Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brittney Georgiana. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Brittney, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I grew up in Southern Minnesota, and in July of 2020 I packed all of my belongings into a tiny U-Haul & moved to Southern Utah alone, without knowing ANYONE. I will never move back! I absolutely love it here, and I believe it was the best decision I could’ve ever made for myself. . here’s why.
Living in Minnesota, my first paid shoot was in 2009. I had no knowledge of the technical side of photography, no experience with business or sales, and barely any life experience.
It was a maternity session in my parents’ basement, followed shortly after by a newborn session for the same couple. The newborn session took 3 hours, and I charged $50. I still have those photos.
All I knew was that I liked taking photos, and people liked the photos I took of them. That $50 felt like the most rewarding pay. I always kept photography as my side hustle or hobby because I believed that turning it into my career would diminish my enjoyment. Perhaps it was my fear of failure that held me back.
I started working in retail at 15, moved out of my parents’ house at 16, miraculously graduated by 18, and met my “future husband” at the same age. I moved cities, worked in lingerie sales, bridal, and automotive from 2013-2019, all while keeping photography as a casual side job, occasionally going months without shooting.
Married and divorced by 25, I found myself living alone in Minnesota, and I felt like my life hadn’t truly started, that something was missing and I needed a change. On intuition alone, having never been to Utah, I decided to move there.
A 4-day solo trip to Southern Utah confirmed my decision, and I never looked back.
In July 2020, I took a leap, moving from Minnesota to Utah in a tiny U-Haul with my dog and two cats. I found a job at a local dealership but rediscovered my passion and love for photography (and life) all over again. Starting a fresh IG for my photography in Utah, I offered the first 5 sessions for free. Now, it has snowballed into something that made me confident enough to let photography become my full-time career.
I had been in sales for the past 10 years, and automotive sales for the past 5. . . I had worked for a Bridal & Tuxedo Company, Victoria’s Secret, Subaru, Kia, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Toyota.
I had never known if quitting my “corporate 9-5” to be a full-time photography – business – owner would be a good decision or not.. I didn’t have the time to fully book myself with a full-time job, so I had no way of knowing if I was booking enough to sufficently support myself.
As of September 2023 I’ve made the decision to dive into my photography business full-time. This is something that I am so incredibly passionate and excited about. I can’t wait to see where the next couple of years takes me. ♡
I am blessed with an incredible fiance, and have made a beautiful life for myself in Southern Utah, with every risk taken, paying off.
I didn’t know until I took that leap. There was lots of leaps taken to get to this point, but every risk was worth taking.
I am now almost 1 full year in, as a full-time photographer in Southern Utah, and have never woken up daily as I do now, with SO much grattitude, happiness, and passion for what I do.
Never let your fear of failure, keep you trapped in an unhappy and unsatisfying life that doesn’t feel like YOURS anymore.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a full-time portrait photographer in Southern Utah who specalizes in personal branding photography, weddings, families, and outdoor boudoir.
My photography style can be described as moody and vibrant, with a strong emphasis on staying true to the colors and emotions of each moment. I believe in capturing not just how a moment looks, but how it feels, allowing my clients to relive those cherished memories for years to come. Whether it’s documenting love stories, candid moments, or guiding my clients through a photoshoot with posing guides and prompts, my goal is to create a comfortable and enjoyable experience from start to finish.
Some fun facts about me! I’m a Taurus – Gemini cusp, and I have lived a life so full of experiences that it feels like I’ve lived like ten lifetimes in my mere 30 years. I’ve been married and divorced, but life goes on. I see it as a blessing.
I try to be a gym girly, most mornings. I love hiking, staying active, camping, exploring new places, and restaurants. I loveee spicy food.🌶️True crime podcast junkie. When it comes to soda, my go-to choice is Dr. Pepper. According to the 16 Personalities type quiz, I’m a Logistician, a planner, and highly Mac Miller, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar🎶
I am outgoing, direct, and non-judgmental. I’m comfortable in my own body and with my sexuality, and I fully embrace and accept others for who they are. I’m a friendly person, and I’ll always have my friends’ backs.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Aside from word of mouth, I have found great success for generating genuine inquries from my ideal clients by staying consistent with posting and sharing my favorite, and best work on any platform that I find myself spending time on. I ask myself “What can I post that is relevant to what I do as a photographer?”
For me, this means marketing in different ways to fit the platform I am posting to.
For example, short, entertaining and educational videos to post as reels and tiktoks.
Sharing and promoting my work in local Facebook groups who allow business posts.
Mixing in carasoul posts of acutal photos instead of only reels on my Instagram, even though “the algorithim” pushes out reels more than photos.. people are coming to my page to see my work.. if my instagram is just a bunch of videos of me being myself, they cant trust that I take photos that are as good as my Google Reviews say.. which is another great contribution to growing my clientele.
Google reviews and having a presence on Google!!!!!!
Creating a website domain is the best place to start gaining online traffic, and over time, your analytics will help you learn which areas you could improve on to help boost your SEO.
How did you build your audience on social media?
As a photographer who started fresh after 11 years experience, by moving half way across the country without knowing a soul, I had to literally start from scratch.
In 2020, I created a whole new Instagram for my photography business, and started by offering my first 5 sessions to locals in a new state, for FREE… I know.. “what?”.. this paid off.
They loved those photos enough to share them!! So, what I did then is went into the posts of the photos they shared, and I followed every single person who liked those photos… from there it snowballed. Those people wonder who just followed them.. go to my page, and see the famaliar face of their friend whose photos I’ve taken – trust is already gained off the bat.
With those first 5 sessions, every single one of those clients had booked with me again in the future, at my true rate, and to this day I still get refferals from those original 5.
I am a photographer who specalizes in personal branding photos, weddings, families, and outdoor boudoir, so I also made sure to follow local business and business owners who have similar feed styles to my style of photography, interacting with engagement announcement posts, and making sure the work on my page, and website is consistent to the work I want to book more of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brittneyreneephotographyut.com/
- Instagram: @brittneyreneephotography.ut
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneyreneephotos/
- Other: Google Reviews
https://g.co/kgs/bmEGrZUTikTok
@brittney.georgiana
Image Credits
Brittney Georgiana