How I Grew My Photography Business to Where It Is Today
Hello friends, welcome back to another episode of the Beyond Natural Light Photography Podcast. As always, I'm thrilled you're here, and I'm eager to chat with you today.
Over the past few weeks, I've been deeply engrossed in teaching – both online and in person. One notable moment was during an in-person workshop at my local camera store, Glazer's. It was during the Q&A part of the session when a thought-provoking question arose from the audience.
A fellow enthusiast in the room raised an intriguing query about the journey. They wondered how someone like me, who now runs a successful studio here in Seattle and an education company, started their photography career from those early, tentative steps. It struck me as an excellent question, one that I myself pondered when I admired photographers at conferences or on platforms like Creative Live.
So, I took a moment to reflect on this question. I realized that there were certain moments, or rather, touchstones in my career that played a pivotal role in bringing me to where I am today. My journey began in 1999, and, somewhat unexpectedly, at that.
Back then, I was working as a full-time kindergarten teacher in Seattle. Even though I was committed to my job, I was struggling financially, to the point that I qualified for food stamps in my first year. Many of my colleagues were in a similar boat, often taking on second jobs like waiting tables or bartending after their teaching hours. However, I wanted something different, something that didn't require me to be away from home after the exhausting days in kindergarten.
Around that time, a friend suggested I try my hand at maternity photography, inspired by a few pictures I had taken of her just for fun. It was a simple idea – one picture from her session became a postcard with my name and number, which I placed in every maternity-related store in town. This was 1999, the era before Instagram and Facebook, so it was all about grassroots marketing.
Slowly but surely, I began to attract clients, and within three years, my photography income equaled my teacher's salary. However, this transition wasn't without its hurdles. One significant misstep occurred when I decided to pivot to wedding photography after quitting my teaching job. I had no prior experience with weddings, having attended only my own. But for some reason, I believed that wedding photography was the only path to financial success in the field.
I photographed weddings for five years, but it left me feeling burnt out and disconnected from my personal life. I had recently become a mother and couldn't bear being away every weekend. In 2007, I reached a breaking point. I wanted to quit photography altogether, but I also didn't want to return to teaching and spend long hours away from my newborn twins.
So, I made a bold decision. I decided to rebrand myself, focusing on what truly ignited my passion: maternity, newborn, and family photography, done in my preferred studio setting. I didn't want to chase trends anymore; I wanted to do photography my way, regardless of what was considered popular or trendy.
Little did I know, this decision would become a watershed moment in my career. By shedding external influences and honing in on my unique style, I developed a signature look. This new approach included mastering lighting, especially since I wanted to work with film, and refining my posing system. Over time, my work became easily recognizable, setting me apart in the saturated photography market. Clients began trusting my brand, and this trust translated into more bookings.
In addition to transforming my studio photography, this process also propelled my journey in education. My unique style began to attract attention from brands, leading to partnerships. Opportunities to teach on platforms like Creative Live and connections with other industry names followed. This opened doors to publishing opportunities and more brand collaborations.
In retrospect, the journey from struggling to success can be boiled down to a few key steps:
Define Your Artistic Voice: Get crystal clear about your unique voice as an artist and embrace it fully.
Develop a Signature Style: Focus on consistent lighting, unique posing, and distinct processing that sets your work apart.
Align Your Brand: Ensure that your website, SEO, and marketing strategies align with your unique brand.
Seek Comprehensive Mentorship: Look for mentors and educational programs that cover all aspects of photography and business to avoid getting stuck in silos.
If you're interested in delving deeper into this journey, I invite you to explore my Sandra Coan Certification program, which guides photographers through every facet of their careers, from artistry to entrepreneurship.
Feel free to reach out with questions or topics you'd like me to explore in future episodes. Thank you for joining me today, and I wish you an inspiring week ahead!
