Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liyah Sumner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Liyah, thanks for joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

I didn’t get into photography with the intention of starting a business and it wasn’t until after my first paid client that I decided to go that route. I spent a lot of time in the beginning trying to be an entrepreneur while thinking like a hobbyist, so there were a lot of mistakes made and lessons learned.

Something I really struggled with was trying to determine what I was going to charge for shoots. It was difficult monetizing my art and putting a price on something I had done for fun (and free) for so long. When I started accepting paying clients, I’d just pick some arbitrary number that I thought sounded like a reasonable amount for where I was at, completely low-balling myself. This wasn’t sustainable and it made it difficult for me to raise my prices when the time came because there was no basis for how that number was chosen. It took several instances of burnout, some resentment, and almost falling out of love with photography, for me to realize I was undervaluing my work. I knew that if I wanted to see some real growth and eventually make this my primary source of income, I’d have to figure out how much I needed to charge so that I didn’t feel depleted.

I took what I learned as a business major and watched probably every Youtube video on the topic and came up with a pricing structure that took into account the thousands of dollars worth of equipment and software used, time spent, miles traveled, and years of experience that goes into creating my art. I thought about how much I wanted to make each month and how many shoots I would need to book in order to do that. I used all of that to create the packages that my clients are now able to choose from.
If I were to start over today, I’d do that before accepting any paid shoots and probably save myself from years of headache and heartache.

Another thing I would do differently is not let my unrealistic idea of perfection stop me from putting myself and my art out there. Admittedly, I could still use a little work on this. It can be hard detaching from the outcome, putting my work out there when I have no control over how it will be received or when I see things that I could’ve done differently or better. That fear of not having the perfect image or the perfect caption to go with it has stopped me from posting so many times. That’s definitely put me on the bad side of an algorithm that favors consistency. It’s 2024 and having a strong social media presence can directly impact profit. Most of my clients find me through Instagram and while I’m lucky in that my lack of posting didn’t prevent new clients from finding me, I know I would’ve seen more growth had I been more consistent with it over the years.

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.

Hello! My name is Liyah and I’m a multi-passionate creative based in Milwaukee. I went back and forth on whether I wanted to just identify as a photographer, which is what most people know me for, but I felt that wouldn’t be doing myself much justice. I am the owner of L.Nicole Photography (which in and of itself requires me to wear multiple hats), but I’m also a musician, a marketing professional, and a self-proclaimed fashionista.

I’ve always been a creative – I picked up my first of 3 instruments at 7 years old, created my own very pretend fashion line around the same age, had a camera in my hand since I was 10, and started playing around with graphic design at 12. So, it was a no-brainer that I would end up working in a creative field. What I didn’t know was that I’d be in creative services at Kohl’s and running my own photography business.

For the longest, photography had been a hobby. I just loved capturing memories with my friends and family. I was always the girl with the disposable cameras and in middle school I got a little pink point-and-shoot digital camera that I took literally everywhere. I got my first DSLR camera (a Canon Rebel) in college with the intention of starting a style blog, but while I was learning how to use it, making my friends and family model for me, I found myself really enjoying just being behind the camera again.

I started posting those pictures on social media and reached out to aspiring models to see if they’d be interested in shooting with me. I attended local events, camera in hand, and started connecting and working with other creatives in the area. A couple months into that, I was contacted by my first client, a Marquette student, who wanted me to do their senior portraits. Up until that point, I didn’t really call myself a “photographer.” I was just someone who loved taking pictures and had a good eye for it. That shoot made me realize it was more than that, and that I could actually make money doing something that I truly enjoyed.

7 years later and I’ve done countless portrait shoots from graduates to engagements and everything in between. I’ve photographed events, concerts, weddings, and fashion shows. I’ve worked with local businesses to refresh their brand with new images. I’ve even done a little photojournalism in the last few years.

Through photography, I’ve been able to connect with so many beautiful people. I have the pleasure of capturing some of the biggest moments of their lives, to tell their love stories, help them build their brands, and/or show them their authentic beauty from my eyes/lens.

That’s one of the aspects of being a portrait photography the most. As someone who’s pretty introverted, doesn’t love having their picture taken by anyone else, and has insecurities just like anyone else, I know how daunting it can be to step in front of a professional camera. It takes a level of vulnerability and I love being able to build trust with my clients and watch even the most camera-shy individuals completely blossom. It fills me up when they leave our shoot feeling even more confident, beautiful, and excited than they did when they arrived.

I had no idea where photography was going to take me. I’ve learned a lot not only about the craft and about the people I’ve gotten to cross paths with other the years, but also about myself.
Like I mentioned before, starting a photography business wasn’t the initial plan, but I can’t help but feel like it was one of my callings. I’m so grateful that I can make a living doing something that I love and that allows me to tap into all of my passions in some way!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

As a visual artist, the best source of new clients for me has been Instagram. Aside from word of mouth, that’s been the easiest way for people to find me and my work!

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Not at the moment but I’ve had a few ideas for the future! My educational background is in marketing so I like to sprinkle a little of that in when I’m working with clients who are business owners. Eventually, I’d like to formally include brand kits as part of my branding photography packages and/or sell templates for marketing collateral. Since I have some experience with graphic design and hand-lettering is another one of my creative outlets, I’ve also considered adding save-the-dates and/or wedding invites to my engagement packages. I’d like to build up my portfolio before I start offering those products and services to clients, though.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/l.nicolephotography

Image Credits

Johnessa
Amanda and Josh Brown
Ethan Hightire
Carmalisa and Chance
Sydnie Beason and HJ Brown
Natalia Taormina
My Mom and Shemaya