No plan, zero savings and no idea of how to use a camera...
It’s been a whole year since I gave up my cushty corporate job, with no roadmap.
In January of 2025, I was celebrating the final year of my twenties; mindlessly swirling a glass of wine in South Africa yet pondering the thought of going back to my laptop at home. A bizarre mix of nonchalant disassociation, and extreme inspiration. At home, I cried most days in the kitchen and just the sound of a Microsoft Teams notification gave my heart palpitations. And so, I had promised myself that if nothing had changed then that was it this time! Once and for all. I was fed up of pretending that it was my dream job - I was tired of being unappreciated, unheard and regularly, unpaid. On paper, it was great: lots of travel, we worked for huge clients, I had made some amazing friends, consistent income… you know, all the good stuff. But the reality was very different.
Well, as you can imagine, or rather deduce, because you’re reading this now, I quit.
It started by spending a chunk of my house-deposit on a fancy camera. With this, I decided it was time to relive my teenage dream of being a professional photographer.
While working my notice period, I offered free shoots to get some miles on the clock. I put the feelers out on local Facebook pages and very quickly, found my niche — personal brands and small businesses!
Slowly but surely, my business developed, and so did my confidence. The more people I shot, the better I became with my buttons, soon only shooting Manual and becoming pretty nifty in Lightroom.
More and more enquiries came in and I decided it was time to really make a go of this business. And so, like I did for years for others, I had to brand myself.
What were my values?
What did I want to offer the world?
Who did I want to work with?
What was my USP?
I found that the more I shot, the more naturally this all came to me, and branding myself was easy. It turned out that my USP, my superpower, was that I was quite frankly, just the same as you.
I had been documenting my journey of going-pro on Instagram. I would produce little vlogs, film talking heads and share my genuine emotional rollercoaster of running and growing a business. Every single person that enquired did so because they felt as if they knew me already. By sharing my real-world, it filtered out those who weren’t interested and attracted those who wanted a photographer who ‘got it’.
So often, people avoid professional imagery because it can feel awkward.
“I’m not a model!”
“What do I do with my hands.. or my face?!”
“I am so cr*p on camera!”
The reality was, none of this mattered in the way I shot. I don’t arrive with flashy lights, pressure for awkward smiles or ask you to do anything that doesn’t feel like you. I simply get to know you, and become the middleman between you and your client. I document your reality and present it in a format that is beautiful online, allowing them to connect with you. My superpower is that I’m human, and that in turn, helps you to do the same. (Ew, cringe) - but it’s true.
I’ve still got a long way to go in my business, but I couldn’t be happier working with the clients that I do. To those who are reading this and have either worked with me, or supported me on this wild ride, thank you. I am so grateful for the amazing people I’ve met and worked with this year. It truly has been one of the best years of my life.
And if you, lovely reader, have ever considered professional photography, and my silly-waffle here has somehow resonated with you, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to have a good old snoop at my website and reach out when you’re ready.
Love, Soph x