We were lucky to catch up with Lily Fischer recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lily, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
When I started my business, it was so easy to constantly think about work. I was always thinking about what tasks I had to do, going to sessions, and editing until the early morning hours. Along with that, I always had this habit of answering texts and emails from clients or someone who inquired me, even if it was 10 or 11 p.m. when I received said text or email. Now why did I do that? At the time, I was scared of losing out on an opportunity or that my clients expected a response back as fast as they reached out to me. I quickly became consumed in my work and it became so hard to shut off work mode in my brain. I thought that if I wasn’t always doing something relating to my business, I wasn’t doing good enough, and I was quickly burning out.
Then, I realized something. I am a human too. I have a life outside of my business, and I am allowed to enjoy it just like anyone else. So, I made some changes to my business. Something that has really helped me with avoiding another burnout is setting office hours. I set office hours to set a boundary not only for myself but also set expectations for my clients and potential clients. I only answer emails and texts within my set office hours Monday through Friday. If anything business-related gets sent to me outside of those office hours, I answer them the following work day. This has helped me out a ton! I no longer feel the urgency to reply as soon as a message comes through.
Furthermore, I take days off! Owning a business and being able to make your own schedule is easier said than done. Yes, you’re able to make your own schedule, work whatever hours you want, and are in control of how you run your business. I noticed in years prior that it’s so easy to overload myself with work or over-booking sessions and not realize it until I’m in the middle of the busy season. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being busy and fully booked, but I realized that I also have a life outside of photography, and I deserve to be present in my personal life. I now make sure to prioritize taking days off when I don’t touch anything that pertains to work. By doing this, I’m able to spend a day with my fiancé, spend time with my friends and family, or just have a day where I can just sit around and relax for a day!
Setting office hours and prioritizing taking days off have significantly helped me avoid a burnout. I think it’s important for any business owner to set boundaries, have specific days off, or have a self-care day! That way, you come back to work the following day or week feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the world!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hello, hello! My name is Lily Fischer and I am the owner of Lily Marie Photography LLC. I am a photographer based in Northeastern Nebraska, but I love to travel! I specialize in wedding, senior, and couple photography. You’ll rarely find me without my camera, but when you do I’m most likely out and about with my amazing fiancé and friends, attending some sort of concert, or dreaming up my next vacation.
My passion for photography started when I was 15 years old. I took a yearbook class during my sophomore year of high school and knew that photography was what I wanted to pursue as my career. I started working on my business and building my portfolio immediately after I graduated high school in 2020. Today, I am going on my second year of being a full-time photographer, and it’s still crazy to think about.
I love photography because there’s so much more to it than just “taking pictures” or “clicking a button”. It’s capturing memories that you will show your grandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren. It’s freezing those happy tears from your spouse and family as you walk down the aisle. It’s capturing that candid moment of you with your partner full of laughter and love. It’s celebrating you closing one chapter in your life and preparing to start a new chapter. It’s capturing special moments that will be cherished for years, and for you to look back on and reminisce such a beautiful, fun time. It’s exciting to know that I can play a big part in some incredible moments.
This year I have been attending many content days and attended a retreat in Oregon! The reasoning behind attending content days is to explore more creative avenues, add to my portfolio, and learn and grow with other amazing photographers. I decided also to attend a retreat in Oregon this past April, and I will say that it was one of the best decisions for me and my business this year. This retreat consisted of three days spent on the Oregon coast, with multiple photographers, many elopement and couple-styled shoots, and an education session with the hosts. This trip helped give me some insight of what it’s like to do destination weddings/sessions and elopements. I’d love to travel for weddings or sessions and explore the beautiful places this world has to offer, and this trip helped me get a little taste of what that could be like. I look forward to more trips and retreats in the future!!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back to where I started compared to where I am today, there are many factors that have helped me and been impactful on my photography journey.
First and foremost, one of the most important parts of doing photography is learning your camera. There are tons of different cameras out there, but the top brands are Canon, Nikon, and Sony. I get asked a lot by beginners what the best camera is to use and own. I tell everyone who asks me that any camera can be an amazing camera to start off with or use if you learn how to use it correctly and that the brand you go with is a personal preference. Anyone can spend thousands of dollars on camera gear, but if you don’t know how to use it, it’s pointless. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with starting off with a budget-friendly or used camera. I started off on a Nikon D3500, which was gifted to me but still a budget-friendly camera. With that camera, I learned how to use manual mode, watched tons of YouTube videos on that camera, and messed around with my settings all the time. I learned so much using that camera and it worked amazing. Any camera can be great once you learn how to work with it, but I always recommend doing your research to see which option works best for you, too!
The second thing that has been impactful on my journey has been the client experience. You can be a skilled photographer with years of experience, but if you don’t give your clients a good experience, it can hurt your business. One of the most impactful things to your business is word of mouth. If you give someone an amazing session, they will be more willing to recommend you to their friends and family. If you give someone an undesirable experience, they will be less willing to recommend you to anyone. When it comes to client experience, I am there for my clients from the time they reach out to beyond delivering their gallery. I build a relationship with everyone that I work with and help give them a fun, positive experience all around. By doing that, I have repeat clients and happy clients of mine refer me to their friends and family!
The last thing that has been impactful on my journey has been knowing my worth. It’s so easy to compare myself or my work to other photographers or think that I am not doing a good enough job. However, I always think about how much I have grown in the last 4 years and how much I will grow in the following years. I always remind myself that everyone learns at a different pace and that every photographer has a different style and way of doing things. We’re all learning, no matter how many years of experience we have. Changing my mindset of myself and knowing that I have grown in more ways than one each year helps me get over any imposter syndrome that I might have. I know that myself and my work are worth it!
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Truthfully, I don’t have one specific person who helps me overcome challenges and gives me advice. Instead, I have the photography community as a whole, which is full of so many amazing people!
There are photographers in my area or surrounding area that I have been so fortunate to meet and work with. I have met some amazing photographers who have helped mentor me, teach me, and I know would help me if I reached out. I’m also I’m various. Facebook groups are full of photographers around the world and they can be so helpful if I need advice or hyping up a gallery I may need a second pair of eyes on!
The photography community scared me when I first started because I thought it was everyone for themselves. In reality, it’s one of the most uplifting communities I have ever had the privilege of being a part of. I’m 110% community over competition and it’s so refreshing to see how many photographers are cheering you on and willing to give a helping hand to anyone who may need it.
In return, I always extend that helping hand to anyone who reaches out or needs help! We all start out somewhere and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the photographers that I have met or that have helped me along the way. We all share the same passion and so that’s why I think it’s so important for us to help each other and build one another up. I have such respect and love for each and every photographer who has helped me and for each one that I have helped.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lilymariephotographyne.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: @lilymariephotographyne
- Facebook: Lily Marie Photography LLC.
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