Becoming Visible — 03/12

A Free Woman.

Yes, I’m late.

The Easter bank holiday got me, and for once I let it. I gave myself permission to take a proper break, do absolutely nothing useful for a few days, and not feel bad about it. So here we are, a week behind. I’m at peace with it.

Now. March.

After the slow of January and February, which felt like the photography world had politely decided to forget I existed, March showed up with no intention of being gentle. It was busy. Properly busy. And I have things to tell you.

Becoming visible in the lifestyle niche

Last year I scouted a sport model in the street. I brought him to a fashion agency but he wasn’t the right fit, too muscular for runway, and the agent was kind about it but suggested I try sports agencies instead. And then, coincidentally, I started working with a fitness model agency I now do test shoots for. I mentioned my potential model to the head of the agency, sent over his profile, they spoke to him, and well.

I signed my first model. I still can’t quite believe I can say that out loud.

To be clear, I am not a scouting agent. I take no commission. I’m just a photographer who saw something in someone, made a call, and connected two people who were looking for each other. If he goes on to land brand deals and remembers who believed in him first, great. If not, I helped someone and that is enough. The network builds when you show up for people with no agenda. That’s the only rule I know.

Also through the same agency, I did a shoot with William, a physio. We used gym equipment, added some product placement, and it clicked into something I have been trying to name for months. This is the direction. Not gym bro posing, not the standard flexing in front of a mirror. Lifestyle branding with a product, a real person, a story. I work in the wellness and hospitality space and this is exactly the visual language those brands need. The niche is not fitness photography. The niche is people using products, living a life, telling a story through their body and their environment.

And on the subject of working directly with consumers, I’ll say it clearly: I’m done. Businesses see me as a professional. They pay accordingly. They don’t complain.

I am also now making everyone sign a contract. Non-negotiable.

The Photography Show.

I gave a talk at the Photography and Video Show in Birmingham, on a panel about the journey from amateur to pro photographer. And I’m not going to be modest about this, it was amazing. A room full of ambitious, serious photographers, real conversations, no performance. And after? Brands started reaching out. Adobe invited me to their Creator Live event, which led to more connections, more panels, and a much clearer picture of where the creator economy is actually heading.

Sometimes you write about your life in public and you don’t fully understand why. And then something like this happens and the universe explains it to you.

The writing opened the door.

The Leica and the freedom.

I got a Leica M10. For personal work, for the street, for the pure pleasure of carrying a camera with no brief attached. I’ve taken it everywhere. To raves, even.

And I am officially out of the corporate world.

It is scary, I won’t pretend otherwise. Some days the silence is loud and there is no call, no message, no proof that the decision was the right one. But then leads come, and shoots happen, and in March, for the first time, I made enough to cover my rent and my living expenses. That’s the first milestone. The next goal, over the next three to six months, is to match my previous salary. I’m taking marketing coaching, doing outreach, networking in person. And next month I’m starting a course at the Photographer’s Gallery to keep meeting people and making work alongside other photographers.

I’ll also say what I said on stage at the Photography Show, because I mean it and I am not ashamed of it: if this doesn’t work, the corporate world will always be there. I’m a finance lawyer. I have a cushion. There is no catastrophe waiting for me at the bottom of this risk, only a different path.

You only live once. The time was now.

April Challenge.

Thirty-day content challenge on Instagram. Every day. The journey, the real behind the scenes, the mistakes I usually keep to myself, how I get brand deals, the work that never made it to the website. Shameless. Honest. Very me.

I’m also getting more selective with events. Only the ones that actually serve the business. Events are a lot of volume for not enough pay and I have earned the right to be choosy now.

March felt like the beginning of something. Not the peak. The warm-up lap.

Thanks for reading, and as always, live inspired!