Matteo Araya - New Pro Community

MatteoAraya

Hi everyone! I’m Matteo Araya, a freelance photographer and videographer based in Frederick, MD, working under my own name.

I got started with photography and video because I’ve always enjoyed creating things and telling stories through visuals. What started as something I was interested in turned into freelance work, and now I get to work with couples, families, businesses, events, and local organizations to create photos and videos they can actually use and look back on.

I’m still growing my business and learning something new with every project, so I’m excited to connect with other people in the community who are doing the same thing.

One thing I’d love to ask everyone: what’s one thing you wish you knew when you first started freelancing on Thumbtack?

ArvinC

Welcome, @MatteoAraya, love the range you're working across, couples to businesses to local orgs is a solid spread for building a client base. On what's worth knowing early, profile photos and a strong intro do a lot of heavy lifting before you have reviews to lean on, especially in a visual field like yours where customers are judging your work before they even message you, so make sure your best samples are front and center. Responding fast matters a lot too, within the first hour or so while a customer's still comparing photographers, and asking for a review right after every job pays off quickly since more reviews consistently means more bookings down the line.

Curious what others in the group wish they'd known too, always good to hear a range of answers on this one.