Community Highlights: Meet Criz Quinn of USA Photo Workshops

Today we’d like to introduce you to Criz Quinn.

Hi Criz, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been working as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center since my husband and I moved to Nashville in 2001. I love to travel and with it, what used to be a hobby in photography has become my second job. My focus is on travel, landscape, and aerial photography.

I am a certified commercial drone pilot and I have recently started taking lessons to pursue a private pilot license for helicopters. I consider myself to be very blessed. I have been lucky enough to keep my schedule flexible so that I can travel and be able to keep both jobs. I love what I do, both at the hospital and for my photo tour business. It truly doesn’t feel like I’m working most of the time because I enjoy what I do. Each of the jobs has become a break from the other, and neither has felt like “work” yet.

In 2015, I visited the Decode Genetics Lab in Iceland and fell in love with the country. We visited as a family several times a year and joined a good mix of big and small bus tours. Although the tours allowed us to see the main attractions of the country, it was not ideal for what I wanted to do for photography. Many of the other participants were not as friendly with the idea of a photographer slowing the group down to take shots. The tours also ran during the day, when the lighting was too harsh for landscape photography.

After much research, I found some options for photography tours that would allow me to photograph the Northern Lights with the guidance of professional photographers in small groups. I was able to meet and build friendships with photographers in the country which allowed me to co-own a photo tour company based in both the US and Iceland.

I have since partnered with two world-class photographers and expanded our company to focus on organizing more US tours as well as fully customized international workshops that are unique and tailored to specific photographer demands. We have been very successful in changing the dynamics of how photography tours are organized and conducted. We continue to pride ourselves on our small student-to-instruction ratio and because I think from the viewpoint of a participant as well, my input to give the best value to the participants has allowed us to provide the best services for our clients.

I continue to participate as a participant in these photography tours as well as organize tours for our clients from the US to some of the world’s most photogenic locations. I like to focus on the travel aspect as well and not just the photography. During our photo tours, we get to experience the local cuisine, join festivities, and also spend time learning about the local culture.

My focus is also to build a community of like-minded creatives. The time we spend traveling during a photography tour, allows us to build a deep connection with each other. My tours currently have a very high return client rate of 80-90%. Each tour has become a reunion and the new participants have always felt welcomed to the group.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It wasn’t a smooth road at all. My schedule has been very difficult to juggle especially since I chose to keep my full-time job at Vanderbilt. I have since dropped to a 30-hour per week schedule, still full-time but not as demanding as the full 40-hour week. I wanted to keep both jobs because each of them has somehow become an escape for the other one.

I enjoy both fields and I do not feel like I am working during my time at the hospital or when traveling. There is a sense of satisfaction each time I come home from a shift at work and I feel like my time there has helped several patients during the day. I feel a similar sense of satisfaction too when I come back from a tour, and I see the many amazing images from the group and hear how much fun they had during the trip.

During the Covid pandemic, the international travel industry was at a standstill. We switched our focus to running tours in the US instead. This helped us stay busy and keep our instructors employed but it was a very challenging time for us as well as many others in the field.

Another challenge for me is that the photography industry is heavily male-dominated. I had never been that intimidated if I was the only female during the tour, but there are still some who do not think you are serious about the industry or have the necessary skills to become an instructor because you are female. Finding a very supportive network of female photographers in the Sony Alpha Female community, was a huge blessing for me. This allowed me to have a safe space to share my work and inspiration to be a better photographer. Trust is also very difficult to find in such a cutthroat industry. Finding business partners who have the same goals as you as well as making sure you can trust them, is very important but not always the easiest to find in such a competitive industry.

Family and friends are also quick to judge my absence from home as the travel schedule becomes even more demanding. I have been very lucky to have a spouse and child who are very supportive. They do not want to hold me back from what I would like to achieve and they have been there for me especially when I do not have a lot of time to prepare for the next tour.

Last month, I only had 10 hours at home after a tour of the Louisiana swamps before catching a flight to Tokyo. My family picked me up from the airport at 6 pm, made sure I got the help I needed to pack for the 3-week trip to Japan, and then took me to the airport the next day at 4 am. This support is crucial for me to be able to do what I love.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We specialize in conducting small group photography tours and workshops in the US and all over the world. Our tours. We have a brilliant team of world-renowed photographers who combine their love for travel and photography to help our participants capture the beauty of the world around them.

Our tours are carefully curated and designed to take each participant on a visual adventure, unlocking hidden gems and iconic landmarks through their cameras. Our photo tours offer a unique blend of exploration, education, and creativity.

We also believe in providing intimate and personalized experiences. Our tours are limited to small groups, allowing for individual attention and fostering a sense of camaraderie among like-minded photography enthusiasts.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I jumped headfirst into this photography business without really knowing much about the business side of things. I am a scientist by profession and in retrospect, I could have done a better job if I had some business experience.

I am currently finishing a 5-course Marketing Management program with the Harvard Division of Continuing Education. My focus is on Digital Marketing and I hope that this can help me understand how to grow and market my company and its brand better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://usaphotoworkshops.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crizquinn
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/usaphotoworkshops?igsh=ODA1NTc5OTg5Nw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr