Meet Angela Shae

We recently connected with Angela Shae and have shared our conversation below.

Angela, 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?

People ask me all the time how I managed to avoid burnout in all my years in the photography industry.
The truth? I didn’t. I hit it full force.

After a decade of shooting weddings and editing past midnight while caring for my kids at the same time, I finally reached the point where I was completely spent. I wasn’t thriving, I was just trying to survive and instead of hustling through, I made the hard call to step away.

I shut down my photography business, sold our house, and moved my family to Southern California with no plan for what was next. It was equal parts terrifying and freeing. But for the first time in years, I had space to breathe.

So if you’re close to burnout, here’s what I’d tell you: don’t wait until you crash. Protect your energy now. Schedule breaks before you’re desperate for them. Create boundaries so your work doesn’t bleed into every corner of your life. And remember saying no to the things that drain you is really just saying yes to the things that matter most.

My year off gave me the reset I desperately needed and showed me that I never wanted to build a business that ran me into the ground again. So when friends started asking me for help with their social media, it slowly evolved into something new. And then Reels took over Instagram, I saw firsthand how overwhelming it was for photographers to keep up. That’s actually when I decided to create Social Templates. Now I get to help photographers avoid the exact crash I went through by giving them a system that keeps their business visible, sustainable, and sane.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I run Social Templates Co, which is basically plug-and-play Instagram Reel Templates designed specifically for photographers and creatives.

Every week, we drop fresh, beat-matched templates built right inside Instagram, paired with trending and/or royalty free audio. So instead of spending hours looking for music, editing clips, and feeling like you want to give up with content creation, our members can just drop in their photos and post in minutes.

I get to witness photographers finally feel like Instagram doesn’t have to be a full-time job. So many of us want to capture and share the meaningful moments of our clients but then the social media part of it creeps in and it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in the algorithm and in another neverending to-do list.

With Social Templates, our members get to show up consistently, attract dream clients, and still have evenings free for their families or for themselves. Also what makes us different is that everything we do is Instagram-native. So no extra apps. No complicated editing. Just an in-app system that works with the tools creatives are already using.

At the end of the day, Social Templates isn’t just about Reel Templates, it’s about helping creatives protect their time and run businesses that support their lives instead of consuming them.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the three things that made the biggest impact on my journey were being creative, adapting, and having a supportive community.

When I couldn’t find a tool that made Reels simple for photographers, I built one. Being creative allowed me to see opportunities others might not see. I think we shouldn’t limit creativity to art, we can bring it into our business decisions, our marketing, and even the way we structure our time.

The second one would be adaptability. Nothing in business or even in life stays the same for long. So we have to look at things with an open mind and be constantly pivoting. Every misstep is showing us what doesn’t work so we can get closer to what does and for me, it’s important to get comfortable with “failing forward.” If I had quit the first time something didn’t work out, I wouldn’t be here today.

And finally the most important, community. This one I wouldn’t trade for anything. The people we surround ourselves with are often the ones who help us see what’s possible and sometimes hand us the exact opportunity we never knew we needed. Running a business can feel lonely, but let me tell you – it doesn’t have to be. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Send the DM. Ask the question. Show up for others the way you hope they’ll show up for you.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I’m a big believer in going all in on your strengths. When I was a wedding photographer, I spent years trying to be good at everything. Shooting, editing, client management, marketing, bookkeeping, social media, you name it. I was spread so thin that I wasn’t enjoying the part I was actually best at, photographing timeless moments for my clients.

When I finally stepped away, it hit me, the work that lights us up is usually where our true strength lies. For me, it was always the creative side, photography, storytelling, and later, building systems to make creativity sustainable. Once I leaned into that instead of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, that’s when I started building work I actually loved again.

That’s also why I created Social Templates. Photographers are incredible artists, but most don’t have the time or the desire to become full-time content creators on top of running a business. So instead of adding another skill to their already full plate, I believe it’s better to double down on strengths and lean on proven systems for everything else.

Because when you stop trying to do it all, you actually create more space to do what you’re best at and that’s where the real magic happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://socialtemplates.co/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/socialtemplates.co/