We were lucky to catch up with Valerie Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
I’ve struggled with feeling burned out quite a lot since starting my photography business, to the point where I’ve considered shutting down the business multiple times. Starting a business on top of being a mom of six, homeschooling my 6 yo & 8 yo, and dealing with some chronic health problems, has really been a lot for me to manage.
A couple of things have helped with the burnout: 1. hiring a mother’s helper to come in a couple of days a week for two hours and play with my two homeschooled kids so I can have some uninterrupted work time, and 2. spending some time putting together a paper planning system that really works for the way I think and plan. I started making a quarterly, monthly, weekly, and then daily plan for what I need to work, which has helped me be more productive and feel less overwhelmed and stressed. I used a combination of a printable planner for small business owners + some planning pages I designed in Canva to put together my planner, and it’s been so helpful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I really didn’t set out to be a professional photographer–I just kind of fell into it.
As I was growing my photography skills, I started to wonder if I could actually pull off a portrait session. A friend of mine was expecting her first baby and mentioned wanting some maternity photos. After a bit of internal back-and-forth as to whether I could actually do this, I offered to do take them for her for free, and she accepted. Around the same time, I’d been taking action photos of my kid’s soccer team and sharing them in an online gallery for the parents. A few weeks later, one of the soccer moms reached out and asked if I’d take family photos for her. I agreed, and with that, the idea of starting a photography business was born.
I’ve done quite a few different types of portrait photography, but my favorites are family, newborn, and school photography. I really enjoy photographing kids and capturing their personalities. I do boutique school photos for a few daycares and preschools, and it’s a lot of fun. I love trying to coax the shy ones out of their shell, capturing all the things the more expressive kids do during the two minutes I’m photographing each of them, and just generally letting them be kids while I get some great photos of them.
But if I had to pick a favorite type of photography, it would definitely be lifestyle (in-home) newborn sessions. There’s just something so wonderful about being invited into a family’s home when they have a new baby. I love documenting the family as they’re getting to know their new baby, plus all the sweet newborn baby things–the yawns, their tiny feet & hands, how small they are in their parents’ arms. It’s such an honor to be part of that chapter in a family’s life.
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?
I think the three things that have been most impactful in my journey are investing in education, being willing to step outside my comfort zone, and good old-fashioned persistence.
I genuinely enjoy learning, and it really boosts my confidence when I can have someone walk me through something new or show me how to do it. So I’ve invested heavily in education throughout my journey as a business owner. That’s included everything from a marketing membership for photographers to courses on lighting, choosing locations, posing, and how to photograph everything from weddings to seniors.
Over the last few years, I’ve tried so many new things as a photographer. While I won’t claim that every session has gone perfectly, I’ve never had a true flop. I spend a lot of time preparing when I’m doing something for the first time, and my clients have always been happy. That’s really helped to build my confidence. Because truly, almost everything I’ve done in the last three years has been a “first”–from the first family session, to “firsts” for maternity, newborn, and senior sessions, all the way to sports team & individual photos, a wedding, and shoots for a couple of magazines.
And finally, I’m a pretty persistent person, and that’s been huge for me as a creative business owner. Starting a small business is not for the faint of heart! Getting my name out there and helping people find me has been incredibly hard. I’ve tried so many different marketing approaches—most of which didn’t really result in bookings. If I hadn’t been so determined to stick with it, I would have quit in the first year.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I’d say the biggest challenge I’m currently facing is chronic health problems, specifically fatigue, brain fog, and some chronic pain. I don’t have a diagnosis because my issues don’t meet the criteria for a specific diagnosis like chronic fatigue, but these are things that have a huge impact on my life and my ability to parent and to run my business.
I’ve worked with a number of different naturopaths and functional medicine doctors over the years as well as tried many different types of bodywork, stretching, and exercises for chronic pain. I started working with a new naturopath last month who has some outside-the-box ideas for me, and I’m hoping that with her help I can resolve or at least improve some of these issues. I also started a new exercise program that’s designed by a kinesiologist, and I think over time that will reduce my pain level. I hope so, anyway!
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Image Credits
Valerie Smith Photography
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