165: Successfully Shifting from Part-Time to Full-Time in Photography
Sep 28, 2023
Catherine Guidry: Wedding Photographer + Educator
Ready to leap from part-time to full-time photography? I'm Catherine Guidry, and I'll guide you through my personal journey of making that big shift. This episode is packed full of essential wisdom, from constructing a robust portfolio and crafting a unique brand identity to widening your professional network and nailing down correct pricing for your services. We'll explore the resources that helped me transition smoother and faster, and I'll share how a determined mindset kept me laser-focused on my goal to become a full-time wedding photographer.
FULL TIME WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE: https://fulltimeweddingphotography.com
Ready to leap from part-time to full-time photography? I'm Catherine Guidry, and I'll guide you through my personal journey of making that big shift. This episode is packed full of essential wisdom, from constructing a robust portfolio and crafting a unique brand identity to widening your professional network and nailing down correct pricing for your services. We'll explore the resources that helped me transition smoother and faster, and I'll share how a determined mindset kept me laser-focused on my goal to become a full-time wedding photographer.
FULL TIME WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE: https://fulltimeweddingphotography.com
Going from part-time to full-time in wedding photography is something that can feel very scary and definitely requires planning and strategy to execute. That's what we're going to be talking about in this episode today. Hi, my name is Catherine Gidry. I am a wedding photographer who's been in business now for almost 15 years and I'm so excited to dive into this topic with you today. Before we dig in, I want you to make sure that you download our free price and guide, which will help you determine your base price for photography. In the description, when I was making the decision to go from part-time to full-time, I can identify with all of the feelings that you might be experiencing right now. Do I have enough money? Am I ready? Is this really something that's going to work out for me? Trust me, those feelings are absolutely normal and they come with the territory. Anytime we go from something that is set and sure into something that's maybe uncertain and a little bit scary, you're going to feel those things, but I promise you, if you're here, learning, that means that you're already on the right track and you're somebody who truly cares. I know I personally have a ton of free content on YouTube and our podcast. We also have a membership for wedding photographers called the Wedding Photography Society, and paid products at catcheeeducationcom to help. The knowledge is out there, guys, but I want you to really, first and foremost, decide that this is what you want to do and just keep that in mind. Don't ever give up on that idea, because, first and foremost, that's what's going to help is that mindset that this is really what you love and this is what you want to do. I remember that and that has led me all the way to where I am today.
Speaker 1:
The first thing that you're going to want to focus on in that journey of going from part time to full time is really continuing to build out a strong portfolio. I feel like oftentimes in these recordings I start with that because, at the end of the day, we're photographers, right, like people are looking to see. Are we an artist? Do we produce the images that they love, that they want to see themselves in for their weddings and for their portraits? So you really want to hone in on your style, your artistry, where you want to take that work and continue to practice, try new gear, collaborate with others and build out a really, really strong body of work. Your work is what is going to allow someone to decide that you are the photographer for them. Obviously, your personality too, but your portfolio is key because that's what they're going to be taking away.
Speaker 1:
When we hear the word brand, if someone says, oh well, you need to establish your brand, it's very easy to think that a brand might just be like your logo or your web design, but a brand is all-encompassing. A brand is how you carry yourself. Your brand is how you approach the wedding day, what you wear, how you speak to the client. Do you interject or are you more of a fly on the wall? I had a really interesting conversation with a friend the other day who was talking about her desire for wedding photography. She wanted more of a photojournalistic approach, and that is a part of someone's brand, like how they run their business. So when you figure out where you want to go with your business, you want that brand identity to be consistent. Establishing a strong brand is just like establishing a strong portfolio. It will allow you to really connect with and speak to your idol client, the person that you want booking you for their wedding photography services and hiring you like there is no one else on this planet for them, because, at the end of the day, you want them to hire you based on that feeling that you are the one for them. You are the photographer that they want, capturing their special day.
Speaker 1:
One huge part of being able to move from part time into full time is going to come down to your network. There's a saying that your network is your net worth, and I wholeheartedly believe this. Especially in this industry, when it comes to such a treasured day for a client, full of a big financial investment, a lot of emotion and memories, they want someone that they can trust. When we're looking for someone who we can trust and hire, who do? We turn to our friends and family, and maybe other people in the wedding industry too, and so, when it comes to expanding your network, that's really going to help your net worth. It's going to help you book weddings and transition from doing this part time with a partially full calendar into full time with a full time salary paid from this career in a thriving and sustainable business.
Speaker 1:
When it comes to your network, there are plenty of ways that you can build this out. We talk about this topic a ton in our YouTube channel, so search for those past videos or on the podcast to learn about ways that I know I've personally built up my network and others that I've mentored or other friends that I have had built out their networks. But you can collaborate with others. You can attend networking events. You can extend your services to others in the industry. You can also just do a really good job for people you photograph and for your clients to help them refer you to their friends and family. So your network becomes incredibly instrumental to those referrals that you're going to be receiving for your business and those reviews that you're going to be getting on Google and the not and all of those platforms. So don't overlook the power of networking and expanding your network so that you can build out your reputation and get those strong referrals.
Speaker 1:
Another huge part of going from part time to full time is pricing yourself appropriately. Oftentimes I'm seeing photographers who are either burnout or not making enough money and it's because their pricing structure hasn't been done well. They haven't done the research and the work to figure out how to price themselves appropriately. I already offered up that free pricing guide. If you want to go a little bit more into depth, we have a one hour pricing mini course at KatGEducationcom that will show you exactly how I lay out my offerings, how I discount clients based on spend, and all the ins and outs of pricing. Pricing is truly instrumental because it's a reflection of your portfolio, of your experience, of your expenses and how much you want to work as a wedding photographer or as a portrait photographer. Make sure that you spend time really honing in on your pricing and your packages. I call those collections or offerings, if you hear me talk about that in other videos. But you really want to make sure that your pricing is going to give you the ability to sustain your business for the long haul. And I know as creatives that this can be very scary not just putting it together and presenting it, but also scary wondering like, oh my gosh, am I going to make ends meet? So that's why I bring up these things, because all the things I'm talking about in this episode are going to help you make that transition into being a full-time photographer.
Speaker 1:
As part of my pricing process, I do talk about evaluating your finances, but I do want to highlight it again here too, because evaluating your finances is incredibly important when we are spending money on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to live on things like insurances and rent or mortgage, car payments, food all of the necessities that we have to live in this day and age those things are going to have a big impact on our decision making about going full-time. But if you know your finances and you can make a very clear and solid plan for how you're going to make that money and how much you need to make, that's going to give you the confidence to understand when does the right time and everyone's financial situation is a little bit different. But you might currently be in a position where you're working part-time at your job, or even full-time at your job and part-time at photography, and you're feeling like whoo, this is a lot of work. At what point am I going to be able to leave that other job and do photography full-time? You're going to know that point because you've evaluated your finances. You know how much you're making in the photography business and there's going to be a point at which those two things meet. So to know when those two things meet, you have to know your finances.
Speaker 1:
Making and advertising play a big role in your ability to go from part-time to full-time. And if you're already feeling very busy with where you are in life, plus photographing, plus editing, plus client contracts and all of the things. The last thing you want to do is market your business right. You want to just go to social media to scroll and be mindless and just enjoy the content that's coming your way. But the truth is that you need to participate in these platforms to stay top of mind and ultimately have those platforms leading back to a professional website. We show it the code magic will save you 10% on sign up, but that platform has been amazing to do a quick and easy drag and drop site to get your portfolio up and online On social media.
Speaker 1:
Even if you can't post every single day, it's nice to be able to post, you know, once a week or a couple of times a week. Again, just to stay top of mind. I know for myself as a consumer, if I'm looking to hire a business that I want to know I can trust, I want to see the face of that person. So post about yourself, share some personal things going on. You know, maybe, where you're from and what you like to do in your free time anything that can help you connect with your client. Or, if you don't feel comfortable with that, show some behind the scenes of you working. But social media is a very important tool because it allows you to connect with that client and build trust, and oftentimes it is that first impression.
Speaker 1:
Social media marketing that's all a big part. If you want to spend money on advertising whether it be, you know, participating in something like a trade show or advertising in a magazine that's definitely an avenue. But maybe you're in a position where you don't have those extra funds yet or you need those funds for gear. Whatever the case may be, I did not spend hardly any money on advertising in my business and still to this day don't. I really have used a lot of time networking and just like hard work put in to get to where I want to go. The money might take you there faster through advertising and such. But I can also say if you don't have that or don't want to go that route, it's okay, you can do it other ways. You can blog for free, you can go on social, you can network all of those things.
Speaker 1:
As you are working with new clients and creating good rapport and images with them, make sure that you're gathering testimonials and reviews from them in the process. This becomes very important for future clients because then they can see someone has worked with you and was happy with the end result. So don't be afraid to ask for those reviews and if somebody does email you or say something really kind to you via text without you asking, ask their permission to use it for a testimonial. That has happened to me as well. Use a photo to a company, that testimonial, put it on your website and show those future clients that other people are trusting you and happy with their results. In order to get raving client reviews, there are lots of things that you need to do, including some of which that we're talking about today, but when you do get those testimonials, make sure you're capturing them and putting them on display for others to see.
Speaker 1:
We've talked about things like finances and pricing and a little bit of the behind the scenes of the business. But in addition to photography and the images that the clients receive, they're also going to be working with you through your workflow program, through your image hosting gallery, and so do a bit of research, talk to other photographers, try and get some insight into the programs that work well with clients. You want them to have a seamless client experience from start to finish. You want them to hear back from you quickly, so correspondence is super important. If it's something you struggle with, hire a VA, but be communicative, think on your toes, be accommodating and kind, and that will go so far. We use a program called DubSato to manage our clients, and our hosting gallery is Picktime. That's the one that we use most often to share our images with clients. But you know there are so many tools out there some are free, that aren't even paid subscriptions that you can just kind of get started in and then eventually upgrade into something that's paid. But having those systems is going to help those clients feel really taken care of and know that you're organized, on top of things and taking care of business for them.
Speaker 1:
And the last thing I want to touch on is that transition period and we all know it well I talked a little bit about it earlier where you know maybe you're in school and doing photography, or you're working and doing photography, or you're a parent and also trying to juggle this new business and I understand and can 100% relate to how hard that is and there's going to be a time when you do start to transition and just know that it's about the long journey, right Like right now. Where you are is just temporary. Be patient. Take it one day at a time. Don't get overwhelmed, even by lists like what we've talked about in this episode. There's a lot that goes into each one of these things, but if you take it one step at a time and one day at a time, eventually you'll get to your goal of being full time.
Speaker 1:
During that transition period, it's okay to take on additional jobs that maybe you wouldn't normally do. So, for example, I knew wedding photography was 100% where I wanted to be eventually. But when I first started, oh my goodness, I did so many different types of photography. I photographed for universities, their commercial events, I did headshots, family sessions you name it I would shoot it, and it helped me become a better photographer and a better business woman, and it also allowed me to appreciate the point in my business where I am now, where I am able to focus just on weddings.
Speaker 1:
We have a community called the Wedding Photography Society. You can learn more at weddingphotographysocietycom and in that society we talk a lot about where people are in their journey. And people are constantly navigating, like when do I know to take the job and I'm feeling at a point where things are really busy, and then there's also people in the position of being able to shoot only weddings and finally letting go of those other types of photography or other jobs. So you know there is something to be said for the transition. Appreciate it, know that it's temporary and as long as you continue to work hard, learn and implement the things that you are learning, eventually you will get to where you want to go. I so appreciate you tuning in. If you found this content helpful, be sure to subscribe. Thank you for listening and I will see you in the next episode.