I went from being a software engineer to a full time photographer and studio owner. Hi, I’m Emily and I help creative entrepreneurs and service providers grow their small business through practical, no fluff tips and strategies. In this post, I’ll share the tangible steps that helped me become a brand photographer and how you can do it too.

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My Journey to Becoming a Brand Photographer

I went to college for computer science, got my bachelor’s degree, and I also got my MBA.

But my entrepreneurial journey actually began way back when I was in high school, when I made cute little polymer clay crafts and charms.

I actually ended up like losing money on supplies and time, but it was my first real taste of entrepreneurship. I loved marketing my Etsy store, doing the packaging, and completing all the business side of things more than I enjoyed making what I was selling.

Fast forward to college, and I commandeered my family’s DSLR, which I was using to take pictures for my shop. I started taking graduation photos for seniors. It was very casual, but it was a lot of fun! After college, I landed my absolute dream job as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. I thought I had made it.

It was everything I had ever wanted up until that point in time, but as I started working, I felt like something was missing….

It really just wasn’t fulfilling for me to work for the man.

And writing code all day? Not for me.

Cue 2020. One day, we were working in the office, and the next, we were working from home… for the next two years.

So I did what a lot of us did, and I poured all of my extra time and energy into my hobby: my photography business. I had just landed my first brand photography client: a jewelry designer.

When I worked with Peggy, everything just clicked. Photography, running a business, taking photos for other business owners, it was perfect!

This was really the turning point for me when I asked myself, “what if I could do this all the time?”

Step 1: Focus on the Business Side

Making this shift to become a full time brand photographer wasn’t easy. I spent all of my extra time, evenings, weekends, saying no to hanging out with friends, to learn photography and to figure out the business side of things. This was a huge period of growth for me and my business. I found a mentor to work with, and this was an absolute game changer. We worked on building a strategy that worked for me, and what I wanted to achieve, rather than chasing every new trendy thing that I saw on Instagram.

If you want to go full time in your creative business, focus on building the business side of things.

When I got started, I focused way too much on the technical aspect of brand photography, when I should have also been learning how to run a business effectively. Even though I have a formal education with my MBA, I was too focused on photography to figure out how to apply what I had learned. Working with my mentor helped me connect the dots of my own knowledge to my business.

Now, becoming a better photographer is obviously important. You should be good at your craft and you should always be striving to be a better photographer or creative or whatever industry thing it is that you do. But it’s not just about taking great photos and being skilled at your craft. It’s also about understanding how to market those photos, how to manage client relationships, and how to keep your finances in check. If you don’t have a handle on the business side of things, it’s going to be more painful than necessary to go full time in your creative business.

Once I realized this, I dove head first into building my business.

Step 2: Build a Community, Not Just a Clientele

I doubled down on my personal brand. I created profitable packages and pricing. And I stopped focusing on getting followers on Instagram and started focusing on building connections.

If you’re wondering, hey Emily, isn’t that going to take a long time? Yes, but if you’re here, I know that you are wanting to build a sustainable business that lasts for years to come. It takes time to build meaningful relationships, but relationships last forever. Some of my best friends I’ve made through Instagram and through my own business. Making real connections will never go out of style. And it is my favorite way and most sustainable way to build a business.

After a little over a year of focusing on the business side and building community, I officially quit my job, signed a lease on my studio and became a full time photographer. Fast forward to today, and I have hit milestones that I didn’t even think were possible in a photography business! I opened my own studio, I replaced my software engineering salary with my photography business income, and most importantly, I have the time and freedom to do what I love every single day! And for me, that is priceless.

Step 3: Embrace an ‘Iteration Over Perfection’ Mindset

Now this this final step can be adapted at any point in time and really you should be doing it all the time: embrace the mindset of iteration over perfection. Know that nothing is going to be perfect. We do not get better unless we do something.

We are going to fail. Failing leads to learning, and learning leads to success. Just like you can’t hop on a bike and start riding without falling off of it. If we don’t practice things in our business and practice building that business muscle, it’s not going to get better.

When you go full time as an entrepreneur, things fail a lot. Failure is a matter of when, not if.

And that is okay. That is part of the journey. In order to strengthen this resilience muscle, look at everything as a learning experience.

It’s time to start doing and failing because every single opportunity is a learning experience.

Ready to Become a Brand Photographer?

My journey from being a software engineer to becoming a photographer has taught me so much about business, life, and following your passion. I am seriously so much happier today than I was working my corporate job. It is never too late to start doing what you love. If I could turn my passion into a career, so can you! I’d love to hear about your journey. Are you considering a career change? Have you already done a career change? Let’s chat about it inside the Profitable Creatives Community, a place where you can begin to build community with like-minded creative entrepreneurs.

Want to Learn more about each step to become a brand photographer?

Check out these blogs:

• 5 key elements to build a profitable photography business
• 4 marketing strategies for photographers in 2025
• 4 mindset shifts for success in business (and how to do it)

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