People who fall in love want the other person to love them back. Some may get their wish and some will fail. However, it is very fortunate for two people to love each other and be able to be together, and to even run a business together.

Suon “Nikki” Socheata and Oung Ty Sana, who have run a photography business together since getting married in 2011, proved to be a successful case. Their business, Clay Frame, is an online-based  photography business that provides services such as fashion shoots,  pre-wedding portraits and event  shoots.  High fashion photos are their main business, with mostly female clients being served. It is only a part-time business, however, because Sana works as an analyst and Socheata is a fourth year university student.

“We have to work together, because without one another the outcome won’t be perfect.” said Socheata. To get the job done, Sana works as the photographer while Socheata works as the make-up artist and hair-dresser for female clients. They edit the photos together.​Sana said that the business emerged from their mutual love for photography.

“It all started from this Nikon D90  that my dad bought for me in Bangkok when I was dating Nikki back in 2009.” Using his future wife as his model, Sana learnt how to take quality photos. “It’s kind of romantic if you can make your girlfriend look beautiful.” he added.

While working as Sana’s model, Socheata discovered that she also likes photography, so the couple started exploring the photography field together by taking pictures of their friends for free before receiving enough support to start the business.

Some people say that being in business with your spouse either makes or breaks the marriage. The couples that succeed as business partners have to bring trust, communication and commitment to the table.

Socheata and Sana said that they work together perfectly and never have communication problems because they intuitively understand each other’s artistic approach. Socheatra said that some people think that a married couple cannot work well with other people, but she said that it is “stupid” to think that.

We can see that great communication and understanding are the key factors for their success.