. By live demoing how parents can access, view, and order their photos, PhotoDay made it possible for CL Photoz to compete with the bigger studios.
Advice
There’s a learning curve, but Cane suggests jumping right in, and not just trying it out with an experimental league. The first time Cane used PhotoDay for a job, the shoot was 3 hours away, no parents were present, the kids were shuttled in, and there was a complete communication breakdown. “It would have failed even if we’d been using paper order forms. Don’t test it on a league you already don’t have high hopes for.”
We asked Cane if he had any advice to those on the fence about PhotoDay:“Jump your ass over the fence,” he laughed, “Don’t balk at the fees. The amount of time it saves allows you not to hire someone else to do all of your work. Work smarter not harder.”
