We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Samantha Tribble a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Since 2019 I have been able to make a full-time living as a professional photographer. My husband and I have owned the business since 2017 but, in the beginning, we worked other jobs at the same time. We used the business more as a hobby that paid up until I had an indecent with a customer at my bartending job. I was assaulted and the owner of the restaurant allowed the customer to return. I made the decision that night that I would no longer be employed there and would do anything I needed to in order to make photography my full-time passion. At that point, I only needed 3 sessions a month to make up for the loss of income from my previous job. My specialty is boudoir and what I offer took off! I upped my marketing, asked clients to share with others about their experience, and put my energy into making it everything it is today. Now, I’m booking out 6+ months in advance with a minimum of 3 sessions per week.

A huge part of my success is due to the people I surround myself with. I had a very early realization that I couldn’t wear every “hat” well. If I wanted to be a master of my craft, I had to ensure I wasn’t a “jack of all trades.” Outsourcing and delegating to the right people is one of the best things I could do for our business.

Our success was incredibly quick and surprisingly smooth. I do not think there’s anything I would change about how I got here.

Samantha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a full-time luxury photographer who specializes in boudoir. My studio also specializes in headshots, branding, food, and product photography.

My journey with photography began when my mom bought me a used camera for Christmas in 2015. I was living in California at the time and began photographing nature, astrophotography, and abandoned places. Over the next few years, I developed my skills alongside my now-husband, Stephen. In the beginning, we would take on any style of session that presented itself. In 2019, I saw an ad for boudoir photography and fell in love! I knew that was exactly the type of photography I was meant to do.

Since 2019, my main niche of photography has been boudoir. I have created an experience that my clients rave about in over 150 5-star testimonials! I enjoy spoiling my clients with an unforgettable day that is all about them. There is not a single thing they need to worry about as I provide professional hair and makeup, access to over 350 pieces of lingerie, a red-bottom collection, and a same-day reveal and ordering appointment. They can even schedule a massage while I am preparing their images to be viewed.

I am most proud of the experience that I provide that boosts my clients’ confidence and adds to their self-love journey.

I want everyone to know that age, size, and weight are all just numbers and have nothing to do with your worth or whether or not you should schedule a boudoir session! It might seem scary, and your nerves might stop you time and time again from reaching out, but I promise you, it is 100% worth doing.

I am incredibly proud of our accomplishments as well because most of them have been selected by our local community. I’m proud that my passion for what I do does not go unnoticed and that I get to empower women in the process! We have been selected by our community as the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Best of the Best winner for three years in a row. I have been selected as a Women in Business Honoree, a Marquis Whos Who biographical recipient, and, most recently, the 40 Under Forty 2024 Young Small Business Professional of the Year.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

In my opinion, there are many great ways to support artists!

– Like, share, & comment on their social media.
– Recommend them to friends and family.
– Use their services.
– Before shopping at a chain or big box store, see if local artists can do it for you.
– Consider local artists for birthday and holiday gifts.
– Don’t ask for a discount.
– Leave them a 5-star detailed Google review.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media, specifically FB, has been instrumental in building my client list.

I started by using my personal FB page to let friends and family know we were taking clients. After we created our LLC, we started a FB business page. Through this page, we paid for advertising and attracted new clients. Once I decided to niche down into boudoir, I created a private women’s only VIP group to turn cold leads into hot leads. This group is still incredibly important to my business and helps to keep my work on their timelines.

Throughout the years, we have also used Instagram and TikTok. But, because of my average client age, FB has been wildly more successful than these other avenues. I even went viral on TikTok with my first post reaching over 1.3 million views.

Once I realized that I no longer had time to keep up with social media and its ever-changing ways, I hired a social media manager. I highly recommend doing this as soon as you possibly can!

It is incredibly important to understand your client demographic and where they like to consume social media. It is also important to stay top of mind to your current and potential clients. Do not be afraid to post frequently! Be sure to ask for testimonials on FB and Google. Reshare these testimonials as content on your socials!

Social media presence is essential to a growing business. If it’s not something you want to do or something you can’t figure out, outsource!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lunarstudionsb.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boudoirbylunarstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BoudoirbyLunarStudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-tribble-058aa176/

Image Credits
Stephen Holvik of Lunar Studio Boudoir by Lunar Studio