Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Irizarry.
Hi Amanda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Our story began in Charlotte, NC in May of 2014. I met my now-husband on a blind date set up by a mutual friend. As most of us know, these types of scenarios usually never last, but we haven’t spent a moment apart since that first day. We have gone on many adventures together and enjoy photography, traveling, and camping any chance we get. Knowing we wanted to start a family, we moved closer to relatives in Knoxville in 2015 where our love soon blossomed into a party of three.
One weekend in 2018, while at a work conference in Atlanta with my “day” job, I saw the cutest little photo both inside of a VW bus. I told my coworker that I was going to bring something similar to Knoxville. Of course, they nod and give you that “You totally should” response, never expecting it to actually happen. When I got home I hit the ground running and started scouring Craiglist and Marketplace for ideas, and that’s when I came across “Luna.”
Luna was the traveling Photo Camper we had custom-built for our needs. We would take her to weddings, festivals, community events, birthdays, and pretty much anything that could warrant a photo booth. It was such an amazing feeling seeing people’s eyes light up when they saw this adorable mint green vintage camper pull up to an event and transform into a high-quality Photo Booth. We had different backdrops for people to choose from, instant prints, customizable templates, a high-quality DSLR camera, and professional lighting. It simply was – amazing!
Fast forward to 2020 – events were getting canceled left and right, and we had to find a way to pivot. I spent the greater part of the year sewing masks for the community, including California, New York, Chicago, and even Alaska!
When the event world started to open up again, I quickly learned that clients no longer wanted their guests to be in such close quarters inside the camper, and while we always offered our open-air booth for indoor events it was quickly becoming the most requested package. We made the hard decision in January 2021 to sell Luna – our believed Photo Camper and focus on our Open Air Booth.
Little did I know, this would be the best decision so far. I was now able to work events by myself (if I’m being honest, I’m not good at trailering a camper!) We ended up booking more indoor events (goodbye unpredictable weather) and were also able to provide a better price point to our customers while still upholding the same level of passion, quality, and uniqueness that we had been known for. As we wrap up 2021 with a bang, we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us!
Not only do we love making people laugh and smile, we really like being at events! So if you ever see us out, we encourage you to come to say “hey” and see firsthand the enjoyment we have while making sure your Photo Booth experience is something to remember. We want to be able to share this passion with Knoxville, and surrounding areas (Yes, we travel!).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting the photo booth portion of our business was the easy part, I would spend hours perfecting settings on the camera and learning how to make our photos look amazing. The passion was burning and I was ready to absorb all I could about the photo booth world.
I would say the struggle of just learning how to open a business was the hardest part for us. The more I learned, the more I realized I didn’t know. Everything from setting up my LLC to learning about what taxes I need to file was definitely not the easiest thing to learn.
Social media and marketing is also something that is constantly evolving and staying up with the latest trends and algorithms can be a little challenging.
We’ve been impressed with The Shutter Bird Photo Booth, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We started our Photo Booth in 2018, and take pride in the quality of work that we put out while also making customer service a top priority. When a customer comes to me and tells me they’ve found a cheaper option, I challenge them to compare our work and amenities to what they would be getting with the “cheap option”.
Our Photo Booth is a unique wooden open-air-style booth that is aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. I can guarantee you won’t see a duplicate of it around! We also provide our clients with a variety of packages to fit different budgets. One of my favorite things is when we get to provide our clients with a memory book, where we put an extra copy of each photo into a scrapbook and the guests can sign it and write a little note.
It gets handed to the client at the end of the evening and it’s so cool to see them flip through the pages and watch them smile and laugh as they reminisce on their special day.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I would say my favorite childhood memory is spending time with my Grandparents in Connecticut. They had horses, dogs, and cats and something delicious was always baking in the oven. When I think about that time, I remember playing outside in the fresh snow with the dogs, the sun had gone down and the only light was the giant spotlight illuminating the backyard.
I would glace at the house and my grandma would always wave at me through the window with a warm welcoming smile while my grandpa was probably tinkering in the garage building something or changing out the record on the record player – he was a big fan of Frank Sinatra.
When it was time to come inside, she would have warm tea or hot chocolate ready for me and there was always a slice of Entenmann’s coffee cake – I haven’t bought that in years, but I always smile as I walk by it in the grocery store and thing back to those times.
Contact Info:
- Email: theshutterbird@gmail.com
- Website: www.TheShutterBird.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshutterbirdphotobooth/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheShutterBirdPhotoBooth/
Image Credits
Amanda Irizarry
