01 OKO 02-24

They spent a day shooting photos and actually had
quite a good time.
Looking back now, Fuchs noted that at that point he
didn’t really understand what the camera was doing,
but was still able to take good pictures.
He would soon though as the steam picked up
quickly.
Another relative getting married the following year
asked him to do basic candid shots of the day, and
toward the end another couple asked if he’d be interested
in shooting their wedding the following year.
“My entrepreneurial brain ‘Hey, let’s try this out,’”
Fuchs said. “I was busy with construction and building
cool stuff but my body was tired. In the back of my
mind I’m wondering if I can find another way to generate
income in a way that doesn’t generate the abuse
on my body the way construction does.”
Having a successful construction business helped
him hit the ground running with a means to purchase
new equipment.
It was time to dig in and learn a few new things.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Fuchs got into the online classroom to learn as
much as he possibly could.
“I started learning how to make the camera do what
I wanted it to do,” Fuchs said. “I actually had joined
some forums, found some people and started learning
things and got into Facebook groups that were very
good about providing input. Online resources make it
easier. You can use the free stuff to get the basics and
start paying for things when you really want to start elevating
your work.”
Online tutorials and videos helped with the basics,
as did his built-in mechanical background in the construction
industry.
Photography might not often be looked at as a mechanical
process, but Fuchs was able to approach it
from that angle thanks to years on job sites with his
construction business.
“From the mechanical side of things it’s understanding
what different camera settings are going to do —
light sensitivity, focus depths, shutter speeds, finding
the balance you need
for different photo situations”
Fuchs said. “The
other thing that came
from construction was
good communication
and customer service.
Both of these are industries
where clients are investing
a decent amount
whether it’s work being
done on a home or
[photography at] a wedding.
They’re spending
hard-earned money and
we want to get them the
Tim Fuchs, TFC Photography
best possible outcome.
So I carried that customer
service aspect from construction as well, and
the mechanical side of things helped. I still do some
construction on a part-time basis, but I do construction
because I’m good at it. I do photography because
I love it.”
BUILDING A BUSINESS
TFC Photography & Film officially launched in 2016
and quickly built a client base for weddings, family
photos and high school senior portraits.
“A lot of that came about simply because we photographed
ourselves so much — my kids, my family —
and people would ask who did our family photos, so
it was word-of-mouth, organic growth, just doing the
FEBRUARY 2024 OKOBOJI MAGAZINE 41