Small Business Spotlight: Mechanicsburg teen started real estate photography business during COVID

Justin Boswell

Business Name: Bos Photography LLC

Years in Business: 3.5 years

Location: Based in Mechanicsburg

Contact: bosphotoz.com or 717-831-6073

Q: Why did you want to start this kind of business?

A: I’ve always had a really good eye for photography, but I never really thought I could make a career out of it. When I learned about real estate photography and architectural photography, I just dove right in.

Q: How did you get your start?

A: When I was 16 years old in high school, I was working on my neighbor’s farm when I saw something about a real estate photographer online telling his story and explaining his business. I was already very eager to start a business at the time; COVID had just hit so I had a lot of extra time on my hands, and I felt like I was wasting it away and squandering potential by sitting in the house doing nothing and not building something. I also knew that was the last time in my life where I’d have no bills and essentially nothing to lose. I knew when I got a car I’d have to get a job to pay for it, and then between gas and various other bills, I would never leave the security of a job because I had something to put on the line.

So at that moment I decided to use my off-time during COVID to build a business. I used the last of my money I’d saved from working on the farm and bought a camera and some basic gear. I didn’t know much about photography, especially real estate photography, which is one of the most challenging fields, but I was determined.

I started at a car dealership taking inventory photos; it was a busywork gig but it paid the bills while I learned and grew the real estate portion of the business. Once school started back up in-person, I woke up early every morning before I left to send cold emails and reach out to agents or builders. During school I was texting clients or brainstorming creative ways to get my name out. During off-campus lunch I was calling agents. And after school, as long as I didn’t have wrestling practice, I would either go to any shoots I had scheduled that day or continue to reach out and get my name out.

I spent nearly every penny I made buying new equipment to provide new services or to increase the quality of existing services (drones, 3-D cameras, better cameras, taking drone courses, etc.). I did that while balancing being a student and an athlete for about two years straight before I began to gain any traction at all, but now we’re one of the leading names in real estate photography and continuing to grow every second.

Q: What does your business sell or provide?

A: Bos Photography is a full-service real estate photography company that services all of South Central PA. We specialize in taking photos for listings going onto market, along with whatever else that client might need, including drone, video, Matterport 3-D tours, twilights, floorplans, virtual staging, virtual decluttering, and so much more.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now?

A: I’ve begun hiring new photographers and training them to produce quality content, but I’m extremely picky about who I hire and the work I deliver, so finding photographers with open schedules who can exceed expectations is my No. 1 challenge at the moment.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do or place in Cumberland County?

A: I’m big into lifting and rock climbing, so if I’m not working on the business, doing shoots or hiking the AT, you can almost always find me at Climbnasium in Mechanicsburg on the Carlisle Pike. They’re an amazing rock climbing gym with top roping and bouldering, and the people are incredibly nice. It’s just an all-around fantastic time.