I only started my photography business for portraits and events in New Jersey just over a year and a half ago, and things were going great – I was booked practically every weekend with some portrait sessions during the week.
Because I was so busy, I could finally make that one decision that so many professional photographers only dream about…
I was able to quit my full-time job.
But circumstances were about to take a drastic turn…
While my photography business was going well, my husband had been finishing his Ph.D. in Microbiology. We knew he would be graduating in 2012, and had been looking for employment for him since early January 2012.
He finally graduated in May 2012 but the weeks and months went on and the résumés kept pouring out. We continued to network as much as we could, but nothing seemed to strike a chord with the companies in New Jersey.
A Chance Meeting And A New Job
Through nothing short of a miracle, my husband’s mother happened to hand his résumé to a colleague who’s office was in Los Angeles. It was just a casual conversation, with her asking if he knew of anyone who would be looking for a Ph.D. and that my husband had always dreamed of living in Southern California.
Two months later my husband received a phone call to say they were looking for someone with a Ph.D. and the experience my husband had. The odds of this happening were truly remarkable. Within a week, my husband was on his way to L.A. for his interview., and he was offered the job the same day.
Moving a photography business from New Jersey to Los Angeles presented a significant challenge!
But What About My Photography Business?
Everything started to crumble in my mind as far as my photography business was concerned!
As photography business owners we live, breathe, eat, and sleep our businesses, but what are we supposed to do when tough decisions must be made that better our family, but drastically alter our business?
Up to this point, I had been working 80-100 hours a week or more, making a name for myself in New Jersey, New York, and basically the entire tri-state area.
I even took on jobs as far away as Connecticut. I did all this while holding down a full-time job, too.
The road in my photography business wasn’t always paved out for me. I have a Master’s degree in Psychology, and am the classic case of a girl that always wanted to go to art school, but went instead towards a more traditional and safe route, as my family believed that would guarantee me a job.
So you can imagine now that I finally was able to prove it to myself and those around me, it was extremely satisfying for me.
It really hurt to think that all of that hard work was now wasted.
Where In The World Would I Begin In L.A.?
So, we moved to L.A. three weeks later. All of our belongings, our 4 pets, and our cars are all here now, and I still don’t know how we managed to get this done in such a short amount of time.
My husband is satisfied with his new job, I truly love the weather here in L.A., and the people seem extremely friendly. My days consist of running errands, trying to figure out how to live a normal life in California, and continuing to make this new place our home.
But – in the back of my mind is still the question of “Where do I start from here? How do I reclaim what I had in New Jersey?”
I definitely made my fair share of mistakes, which we all do when we start our own photography business.
My previous marketing plan had consisted of offering deals through Living Social and another company called Localery. Did it get my name out there? Yes. Would I do that kind of thing again? Absolutely not!
Like their big cousin Groupon, I felt that those cheap deals really started me off on the wrong foot, attracting clients because of price and not for my photography talent.
But somehow, I managed to get a lot of positive word of mouth marketing and personal recommendations, and I was constantly busy booking everything from family portraits to mitzvah’s.
So What Did I Do When I Moved To L.A.?
My first step was to join the local Chamber of Commerce. I figured that networking with other local business owners and getting to know them personally would help to build trust, and start making a name for myself here within my local neighborhood.
There are some other groups I’m looking to join as well, such as those dealing with wedding industry professionals.
I’m keeping busy photographing for other companies, working as a freelance photographer for two national photography studios that also have a market in L.A.
Little by little, I hope to start putting my photography business onto the radar of those who need my services.
My biggest focus, though, will be working hard on my website SEO and ranking for those keywords and phrases that people in my city are actually searching for. Especially when starting out, anything you can do for free is your best friend, and SEO is the best free marketing we can get.
I’ll be quite honest, and I want to be transparent in the hope that someone else reading this can relate to this situation, I feel lost.
I was the breadwinner for our family for over 6 years and, some days, I feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under me. It’s easy to feel hopeless or that I don’t have a purpose. I’m told this is normal, especially after so many years of working hard and being busy, but now having way too much time on my hands.
However, I’m starting to see this as a challenge – one that can really help to push me to a new and better level than where I was at in New Jersey.
How Much Do I Want This?
I will keep trying and learning from my mistakes to make an even bigger and better name here for myself in L.A.
I’ve learned through this process, too, that it’s not always about our businesses. The happiness of your family should always be a priority. Sometimes that means giving up what you worked so hard at and having to rebuild elsewhere. I’ve realized this is okay, and if I made it happen in New Jersey, I can make it happen anywhere.
At the end of the day, we have to remember that family is more important than the photography business itself…
My hope is to be able to report back in a year from now on how things have progressed in L.A. with some more tips for others in this type of situation.
What Do YOU Think?
Have you, or someone you know, been through a similar experience with your photography business?
Share your thoughts and comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
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Wow, you sure struck a nerve with me! I’m about to move from my 19 years in business on a resort island to a much larger and different demographic than I’m used to. Luckily I’m only 2.5 hours away so I hope to maintain some business here while keeping my “transplanted” business alive.
Thanks Charles! I was really hoping to at least help others realize they are not in this alone. The hardest part for me is marketing again and earning trust of clients in the area. Networking and feet work I guess are the best bets with some good SEO in place!
Great share! I have a feeling you are going to do just great in your new surroundings!! Tonja
Thanks so much Tonja! Doing everything I can to make it happen here! I appreciate your response!
Hi, as others have said this article strikes a nerve and I’d love to keep tabs on how you do.
I actually have a bit of experience in reestablishing myself and my brand in a new area but worry that the 3rd time might not be so lucky! I studied the vocation of photography and portraiture in college and worked for a number of years in a studio in Austin, TX as well as assisting, 2nding, and eventually got a nice reputation as a part timer with a decent income from the central Texas art festivals as well. It was a great living for a single 30something. Then in 2008 my mom was diagnosed with cancer and I dropped everything to move to Philadelphia so that I could be with her. Sadly her fight didn’t last long and she passed within a few short months. I had every intention of moving back to Austin and picking up where I left off. Well that was right when the economy crashed and it took a year to settle her estate. In that time I met my now wife and , as women are apt to do, she convinced me to stay in the area and give my business a shot here.
That was around mid-2009 and in the time since I’ve really developed a nice full time business in the greater Philadelphia/Bucks Co/Princeton area. That said I have no family or friends in the area that I’m close to and my wife’s family have pretty much all moved west, so we have been seriously thinking of pulling up stakes too… so the questions are the same as what I’m sure you went through, “Do I want to scrap what I’ve got going on before it fully develops? Can I capture lighting twice?”
I’d love to know what you did to get so busy in your first year and a half here in Jersey and to know if you are implementing any of those same principles now?
Best of luck, I hope we can stay in touch.
TC
I just moved to a new town 6 months ago. I also joined the Chamber and have given special offers to almost all the wedding/party venues in the area. I’m hoping it will pay off. I’ve done a number of free portrait sessions from drawings at local salons. A few of these have paid off pretty well in purchases and hopefully getting my name out there. I’ve also networked with many of the local photographers and wouldn’t even mind being a second shooter since I probably won’t be too busy with weddings my first year here. Good luck to you and all the photographers going thru this change.
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you now I don’ t feel alone. I moved from Louisville Kentucky to Portland Oregon in 2010. I was never crazy booked in Louisville but while holding a full time job I did not want to shoot more then I was. when the company I worked for decided to let me, really make me by closing the Louisville office, telecommute. My wife and I decided that this would be the time to move to Portland. I was leaving behind a studio/gallery space I loved, my wife’s family, friends and thus current and future clients. (I am an Army brat so I really knew few people in Louisville) to where my family was.
Then the job ended and the company I worked for stopped operations outside of Miami and I knew I was not willing to move there and found a studio, bought some advertising and asked my family to help me get clients.
The lesson I learned is family sees you and does not equate what you do with who you are. I thought that was just my family but I have seen many posts about “don’t rely on family to market”. I have tried coupons with Living Social with minimal success.
I am once again going for broke, and I will be if this does not work, this year. I want this so bad but marketing costs money that is not coming in so what are my options to get clients?
Network with any COMPLIMENTARY business. By that I mean those that have the same clientele that your business plan says YOU are targeting with your marketing plan. Do cobranding, co promos, offer to shoot the business family for wall displays at the biz. Offer discounted bundles for them to BUY for their most preferred customers. Think Mercedes dealer or Jewelers, who have clients that purchase above a certain amount each year, and would love the reward of true professional portraiture that becomes a family heirloom, featuring them and the life they have created. Your husband should have countless new contacts that would LOVE to have access to a busy, hard to book, awesome photographer….
Ya, websites are great, facebook better, my students tell me pinterest is taking over from FB, IDK since fanpages I have not bothered to redo the main website. Too busy shooting lol, but twitter and fanpage do make a huge difference.
Be SURE that whenever you do events, you provide EVERY quality vendor with an album or hardcover book that represents your level of quality, but features the photos you took of that vendor, as well as the party. Brand that. It will be shown to EVERY new client they get. Its cheap to do these days too.
I need all the help and advice I can get. I was just getting established in Anchorage, Alaska and now my husband and I have relocated to Austin, Texas. Not only am I unfamiliar with living in the States, I know no one in Austin. I am going to be a full time photographer and would appreciate any advice on how to get established. Thanks for this blog and I look forward to any helpful hints and updates.
@Rebecca Belcher: Email me, I was in Austin for 15 years and can shed some light on the area if you like.