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Falls Park Family Photos in Downtown Greenville
It's always such an honor to be the photographer that gets to take a family's first ever family photos after the arrival of a new baby. I was so excited when Kristen reached out to me to photograph her family's photos with their brand new three month old baby boy. She has a specific vision for her family photos, which included outdoor family photos in downtown Greenville, South Carolina in Falls Park.
Falls Park in downtown Greenville in an absolute person spot for family photos at any time of year. In the fall, the colors are so vibrant and beautiful. This family session took place in November. We started at the Medusa tree, which is a super popular spot here in Greenville. We made our wall all around the Falls Park area, ending by the Liberty Bridge. I love that there is such a diversity in backdrops, all within walking distance. It's such a perfect location for family photos here in Greenville, South Carolina.
Are you ready to book your own family photos? I would absolutely LOVE to create fun memories for your family to cherish forever! You can book your family photos by clicking here: https://michellepoteet.com/book-now
Hi there! I’m Michelle, a Greenville, SC based photographer specializing in capturing families, maternity sessions, and newborn photos. Are you looking for a family photographer, maternity photographer, or newborn photographer in the Greenville, South Carolina area? Or maybe you’re even looking for a couples session photographer, engagement photographer, or a wedding photographer in Greenville, SC? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can book a photo session with me by clicking here. Have questions you want to chat through before booking? Click here instead! I can’t wait to create and capture memories for you to hang in your home and cherish forever.
Spring Mini Sessions in Greenville, South Carolina
Spring Mini Sessions are here!!!
I’m SO excited to capture family memories for your family this Spring!!
I am so excited to offer three different dates of spring mini sessions this year! While I always love capturing full sessions of your family, mini sessions are the most affordable way to work with me, since these sessions are on a single date and scheduled back to back. They are a perfect way to quickly get updated photos. You can use these sessions for family photos, maternity photos, pregnancy announcements, couples photos, motherhood photos, or really just any reason you may want photos with your loved ones!
You can book your time slot for your spring mini session directly on my website this year via the links below! I'm offering in-studio minis with a floral backdrop in March, outdoor garden photos in April (afternoon/evening time slots), and outdoor garden photos in May (morning time slots).
Studio Floral Minis
March 30 | Taylors, SC
$189
Click here to see all the details on my in-studio floral minis and book your time slot!
Outdoor Garden Minis
Flower Farm Minis
Have questions about my spring mini sessions? Send me at email at hello@michellepoteet.com! I would love to hear from you!
Want to book a full session instead? Click here to go to my booking page for all session types!
In home lifestyle newborn photographer in Greenville, SC
I had the honor of being the first one to take professional photos of this brand new family of three of Saturday. Little Camden was 8 weeks old and so sweet and adorable! One of the great things about in-home lifestyle newborn photos is that they don’t have to be done within those first 2-3 weeks of baby’s life like the posed studio newborn photo sessions do. We can wait until baby is a little older and everyone has settled into their new life and new routines a little bit more. I love how relaxed and stress free in home lifestyle newborn sessions are!
Even here in Greenville, South Carolina is gets cold in January, so while I always love outdoor photo sessions, in home photos in the comfort of your own home are always so nice and cozy in the winter. It’s also such a great way to get more relaxed photos of baby in a place where you’re comfortable. We can take breaks to feed and sooth baby, and you have everything you need.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the this sweet newborn in home family mini below. Want to book your own newborn photo session, full family or mini family session with me? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can click here to book your time slot now!
Hi there! I’m Michelle, a Greenville, SC based photographer specializing in capturing families, maternity sessions, and newborn photos. Are you looking for a family photographer, maternity photographer, or newborn photographer in the Greenville, South Carolina area? Or maybe you’re even looking for a couples session photographer, engagement photographer, or a wedding photographer in Greenville, SC? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can book a photo session with me by clicking here. Have questions you want to chat through before booking? Click here instead! I can’t wait to create and capture memories for you to hang in your home and cherish forever.
Greenville, Sc Family Mini Sessions
I loved getting to photograph the Woods family again during my my Greenville fall mini sessions this past year! I had the honor of being the one to capture their very first family photos as a family of three back in the spring. It is always such an honor when families invite me back into their lives to keep capturing their family memories for them.
The Woods family participated in my fall family mini sessions at Paris Mountain state park. I always offer multiple options for dates and locations for fall mini sessions. The fall season is always the most popular time of year to get family photos taken, so I love to offer tons of variety for families to choose from. the Paris Mountain state park location in Taylors, SC is always such a popular one with families. Since it’s a woodsy location, it always has such stunning fall colors, even late into the fall season.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the Woods family mini session below. Want to book your own full family or mini family session with me? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can click here to book your time slot now!
Hi there! I’m Michelle, a Greenville, SC based photographer specializing in capturing families, maternity sessions, and newborn photos. Are you looking for a family photographer, maternity photographer, or newborn photographer in the Greenville, South Carolina area? Or maybe you’re even looking for a couples session photographer, engagement photographer, or a wedding photographer in Greenville, SC? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can book a photo session with me by clicking here. Have questions you want to chat through before booking? Click here instead! I can’t wait to create and capture memories for you to hang in your home and cherish forever.
Furman University Sunset Family Photos
The Stephens family is another one of my regular clients! I had the honor of capturing their maternity photos last winter before their sweet son was born. And this year, they participated in my Fall Mini Sessions at Furman University. They booked their mini session for right at sunset, and it was absolutely stunning on the Furman University campus right at sunset. The light peaking out behind the water on the lake and through the beautiful fall colors of the trees was so perfect for these sweet family photos of this cute little family of three.
It’s still so beautiful even in late Novemeber here in Greenville, South Carolina. I love how the fall colors last so long into the fall season here. It was such an honor to get to capture the first professional family photos of the Stephens family as a family of three! That is one of my favorite parts of being a family photographer!
Check out some of my favorite photos from the Stephens family mini session below. Want to book your own full family or mini family session with me? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can click here to book your time slot now!
Hi there! I’m Michelle, a Greenville, SC based photographer specializing in capturing families, maternity sessions, and newborn photos. Are you looking for a family photographer, maternity photographer, or newborn photographer in the Greenville, South Carolina area? Or maybe you’re even looking for a couples session photographer, engagement photographer, or a wedding photographer in Greenville, SC? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can book a photo session with me by clicking here. Have questions you want to chat through before booking? Click here instead! I can’t wait to create and capture memories for you to hang in your home and cherish forever.
Mini Session Photographer Greenville, SC
Today, I’m continuing on with my series where I’m sharing all of the mini family sessions and full family sessions that I had the honor of capturing this past fall in the Greenville, South Carolina area. the Ard family participated in my Paris Mountain fall mini session date in Taylors, South Carolina. It was such a fun date of mini sessions! All of these sessions took place during golden hour and even during sunset, which was so stunning and so much fun. I loved all of the fall colors in the trees and the woods at Paris Mountain. I found the perfect spot where the sun was shining through the trees behind my families during our mini family photos.
The Ard family was SO much fun. Their son is 4 and a ball of energy! I love working with high energy kids, because I have so many prompts and poses that are right up their ally including getting to run around and be silly and just be a kid while also capturing family memories that mom and dad will cherish forever.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the Ard family mini session below. Want to book your own full family or mini family session with me? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can click here to book your time slot now!
Hi there! I’m Michelle, a Greenville, SC based photographer specializing in capturing families, maternity sessions, and newborn photos. Are you looking for a family photographer, maternity photographer, or newborn photographer in the Greenville, South Carolina area? Or maybe you’re even looking for a couples session photographer, engagement photographer, or a wedding photographer in Greenville, SC? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can book a photo session with me by clicking here. Have questions you want to chat through before booking? Click here instead! I can’t wait to create and capture memories for you to hang in your home and cherish forever.
Greenville Family Mini Sessions
As I’m still getting caught up on sharing all of the fun mini sessions and full family sessions that I had the honor of capturing during my busy fall season, I’m excited to share the Shields family today! This was such a fun date of Greenville, Sc family mini sessions! I loved getting to work with this sweet family for the second time. It always means so much to me to have repeat customers, because it means they loved their experiences with working with me, which is just the hugest honor to me as a photographer and as a small business owner.
Jenn hired me back in the summer to capture her youngest daughter’s first birthday photos. We did a super fun milk back session for those milestone photos, which was such a unique idea that I loved! It was so fun getting to meet and photograph their entire family this fall! One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is getting to create and capture such fun family memories for my clients.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the Shields family mini session below. Want to book your own full family or mini family session with me? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can click here to book your time slot now!
Hi there! I’m Michelle, a Greenville, SC based photographer specializing in capturing families, maternity sessions, and newborn photos. Are you looking for a family photographer, maternity photographer, or newborn photographer in the Greenville, South Carolina area? Or maybe you’re even looking for a couples session photographer, engagement photographer, or a wedding photographer in Greenville, SC? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! You can book a photo session with me by clicking here. Have questions you want to chat through before booking? Click here instead! I can’t wait to create and capture memories for you to hang in your home and cherish forever.
What to Do in the Off Season as a Photographer
As a photographer, we all know that we are insanely busy taking photos, editing, and communicating with clients from early fall through the end of November. Busy season can really bog us down and leave us with not much time to work on anything related to the back end of the business. So often times, when the off-season hits, we don’t know what to do with ourselves.
Today, I’m going to be sharing all about how to maximize your profts, efficiency, and set yourself up for success for the year during your slow season!
Here’s what you should be doing during your off season as a photographer:
Show off all of the work you’ve been too busy to post.
Most of my new clients either find me from Instagram or google, so keeping up with posting regularly on Instagram and my blog is SO important for my business. It’s literally what sustains my business and makes me profitable in the future.
If you fell behind on posting all of the amazing work that you created during your busy season, now is the time to go through and post all of your sessions.
If you want to steal my exact strategy on how I find most of my clients on Instagram, even during the off-season, you can download my FREE guide here.
Update Your Systems and Processes
Are you using your CRM as efficiently as you could be? Are you using a CRM at all? I highly recommend one if not! You can fully automate sending contracts, invoices, style clients, all client communications, and so much more! You can save so much time by not having to all of these things manually. I personally use Dubsado. You can check it out here if you’re interested in learning more.
Does your Gallery Delivery process need updating? I personally use Pixieset to deliver client galleries, which I love because there are so many ways that you can make passive income as a photographer using Pixieset. You can also create an email template that you send when you deliver client galleries that helps explain how to use their gallery, how you purchase prints and products, etc. You can steal the exact wording I use by downloading my gallery delivery email template here.
Analyze Your Revenue and Expenses
Did you have any super high expenses this year that didn’t actually contribute to bringing in more revenue for your business? For example, maybe you invested in marketing that didn’t really work for you. Or maybe you paid to attend lots of styled shoots but you didn’t really see an increase in sales from that new portfolio content. Now is great time to decide what you might need to cut back on for the upcoming year.
Did you make enough revenue to keep your business profitable and sustainable? Did you make enough money for how many hours you worked? If not, this leads me to my next point.
Evaluate Your Prices.
Now is a great time to run an update Cost of Doing Business. Ideally, we should be doing this multiple times per year to make sure that our prices are profitable and sustainable. Most of us will probably need to raise our prices this year due to inflation. Just remember, while it’s amazing to have a job that you love, we as photographers need to pay our bills just like everyone else. And we need to make enough that it’s worth it to spend that time away from our families. Setting your prices should be a non-emotional decision. And there is where the CODB calculator can really help!
Focus on Education and Improving Your Skills
Are there any photographers or business educators whose work you love (or who are very successful) who offer courses? Now is a great time to invest in learning from industry leaders and work on improving your craft!
Plan Out Your Year
Do you plan to offer mini sessions or themed session this year? Now is a great time to plan out all the details, set up all your systems and processes, order props, and book studios! That way you’ll be totally prepared before busy season hits!
I hope you found these ideas helpful! Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
Candid Family Photography Greenville Sc
As I’m trying to get caught up on blogging all of the families I had the honor of photographing during my recent busy photography season, the sweet Murphy family was definitely one of my favorites. Although honestly, it’s hard to have favorites when I love all of the families that I work with so much. Cassidy reached out to me to capture the joy and chaos of the season of life her family is in right now after recently welcoming their fourth baby into their family.
The Murphy kids were so sweet and fun, and they were so excited about having a new baby brother. The kids all loved the candid prompts and poses that I love to do with all of my families. They were so excited to love on each other and love on their mom and dad. And they loved getting to run around and just be kids. One of my biggest goals during each family session is for every member of the family to have so much fun, and I think we definitely accomplished that with everyone during this family session!
Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from this fun, candid family session below! I hope you love them as much as I do!
Hi! I'm Michelle, and I'm so glad you're here on my blog! I'm a Greenville, South Carolina family, maternity, and newborn photographer! And I occasionally photograph engagement sessions and weddings, like the engagement sessions! Are you looking for an engagement session photographer or a family, maternity, or newborn photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and your family! Send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about setting up your session! It's such an honor to get to capture memories for so many sweet families.
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve Family Photos
I’m finally getting around to blogging all of my family sessions from busy season! Now that the rush of fall family photos and holiday family photos is over, I’m so excited to finally share all of my work! During busy season, the parts of my business that aren’t just taking photos, editing, and communicating with clients understandably get put on the back burner. But I LOVE showing off all of the photos I take of the sweet families that I have the honor of working with every year. My clients all mean the world to me, and I get so invested in learning about all of my families and their love and relationship with each other, so that I can document this season of their lives and capture memories that they will cherish forever.
The Haag family was a new family that I got to photograph this year, as they had just recently moved to the Greenville area. They found me from one of my other amazing family session clients! I loved that they really wanted a mountain view for their photos, so I recommended Bald Rock Heritage Preserve as the location for our session. It’s one of my favorite locations, but I rarely get to photograph sessions here just because most families don’t want to drive all the way up here, which is totally understandable.
I LOVED working with this fun family! Check out a few of my favorite photos from our family photo session at Bald Rock below!
Hi! I'm Michelle, and I'm so glad you're here on my blog! I'm a Greenville, South Carolina family, maternity, and newborn photographer! And I occasionally photograph engagement sessions and weddings, like the engagement sessions! Are you looking for an engagement session photographer or a family, maternity, or newborn photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and your family! Send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about setting up your session! It's such an honor to get to capture memories for so many sweet families.
Cozy Winter Engagement Photos in Greenville, SC
Wow! This engagement session last night with Ella and Ryan was so sweet and SO much fun! If you’ve been following my journey from the beginning, you’ll know that I spent the first seven years of my photography career as a wedding and engagement photographer. When I moved to Greenville, SC and had my daughter, I started specializing in family photography. While I absolutely LOVE getting to photograph families, it was so much fun to get back to my roots of photographing couples and love stories.
We started out Ryan and Ella’s engagement session at Ella’s mom’s house in the stunning new Hartness neighborhood in Greenville. The house was absolutely amazing, so beautiful, and so full of natural light. I loved all the unique design elements, such as the disco ball in the laundry room and the pink snake wall paper in the bathroom. It was such a dream to take these photos in such a beautiful home!
For golden hour and sunset, we used some of the beautiful green spaces in the Hartness neighborhood. I love the creek that runs through the woods, and the big open fields. This engagement session was such a dream, to photograph! Enjoy some of my favorite photos from the session below!
Hi! I'm Michelle, and I'm so glad you're here on my blog! I'm a Greenville, South Carolina family, maternity, and newborn photographer! And I occasionally photograph engagement sessions and weddings, like the engagement session above! Are you looking for an engagement session photographer or a family, maternity, or newborn photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and your family! Send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about setting up your session! It's such an honor to get to capture memories for so many sweet families.
Fall Mini Sessions at Paris Mountain
Wow! It’s been awhile since I blogged! With busy season slowing down, I’m so excited to get caught up with blogging all of my fall mini sessions and my full family sessions from this fall! It’s such a wonderful time of year, and I was so happy to photograph lots of my regular clients as well as lots of new faces! I loved getting to work with so many amazing families this season!! It's always such an honor to get to capture precious family moments and watch families grow over the years!
My fall mini sessions started out at Paris Mountain State Park. It is such a beautiful spot in the fall. It’s a wooded area with lots of hiking trails, and the South Carolina fall colors really show off at Paris Mountain State Park. It’s one of my favorite spots in the Greenville area, especially in the fall.
My first mini session was with one of my regular clients! Hadley and Travis hired me for their maternity photos as well as their daughter, Payton’s newborn photos. I loved getting to have them in front of my camera again this fall! Enjoy some of my favorite photos from this fun mini session!
And if you want your own mini or full family session with me, be sure to send me a message! I would LOVE to work with your family as well!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Blue Ridge Parkway Family Photos
Wow! This sunset mountain family photo session last night was SO much fun! Jenna and her family just moved here last year from Minnesota, and she really wanted to show off the beauty of the Carolinas in her family photos. When I sent her over my location guide, she knew right away that she wanted to take her family photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, stretching 469 miles from Rockfish Gap, Virginia to Cherokee, North Carolina. I love to find overlooks that show off the beautiful sunset over the mountains. I have a few spots that I love close to the Asheville, North Carolina area.
I'm so thankful for how much this sweet family trusted me as their photographer. From choosing the perfect spot along the Blue Ridge Parkway to all of my crazy posing ideas. This session was SO much fun and definitely worth the drive from Greenville up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville for these stunning mountain views.
Do you want your own family photo session in the Blue Ridge Parkway? Please reach out to me over on my contact page, and I would LOVE to set up a FUN family photo session for you in the mountains of North Carolina! I can't wait to hear from you! I would LOVE to photograph your family!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Extended Family Photos at Falls Park
I had SO much fun with this sweet family yesterday morning in downtown Greenville. This extended family was on vacation together here in Greenville and wanted to hire an extended family photographer while they were here since they don’t all get to get together very often. They especially wanted lots of great photos of the grandparents with their grandkids. The toddlers and babies in this session were at such fun ages and I loved photographing their sweet interactions between the cousins and the grandparents with the grandkids. I know it might be an unpopular opinion, but I absolutely LOVE working with toddlers. They are so much fun, and I love the joyful chaos that they bring to a family photo session.
Since this family is from out of town, I recommended that we take their family photos at Falls Park on the Reedy River. It is such an iconic and very Greenville spot, and it really shows off the beauty of our city. The fall colors were on full display, and it was absolutely perfect!
I hope you love these downtown Greenville extended family photos as much as I do! If you’re looking for a family photographer for your own family photos, I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Please reach out to me over on my contact page, and we can set up a FUN family photo session for you and your family!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Furman University Fall Mini Session
The sweet Sanniti family was my first Furman University fall mini session for the season! We took these photos at the Shi Institute, which is one of my favorite spots at Furman University. Of course, there are SO many amazing locations at Furman, and lately I've been wanting to switch it up and try some new spots! I love how the lighting in the Shi Institute gardens and koi pond area is so beautiful at any time of day, even if harsh sun like this session was in!
I loved how these three little girls interacted with each other! Their sweet sisterly bond was so perfect and made for such cute photos.
One thing I always tell my families is that I'm not a "Christmas card photographer." Does that mean that I don't want my clients to use my photos on their Christmas cards? Of course not! But it DOES mean that I'm not JUST going to take looking an smiling photos of your family. Now again, of course I'm going to take a few looking and smiling at the camera photos and I'm going to do breakdowns with different members with the family. But I care too much about your family and I care too much about my job to stop there and call it a day. Even during a mini session, my goal is to capture lots of fun candid photos that show the joy, love, and connection your family shares. My photo sessions, even my twenty minute mini sessions, are full of PLAY and CONNECTION and will become a cherished family memory.
My mini sessions are completely booked up for this fall, but you can reach out to me over on my contact page to set up a FUN session for your family. Or you can sign up to be the first to know about my next set of mini sessions on my home page!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Biltmore Family Photographer
I absolutely loved working with this sweet family at the Biltmore today! I couldn't help but go ahead and get a few sneak peeks onto the blog for some same say sneak peeks! I loved getting to take photos at some spots I don't normally use. Typically I shoot along the trails with the beautiful blue ridge mountains in the background. However, for this Biltmore family session, we really wanted to feature the stunning Biltmore house. We started with the stunning arches in front of the house. Then we moved over to the balcony, so we could get the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains!
I don't think I will ever get over how stunning the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains really is from the Biltmore, and especially from this gorgeous balcony! It was a challenge to photograph this session around all of the other photographers that were photographing session at the Biltmore today. Not to mention all the weddings that were taking place! But I'm so happy with the beautiful family photos that we were able to capture!
Are you looking for a family photographer to take your family photos at the beautiful Biltmore in North Carolina against the stunning backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and your family! Send me a message over on my contact page and let’s get your family session scheduled!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Greenville Pregnancy Announcement Photographer
I'm so excited to finally be able to share these pregnancy announcement photos with you all! We took these sweet photos of the the Norman family with their ultrasound photos during their family session last month! I shared their family photos, and I'm finally able to share the surprise: their pregnancy announcement photos that we included in their family session!
We took these photos on the campus of Furman University, my absolute favorite location in Greenville to take family photos. My favorite part of the session was getting to take photos of their 18 month old holding the ultrasound photos! I always love including those photos of the new big sibling with the ultrasound!
Jake purchased a gift card for this session for his wife, Elizabeth back in May for Mother's Day! I love that! It's such a sweet gift idea that moms absolutely LOVE! Family photos are the BEST gift for mamas! Elizabeth reached out to me when she found out that she was pregnant with her second baby to use this family session gift card for her family photos along with her pregnancy announcement photos! It was such a fun session for me since it was essentially a combination of two of my favorite types of photography sessions!
Enjoy a few of my favorite photos of this pregnancy announcement below!
Need a pregnancy annoucement photographer in Greenville? I would LOVE to work with you!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
How To Pivot Your Photography Business
Hey Photographer!
If you’ve been following along with my photography business journey from the beginning, then you’ve seen me pivot my business over the last few years.
Here’s a little recap of my journey if you’re new to following me:
I graduated college in 2015 with degrees in finance and economics and a minor in leadership studies. I wasn’t loving my desk job, so I bought a camera as a little creative outlet. Within one year of buying my first camera, I was able to take my business full time, because I had matched my photography income to my salary as a financial analyst.
At that time, I was a wedding photographer. I took on my first wedding within three months of buying that camera, and my business took off from there!
A few years ago, I moved to Greenville, South Carolina and pivoted into family photography.
It was hard relocating my business, switching my niche, and having to essentially start over. But there’s a few things I learned along the way that I want to share with you.
Show what you want to sell
I know we hear this ALL the time as photographers, but I want to dive into how this really played out for me. I thought I could show a few family photos mixed into my wedding portfolio and moms would see I was a good photographer and want to hire me. But it didn’t work that way. People want to see a portfolio full of what they are looking to hire you for.
Once I had a FULL family portfolio, I started getting hired for family photos. The more family sessions I photographed, the more inquiries I would get. And the bigger my repertoire of candid, fun, loving, joyful poses, the more ideal client inquiries I got.
Honestly, this can even get super specific. For example, I noticed that when my portfolio mainly included families with one child, I would mainly get inquiries for families with one child. When my portfolio started included families with more children, I started getting more inquiries from families with more children. People want to see people like themselves in your portfolio!
2. Update Your Website and Social Media
I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot, but it’s so important to niche down. Potential clients want to know that you specialize in exactly what they’re looking for. When my website and Instagram bio still said that I was a wedding photographer, it confused mamas who were looking for a family photographer. As soon as I updated my platforms to call myself a family photographer and updated the hero images on my website to be family photos, that’s when I started getting a ton more inquries.
3. It’s okay to transition slowly
If you’re still getting tons of inquiries for you old niche and struggling to get inquiries for your new niche, it’s okay to keep taking on those jobs if you need the money as you work on the transition BUT you may not want to show those photos on your social media or blog. Keep focusing on showing what you want to sell!
I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions about pivoting your photography business, leave me a comment below! And if you’re a family photographer looking for FUN posing ideas that mamas love, check out my family posing guide.
My Own Family Photos
While we were back in Indiana for a week (from where we live, in Greenville, South Carolina) for my sister's wedding, we got our own family photos taken with one of my personal favorite photographers, Kaylee Creighton! Kaylee and I have been friends since we were both baby photographers, just starting out in the business! It's been so fun to watch how much both of us and our work and our businesses have grown and developed, and gotten better and better over the years!
We decided to take our family photos at the spot that Mark and I got engaged! He proposed at the War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis! It was so special to take Lily there for the first time! It was our first time being back there since we got engaged as well! Since we moved to Greenville, South Carolina shortly after.
Now that Lily is one and constantly on the move, taking family photos has definitely become more challenging. This age is SO much fun though, and I am so thankful to have gotten to capture this phase of life with our little family! To my fellow mamas, I promise that photographing family photos with your toddlers is not only possible, but SO much fun! Finding a photographer who is great with toddlers is the key!
Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from my own family session below! I'm so excited to share these with you!
Are you looking for a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, family photographer, baby milestone photographer, or wedding photographer here in Greenville, South Carolina or in Asheville, North Carolina? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you and photograph you and your loved ones. Please send me a message over on my contact page, so we can chat about all the details for your session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
My Little Sister's Wedding
My baby sister got married over the weekend at my favorite venue, Laural Hall in Indianapolis. Being a wedding photographer for so many years, I had tons of vendor recommendations for my sister, and luckily she trusted me enough to take most of my recommendations! She booked my favorite wedding planner, Amanda from Magical Moments Event Planning. And Amanda recommended the rest of the vendors, like the amazing band! Another vendor that did an increadible job was the florist, Molly and Myrtle! The florals were so beautiful, and she grew a lot of them right in her own backyard! I love that! Florals are always one of my favorite parts of a wedding!
I was so lucky that Nicole and Brandon’s photographer, Cat Satre, was kind enough to let me tag along for the bride and groom photos and take some extra photos for Nicole and Brandon! I can’t wait to see Cat’s photos from Nicole and Brandon’s wedding day!
I took a few photos of Nicole while she got ready, I took photos during their first look and bride and groom portraits, and I took photos during their exit for the night, so those are the photos that you'll see below!
I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite photos from Nicole and Brandon's wedding day at Laurel Hall!
P.S. If you’re a photographer, and you want to get your hands on the presets I used for these photos, they’re for sale over in the shop!
Wedding Venue: Laurel Hall
Bride's Grown: Marie Gabriel Couture Bridal
Wedding Planner: Amanda with Magical Moments Event Planning
Wedding Band: My Yellow Rickshaw
Florist: Molly and Myrtle
Catering: Jaques's Catering