We had the good fortune of connecting with Logan Harding and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Logan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always had a passion for the photo and video work that I do. I got a bachelor’s degree in Media and knew I wanted to start my own business when I graduated. I ran it as a side gig for 6 years while building experience with a few part time jobs and finally 4 years in corporate, also doing video and photo work. I’ve been let go from jobs twice in my past, and I decided I wanted more stability for my family and no income cap. Running my own business was the perfect solution. I took it full time in March of 2020 and it has proven to be extremely successful! God has blessed and given me favor in the community, and I couldn’t be happier!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
An old family friend gave me a camera when I was 8. I never put it down. I wen’t broke developing film thru high school, and knew that photography was my thing. In high school, I got an internship at a small Christian film studio and dipped my feet into the video world. It was a great addition to photography, and going to college for media was a natural decision. I had a natural eye for it, but never any real training. I started freelancing in college and got into family portraits, senior portraits, and weddings for photography and video. After graduating, I landed a job in real estate photography on the Emerald Coast in FL. I learned the real estate side of photography from them shooting HDR photos for beach condos and homes. It was an awesome place to learn! What I didn’t have, was the editing skills. After 8 months with them, I was let go because they needed someone who could do it all at a pro level. That was 2 weeks before my wedding. My wife and I got married with no job and an apartment to pay for. We ended up getting 5 part time jobs between the two of us. I was still doing photography and video on the side, but it never took off to really support us. I ended up landing a corporate job in NC working in the e-Learning for Healthcare industry doing video content for their courses! I learned a lot on the video side of things while there since I was the one heading up all the video media in that department and we were always trying to push the boundaries with mobile content. While working there, I kept my side business going and connected with another small media company who would hire me to shoot and edit for them. We did everything from weddings, to events, to marketing video for a NASCAR team! They were an amazingly talented group, and taught me the ins and outs of video editing like I’d never seen before. While working with them and corporate, I started specializing in lifestyle portrait photography for branding small businesses and freelancers like myself. It was the perfect niche for the market I was in. After 4 years in corporate, I was let go in a restructure. My wife and now 2 kids and I moved in with friends while looking for more work and trying to ramp my business. In the next 10 months, I got another part time job in real estate photography, and I learned all I could about the business end of it. I had the shooting and editing down, but learning the business side of real estate media was new, and so simple! Eventually, we decided to move to Tucson since we had family there, and we’d always wanted our kids to be closer to family. We moved in March of 2020, and I jumped full time into my business focusing on the real estate niche. I duplicated the business model I’d learned in NC for the last several months, and it took off! While working for the real estate company in NC, I focused a lot on video for real estate and used that time to take some courses on it and come up with my own style. Bringing that to Tucson in the market that hit during the pandemic was amazing. It was all perfect timing, and realtors loved the fast paced unique style of video I brought to the market. I added drone work to it shortly thereafter, and took it all to a new level. I also wanted to improve the photography side, so I got in a group of pro design and real estate photographers on Facebook and started learning flash photography and composition for architecture and design from them. After a month of learning, I dropped HDR photography and went full flash photos. I landed a few interior design clients, and it’s grown from there!

It’s been hard, but learning to pivot and grow has made it possible to succeed. I’ve since added automotive marketing, social media marketing and management, and event media to my business. If there’s one thing I want the world to know, it’s that God is faithful to provide for those who seek Him. I’m only here and doing this well because of Him and His grace on my family. He doesn’t promise riches and an easy life, but He does promise to be faithful. We’ve been in some hard, dark places with no money and not sure where the next meal is coming from on this journey, but my family has always had a roof, clothes, and food. We’re finally at a place where hard work is paying off and life is getting a little easier.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Coffee shops are a HUGE part of my life! I LOVE coffee and work at shops all the time when editing. I would take friends/family to Viva Coffeehouse for sure. They have an awesome atmosphere and really know their stuff! I’d also take them to Tucson Coffee Roasters for very similar reasons. We’d have to go on a drive up Mt. Lemmon one day, and hiking in Ventana Canyon another. Take a drive thru Saguaro National Monument, and grab some ice cream at the Screamery.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Matt Willis is one of my best friends and by far the best sales professional I know. He was my coach and mentor when it came to starting the business side of what I do. With his direction and way of thinking about what I do, I have been able to grow and become what I am today.

Website: www.shadowpointmedia.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/shadowpointmedia

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shadowpointmedia

Other: https://vimeo.com/user96217181

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