083: Sherry Brown – How To Pivot Into Full Time Photography & Succeed In A Saturated Market

December 20, 2022

“Focus on yourself & focus on your niche”

SHERRY BROWN

Hey everyone! It’s Sally here, from Studio Ninja. Today’s episode is all about Sherry Brown!

Based in New Brunswick, Canada, Sherry is a full time wedding photographer driven by the emotions of her clients. Her work is authentic, warm and real while still wowing with eye candy aesthetic. Sherry is passionate about inspiring other photographers to follow their path of success and pivot into full time wedding photography.

When Sherry is not shooting weddings she is spending time with her three beautiful boys and loving husband.

Check out some of the biggest points from Sherry’s interview below:

Sherry’s journey in the Photography Industry
Top Tips for Photographers looking to go Full Time
How to create a brand that flourishes
How to have a positive mindset in a saturated market
Key ways to ensure a smooth Wedding Day
How to maintain a healthy work/life balance
The most common mistakes that photographers make
The importance of focusing on your niche
What a huge impact believing in yourself can have on your business
The one thing that made a difference to Sherry’s business!

What are your tips for photographers looking to go full time?

I would say one of the things that photographers need to do, is not try to be someone else and copy, because I did a lot of that. I would copy other photographers and I mean, it’s okay to have people that you’re inspired by and really try to be that next level because it fuels you. It fuels you to get better. But if you’re going to try to be someone you’re not, it’s really going to attract the wrong things. I really think they need to sit down and say, what am I after?

What type of clients do I want? Am I going to price myself according to my value? And even doing things second shooting helps because as a second shooter, I did a lot of that in the beginning. And I feel like you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into until you have your own wedding. But the second shooting can actually bring in some of that information for you, get you prepared for it. Because I did have a student who did second shooting with me and she couldn’t understand why I was so on schedule and organized, and she kind of felt bad because she didn’t feel like she had much to offer. And when she did her own wedding, she was, “I can’t believe that you do that.” She was just like, “This is the craziest thing,” because second shooting is a little part of it. It’s not a big, huge chunk.

Really, I would say dive into second shooting, reach out to photographers in your area, have conversations with them, get to know your vendors. Those are relationships you are going to build and it takes time. But social media is huge, and this is how we grow our businesses. Show your portfolio with style sessions, just post, post, post, and post what you want to attract. That’s my main advice, because I used to post a lot of crap and I still have it up there because I want to look back on it and I want people to see my growth. And I don’t mind that. Some people just delete them. I’m like, no, this is my growth. This is how far I’ve come and this is how good I’ve gotten.

I feel like telling other photographers that just because you’re here now, you’re not going to be there tomorrow. You have to just dream it and do it and keep doing it and follow your path, because that won’t lie to you. Your intuition, your gut, your feelings of what kind of weddings you want, what kind of people you want in your life, that’s going to stay with you as long as you stay on that road. And that’s it. I mean, there’s so much more to it, but those would be my main things of how to pivot into that wedding world.

What are the most common mistakes that photographers make?

Well for me, it’s like, okay, some photographers … And I was all of these things. When I first started, it was about giving deals and really undercutting my value. And I really feel sad when I see other photographers do that, because I think you’re setting the expectation and you’re telling other people that you’re not valuable. As much as you need that money and all of that, there’s no up from there. You’re just going to be stuck in that spiral of discounts and those types of clients, those tire kickers and budget shoppers. And so really, that would be a big one for me. Number two is related to that, is pricing yourself. People don’t price themselves high enough to make a living out of this, because it is a job. And I think that if you believe it’s not a job, you’re telling your clients that it’s not a job.

You need to really value that, but look at quality over quantity. And when I say that, I only take maybe 15 weddings a year, but I’m okay with that because it gives me more time for my kids and I can really enjoy life instead of being that person who’s always busy. I know what I need to make to survive, but I also give good value. I think that if you can set yourself up to be the photographer with a unique set of skills and value to give, then you can personal brand yourself that way. You can market yourself that way. I think really, a lot of times they’re not thinking out of the box. It’s more like one tunnel vision. It’s like, “I need to be like everybody else,” but you don’t. Right?

And I think that you just need to give yourself permission to do it your way!

If you could add one final piece of advice, something that’s made a difference in your personal life or your business life, what would that piece of advice be?

I think like I said before, just staying true to yourself and not putting yourself in the mindset of that comparison mode or unworthiness. Because yeah, that’ll only push you down, push you backwards, and you’re not going to really move forward. I think really focus on yourself, focus on your niche and what you’re good at, the things that you’re good at, and also really try to balance your life out so you’re not burned out. And I think I was shooting so many shoots and mini sessions here and there, and I was always busy. And I’m old, I’m 42, I got three kids. I don’t have time for all of that. I need to live life, I need to travel. Really, you need to set up yourself that you’re not burning out, you’re pricing yourself well and you are staying true to who you are. That’s my advice.

Thank you!

Thanks again to you all for joining us and a huge thanks to Sherry for joining us on the show!

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, I hope you all enjoyed this episode.

See you soon,

Sally