10 Years in Business – #2 Follow your gut and take risks

January 2024 marked 10 years since I started my own product photography business. There have been lots of ups and downs, “ooh’s” and “aah’s” over the years. To celebrate this milestone I’m doing a recap of key moments and lessons I learned running my photography business.

It has been a bit of a journey thinking back about all the different stages of my career so far. On a professional level, this recap has allowed me appreciate my own growth as a photographer. On a personal level, it has taught me to trust my instincts and follow my passion.

In this 8 blog series, I’m sharing some lessons I have learned over the years. Other product photographers may have had different experiences but I know we all face similar challenges in the industry.

Whether you are a photographer or run a different type of small business, I hope you find this blog series useful and interesting.

This is blog 2/8 – check out the rest at the end of the page.

Running a product photography business without a studio space

During my first couple of years in business I didn’t have a studio. I would usually travel by public transport (I also didn’t have a driving license!) to the client’s studio or workshop, dragging my lights and stands in a long canvas bag with wheels meant to be used as a golf bag (studio equipment bags were too expensive), a rucksack for my laptop, camera and cables and one of those big blue Ikea bags for some 60×60 backgrounds and some props. As you can imagine, it was tiring and impractical. I also set up a little home studio in the spare bedroom of our flat for remote shoots. It was tight and not really welcoming for clients.

Getting my first studio space

The idea of renting a studio space was daunting, scary and full of what-if’s, but the benefits were huge. The best advice I got at the time was “Yes it’s scary, but it’ll push you to get more work and grow your business.” And it certainly did! I had an extra monthly bill to pay so I had to try a little harder to get work, which in turn helped me grow my business and fill my books 2 or 3 months in advance.

I remember thinking back to this advice after I moved to Portugal in 2022. At a time when I had virtually no work booked in, was it really wise to invest in a studio space? Yes, I was then able to show my clients I was ready to do their photoshoots in a suitable space where I can create beautiful product photos. Was it risky? Yes, but I have learned that

you have to take risks to grow.

I moved into my first studio in 2017. It was a small space with less than 20 sqm and a very annoying plug socket strip all around the room. But I loved it and I felt lucky to be able to work in it.

THE REST OF THE BLOG SERIES

• #1 Getting into product photography READ IT NOW
• #3 Know your worth  READ IT NOW
• #4 The power of a great community READ IT NOW
• #5 Be yourself – Instagram and managing expectations READ IT NOW
• #6 Learn, share, grow – try new things, stay creative (COMING SOON)
• #7 Take your work-life balance seriously – work hard play hard (COMING SOON)
• #8 Embrace change and opportunities – moving countries and new challenges (COMING SOON)

You can see my work and continue following my journey on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter for occasional news and updates.