Meet Brian + Lindsey Cowen: Contemporary Women’s Photographers + Business Coaches

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian + Lindsey Cowen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian + Lindsey, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I would honestly have to say that the biggest reason why we have seen success is because we are fiercely committed to authenticity. From our ad copy, to the way that we follow up with our leads, to the zoom calls we make and the sessions we do, every single aspect is fraught with authenticity. When we look at a person, whether it be in front of our camera or on the other side of the world via zoom, we see who they truly are and we are able to pull that out. What might come across as stiff and forced we see as shy and nervous. Those people need reassurance that they are amazing and we are able to take a picture, turn it around, and show them how amazingly naturally gorgeous they really are. What may come across as lashing out about the way that we approach our coaching with our photographer clients is really more like insecurities that need to be turned around so they can see how incredibly talented they are. We help people across the board see that insecurities are merely flashes of self doubt that are within them, not something that others actively see. When we help bring out the real person who is hiding underneath their insecurities, what emerges is someone who is strong and confident and stops caring what others think. It’s why our main campaign is called (Finally) Love Yourself. We help you to see yourself for who you really are, flaws and all, and realize that those flaws, those insecurities that you were so afraid would scare people off, are actually the reason why you are so endearing. Our studio is located in our home, and on Saturdays, Wednesdays, and any school holidays, you will find our 4 kids running around. Our two teenage daughters are typically able to help with their brothers, but there are plenty of times that our now 5 year old son will come crawl in my lap as Brian continues taking pictures or as we are on our zoom calls. We are a family and that is one of our highest accomplishments. Our love for each other and our love for others really does bring out the best in people. Whenever we get to the sales portion of our calls or at the end of our sessions, I will often hold out two hands. They symbolize for me, “Freely we give, and freely we will receive.” We offer an amazing product and service, and are paid well for what we do. But the main motivation behind what we do is not so much how much we get paid as much as how well we can serve someone. We will serve someone who pays us $400 as much as we would serve someone who pays us $4000. It is their choice to work with us, to spend money with us, and to be poured into by us. I really do think that is why this year has been our most successful year so far! We can only attribute that to loving what we do, and authentically serving those around us. When you see people for who they are and treat them as such, you will never go wrong. Brian and I see every person who walks through our door or shows up on our zoom calls as royalty, and that level of respect comes out in every aspect of what we do. I honestly feel like any business could actually benefit from doing the same!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Brian and I are photographers first and foremost. We got started shooting weddings up in Kenosha, Wisconsin 15 years ago with Brian shooting his first wedding 2 weeks after our own. We started out by shooting my roommate’s wedding, then other friends of ours, and eventually people were reaching out to us that we didn’t know! Kenosha is a relatively small town and somehow we managed to show up well using accidental SEO, so we were able to go full time in photography in 2010. In 2015, however, we started feeling a shift to move down to Atlanta where I’m from, so on October 27th, 2015 we moved down to Kennesaw. We had a vague idea of what we were going to do, but no real business sense in how to do it. Weddings, it turned out, were not our passion as much anymore. I was pregnant with our 4th child when we moved down and he ended up being born 9 weeks early after a month of bedrest on my part. We struggled with health problems with both our youngest son and with myself, and it was clear that the path that we were on was not sustainable. That was when I launched myself into learning everything I possibly could about business, photography, and what it took to really stand out amongst the crowd. During that time, I learned facebook ads really well and was able to launch several successful campaigns. However, without the filtering that needed to happen or the right follow up strategies in place, we still struggled to book everyone in that we wanted/needed to. At the end of 2019, I found an amazing mentor that really helped us launch what was already in our heart. She taught us strategies that no one else had with the organization, follow-through, and the right ad copy to get people in. There was nothing inauthentic about it. It was us being us, and it gave us the ability to call together like-minded people who wanted the same thing we did! This last year, 2020, even though we had to shut down for 7 weeks during the worst of the lockdowns, has actually been one of our most successful years yet! 2021 is looking to be even more lucrative than that as we are going to be partnering with Sarah, our mentor, to do even more mentoring, coaching, and sales around her current strategies. Her aim is to go high and to bring everyone, including ourselves, up higher with her. We can’t wait to see what happens next!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of our favorite spots are right here in Kennesaw where we live. Horned Owl Brewing is one of our favorite local date spots. Their beer is handcrafted and focused on flavor, and they deliver in that aspect. We also love all the amazing parks in the area. From Kennesaw Mountain to Sope Creek, to Red Top Mountain, and even Sweet Water Creek, there are so many different places to walk around and explore. For amazing local fare, there are places like Krogg Street, Ponce City Market, and Marietta Square Market, all touting local tastes you’ll find nowhere else. For some amazingly colorful sights, go no further than Little Five Points, which never disappoints and serves all different kinds of colorful people and sports some of the most beautiful murals and ever-changing graffiti. Speaking of murals and graffiti, the Belt Line is also a great place to walk, ride your bike, and explore. There is actually so many different parts of our city that are so amazing that even after 5 years of living here, we still haven’t even tapped the surface of what all this amazing city has to offer! Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The two main people who have influenced our lives have been two photographers: Sue Bryce for her mindset, business, sales, and pricing, and Sarah Butler for her marketing expertise and ability to push us to go in the right direction. Sue is well known in the photography world and has influenced hundreds of thousands of photographers, but it has actually been Sarah Butler’s personal mentorship that actually pushed us across the line. Sarah has believed in us when we were struggling to believe in ourselves. She helped us to be confident in what we do and has pushed us (in a good way) to pursue mentoring and coaching of other photographers. This year, she will be launching a mastermind for those ready to step up their game both in the photography world and also just in online platforms, and we are honored to stand by her side and welcome them in. The same way that we see others, she sees us, and pushes us to be better and to do better. She really is remarkable.

Website: https://brianpluslindsey.com
Instagram: @brianpluslindsey
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianpluslindsey1/
Facebook: facebook.com/brianpluslindsey
Other: Clubhouse: @lindseycowen

Image Credits
Our photo – credit Greta High All other photos are credited to Brian + Lindsey Photography