The wife-and-husband tandem of Connie and Rexelle Videña is a picture of unending gratefulness and fulfillment. Together, they capture fond and unforgettable memories for clients here and overseas.
Their photography business—Freshminds Photography—has served thousands of events and occasions that are close to Filipinos’ hearts. Based in Silang, Cavite, their venture is one of the prides of the local business community.
Starting the business was tough for Connie, who was a mother and wife before she tried her hand at photography—a craft that was unfamiliar to her despite her Graphic Arts degree from Rogationist College. She had another small business, before she decided to switch to photography.
“I studied a lot. Having artistic inclination is never enough. In this profession, you have to be abreast of the trends. It took years before we became a buzzword in the events scene in Cavite. I could safely say that we have reached a certain level of popularity the moment our business turned 15, thanks to all the satisfied clients who put out a good word for us,” she said.
About 60 percent of their gigs are referrals from previous clients, the rest are occasional walk-ins and some are phone inquiries. At least 80 percent of the events are weddings, and the rest are birthdays, family events and corporate shoots.
Connie established Freshminds long before she and her second husband of almost 15 years became partners and co-owners. Divergent perspectives in life made her part ways with her first husband, with whom she had three children.
The breakup, she recalled, was a dark time. Riddled by challenges but driven by desire to provide for her family, she cut off her long hair, a ceremonial act that she said made her feel closer to her goal.
“By ridding myself of petty distractions, I was encouraged to focus on growing my business and taking care of my kids. I used to brush my hair once a day, kept my clothes choices to a bare minimum. I used to call my daily casual wear as my uniform, since I don’t have many outfits to choose from. I kept using the same set of clothes weekly. But what is saddest, by far, was not how I mistreated myself but my kids growing up with a stressed mom,” Connie said.
Personal reset
By the time she met Rexelle, Freshminds already had a following. From doing school events to weddings, birthdays and family pictorials, the photography studio moved on to corporate shoots and big-scale wedding events.
She felt that her husband’s presence in the business provided her with the balance she needed. Contrary to being a school drop-out, Rexelle, a widower, is quite adept in fixing electronics. While learning the ropes of the trade, he studied the art and emerged quite the handy guy at pictorials. He also dabbles in editing and post production.
Their passion for the craft and business provided opportunities for travel abroad. They have worked on several projects overseas, including weddings in Australia, Dubai, Indonesia and the latest was in the US. It has also become a habit for the company to engage in photography fairs and expos in the region, a bit expensive for promotion, but gives the necessary exposure to sustain international interest in the company.
Decisions for the business are also conjugal. There may be some shouting matches, at times, but everything is good when concerns are threshed out. One of the best decisions they have agreed on was an investment in an indoor theme studio, a first in Cavite, which started in the middle of the pandemic.
The studio, inspired by the Korean photography craze, became a big hit during the pandemic when the lockdowns prevented people from celebrating occasions and milestones. Memorable moments were captured on camera on an easy budget, compared to expensive location photo shoots.
The studio works on themes such as rustic, garden, living room, corporate, among others, where personal, family and corporate milestones are immortalized.
“We did a lot of photo shoots from virtual graduation theme, to families and individuals celebrating their birthdays. The pandemic was a big eye-opener for us. It made us realize that the basics was what pulled us through the crisis and not the lavish onsite events that were the thing before the pandemic,” Connie said.
Freelancers are also allowed to use the studios for a token fee, especially during pandemic when the public gigs and events were still taboo. They are given access to all three studios from the smallest in the first floor to the biggest, trendiest and most modern theme studio in the third and topmost floor.
Camaraderie is of more weight than the tools of the trade. Working as a team, especially when a company sells services, should be the rule of the game, Connie realized when she started expanding her crew.
Working as a family
Majority of Freshminds’ crew of 20 employees started as amateurs but exposure made them the best in the field and all are well-cared for. Connie made it a habit to serve free lunch to everybody. The lunch gets better when one of the crew is celebrating a birthday.
The generosity does not end there. Connie makes sure that the employees who have managed to stay with the company for eight years are gifted with a loyalty present—a life insurance. Those who are with the company since it started, especially the veteran photographers and videographers, are given their own gadget package that is exclusive for their own use, and the ownership is passed on them.
“It was not easy to do that. Our investment per photographer is nearly half a million for the equipment. But at some point in time, you have to trust them. We wouldn’t be here if there are trust issues. I believe what we did is a good call. It is good investment,” she said.
Pushing to her mid-forties, Connie said she observed some minor health concerns and sometimes a deep feeling of fatigue that might have stemmed from working nonstop since she established the business 19 years ago.
“I am at a point in my life when I consider preparing for early retirement, maybe at the age of 55. My husband and I, we have plans to allow our trusted staff to run the business on a profit-sharing scheme. When they reached 20 years of service, they would be given company shares proportional to their contribution to the company. In fact, we are grooming one of our children to take the reins from us,” she said.
One of Rexelle’s children from a previous marriage has an eye for the arts.
A blended family, the Videñas got along fine since the kids from previous marriages and the only child born to Connie and Rexelle, grew up together. Family goals include establishing a good educational foundation for the children, travel time and fun time.
“We want an even bigger family, but this is what we were given and we are truly thankful for our children, for they have grown with humility in their hearts and continue to be receptive to us, even as some of them are already of age. They were taught to help out in the business,” Connie said, recalling how her mother instilled the same values to her and her brother when they were growing up.
She said her mother, while the harshest of critics, is her sole biggest inspiration. She believes that she inherited the traits of a good entrepreneur from her mother. When her father, an OFW, went missing from his post in Saudi Arabia, her mother, a plain housewife, was forced to lease some of their properties to businesses in the area to provide for their needs
Without proper closure, all they could do was let go of the past thinking he is already in a good place. To this day, her father remains missing. Her dreams of being an architect was marred by this experience.
Just like her mother, Connie started to invest in real estate by buying condo units and houses that she opened for leasing.
She said there are no plans to physically expand their business. They are also mobile, as they go where the clients are.
“And since most of our projects are weddings, our tagline is ‘spread the love’. Sounds cheesy, but love is the operational word here. We have to love our craft to create art,” Connie said.
