My First Official Week As A Full-Time Photographer

Personal

I mean, technically my first week as a full time photographer started in June when my contractual obligation to the school district ended. But if you ask me it didn’t start till this past Monday when the rest of my teacher friends had their first day back to school and I was sitting cozy on my couch culling & editing to my heart’s content.

I’ve had some people ask me what the heck I actually do all day… some may be wondering what my first official week as a full time photographer looked like and what might the rest of my weeks look like from here on out? Well here’s a peek.

My typical day starts with puppy cuddles (of course) and a couple cups of coffee. Some days I get dressed, but most days I don’t ? it’s just a matter of switching from one pair of leggings or nike running shorts to the next. I always head to my couch and get right down to business! Some Work From Home professionals say it’s not good to work where you relax because of the mental stigma associated with it and rewiring your brain, bladdy, bladdy, blah. Mat likes to call the couch Office #1. Sometimes I’ll work from what he calls Office #2 (the dining room table) and Office #3 is my actual office but I don’t use that one as much ?. For those of you keeping track, those are the top 2 WFH rules I’m breaking almost every single day before lunch… But who’s judging ??‍♀️.

Some of the things I do almost every day are cull my session from the night before & send over their sneak peaks, order client thank you gifts, catch up on emails, write blogs, make sure my website is up to date, schedule stories, make and fail at posting some reels (still getting the hang of that), and so much more!

This week I started to plan out the set for my Christmas Minis which I’m super stoked about! I also reached out to a few farms in the area to see when their sunflowers will be in season hoping for some Fall Minis, and I started on another biiiiig project I’m excited for! I’m planning something amazing for newbie photographers / people just wanting to learn how to use one of those fancy cameras so stay tuned for a big announcement…

As far as shooting goes, Monday I had a branding session for a local restaurant in Beaufort with my partner Soirée Social Media followed by a surprise proposal & family session over on Harbor Island!

Tuesday I had a networking event with Lowcountry Wedding Professionals over at Oak Terrace in Rose Hill Plantation where I got to socialize with some of the best vendors in the area!

Wednesday I had the sweetest bee themed One Year cake smash followed by a milk bath to celebrate a year of breastfeeding for an old college sorority sister. This little cutie was all smiles even in the heat of my garage studio.

Thursday was an extended family session on Fripp Island with a super fun family! As I’m writing this I’m realizing that leasing a car might not have been the best decision seeing as I’m driving to and from Beaufort multiple times a week ?. We’ll see how my mileage is doing at the end of the year.

Friday and Saturday I somehow miraculously had off from shooting but I used the time to do more of my daily mundane tasks as well as finally getting around to straightening up the house. Now that I’m home during the day I feel guilty having the cleaning lady come since I technically have more time for it now, but it’s still a struggle for me, let’s be honest.

Overall this week felt like a breeze compared to other weeks this summer. Sometimes I’d have 15 sessions in a single week ?. I remember one streak when I had 4 consecutive days of 3 sessions a day and I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the other side of that. This summer was such a rush and a blur that it seems like a lifetime ago compared to now, but I’m beyond grateful for every single one of the families I was blessed to meet!

Curious to see what the next few weeks will bring? So am I! Keep an eye on my insta stories and the blog and I’ll try to let you in as much as possible.

August 22, 2021

xoxo,

Elle

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