If you take away nothing else from this quiz, let it be this...
Who you are is
MORE than enough!
I want this to be a permission slip to allow yourself to just be YOU in your sessions, with your clients, in your branding.
Online. Offline. All.the.time.
When you fully embrace your natural gifts and strengths, you will see you don’t have to try to ‘fit in’ to any one box.
You can do YOU - in a way that feel aligned with who you are naturally.
are you ready?
You are...
The Soul Sister
Also known as the Warm, Welcoming Nurturer (aka BFF)
Hilarious, light-hearted and fun…
there’s probably a lot of belly laughs that happen in your studio.
You put clients at ease the moment they walk in the door. And by the time they leave, they feel like they’ve known you their entire life.
You see the bright side of life AND the best side of people.
When people are with you, they feel like they are the only one in the room - and they feel seen, heard and cared for, which is why you often find people opening up to you quickly.
And that’s because you genuinely DO care for others.
You do feel honoured to freeze this moment in time for your clients.
Sometimes, this might mean ‘details’ get lost, or you get so wrapped up in making your client feel at home, you forget a few key things you meant to do at the session (or take that all-important sibling shot, etc).
Checklists, guides and client workflows can be YOUR best friend to ensure you never miss a step (so long as you remember to use them!)
Here's a few things to watch out for...
(aka: your kryptonite)
Sometimes that might mean you care a little too much about what others think of you.
And, you may have a tendency to jump to conclusions that create friction where there really isn’t.
Example...you send your client their images - you can see they received their email and...no response - which then might spiral you into, ‘oh no...they don’t like them...maybe they hate them...maybe they don’t like me either.”
Fight that urge.
Just remember, people feel lighter in your presence, but not everyone has your same level of energy, so they may not talk with as many exclamation marks as you 😉
Of course, I’m going to guess you already knew these things about you. Perhaps this will just give you permission to fully embrace YOUR strengths and let more of that shine in your sessions.
So...
Where to from here?
(‘cause girl, I KNOW you have big plans for your future success!)
Make a learning plan.
It’s easy to hop from one YouTube tutorial to the next, learning a bit of this a bit of that, and fully understanding very little. Decide the area that is holding you back, and get to work on that. Find a trusted mentor/teacher/group to help.
Practice, practice, practice.
One of the mistakes that can happen easily for those of us who love learning is forgetting to practice what we learn. Because let’s face it - watching a video and DOING the thing...especially when it comes to newborn posing are two very different things.
Make sure you schedule practice sessions (even if it’s with a doll!) as you are learning new skills.
Ask for feedback
This is so.darn.hard. But girl, let me tell you, nothing is going to help you start seeing your work in a new light and see your weak spots quicker than putting yourself out for critique. HOWEVER - and this is key -make sure you are putting yourself out there in groups that are there to lift you up (not tear you down). Yes, you can get a less than stellar critique - AND still feel supported.
If you ever find yourself in a group where you feel less-than, or belittled, get out fast and find a group of positive peers (ahem...we happen to have the best communities on the planet! 😉 )
"Thanks for all you do to make The Milky Way such an incredible place to learn, grow, and collaborate"
- Sarah Jordan
“You’ve created a positive and constructive “home” for all of us to connect and improve - thank-you for curating this environment that fosters growth and pursuit of our dreams!”
- Lizzy McMillan
“You have built such an amazing and supportive community”
- Rebecca Connolly
“I feel so empowered by all the teachers AND the students as well. What a great community to be a part of!”
- Rebecca Connolly
Hello lovely!
If we haven't met yet, I'm Lisa and I'm so glad you're here!
I’m a photographer, educator and mama to one incredible little boy (who isn’t so little any more!)
I remember feeling so alone (and overwhelmed) when I was getting started and I know it doesn’t have to be that way.
I created The Milky Way to offer the friendliest, most supportive community of photographers and teachers so you can quickly learn the skills you need to create the art you love and a business that truly lights you up.
I'm passionate about creating communities where new and experienced photographers can connect with one another in a positive, drama-free space.
Here's a few more
important tips
1
Be mindful that what you show is what you want to photograph.
Does your website/social media posts reflect the types of images that you want to capture? The images you show will attract the clients that will resonate with it.
2
Ensure you are taking time to work ON your business not just IN it.
We’re artists - but we’re also business owners - and when things get busy, it’s easy to find ourselves putting off the activities we know we *should* be doing because we find ourselves in a cycle of ‘shoot - edit - repeat.’
3
Don’t forget to take care of YOU.
While we’re artists and business owners, we’re also humans, and as one of my mentors says, “we’re human BEINGS, not human doings.” So don’t forget to take time to recharge, refuel and enjoy the simple pleasures of life (whatever brings YOU joy!)
And remember...
There's no ONE universal model that works for everyone.
And that's part of the reason why my mission at the Milky Way is to introduce you to many different photographers who choose to run their businesses in a way that works for them. And it's why I love our communities, where we can encourage one another to grow - based on our individual versions of success.
Yes, it's important to be profitable (if your goal is to have a business vs doing it as a passion project), but there are MANY ways you can run a profitable business.
So, I just wanted to remind you that how YOU do life and business is YOUR call. (which also means you need to take full responsibility for the outcome...which I personally find incredibly freeing).
If you’re brand new to the Milky Way family
Watch your inbox in the coming days as I share some great ways to stay connected with your clients in a way that feels authentic to YOU!
And if you're a newborn photographer...
Did you know you can get instant access to the video collection inside the
2023 {online} Newborn Retreat!
