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

Becca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Despite what some people have to say, you can absolutely make a living from creative work. I’ve been able to make a full-time living as a photographer for over 10 years.

I got a BFA in Photography in 2014, but I will be the first person to tell you, you do NOT need to go to school to become successful in a creative field. What you do need is discipline and commitment to learning and practicing it.

I did take advantage of my time in school by building a really strong portfolio of the work I wanted to create. But I also considered how I could make money in photography. I didn’t like shooting models and fashion, and I didn’t want to pretend I did. I focused on what I did like – still life, food and interiors. With a world full of images used in advertising and ecommerce, I saw the potential for a career.

Creating a strong portfolio is absolutely fundamental when you’re looking to work as a creative. The people hiring you need to be able to see and visualize what you can create. If your portfolio isn’t strong, or doesn’t focus on what they’re looking for, you’ll be overlooked in a competitive field. Having a strong portfolio was how I got my first full-time job as a product photographer. From that job I was able to continue to learn and grow my skills, as well as my portfolio.

I worked full-time as a product photographer for a few different brands from 2014-2020, until, well I think we all know what happened in 2020. My full-time job became a part-time job and eventually closed it’s doors. Luckily I had spent some of that free time posting more of my photography on instagram and updating my website.

Clients really started contacting me once I became more active in showing my work online, and eventually a couple jobs turned into a steady flow of regular clients, and has grown into a full-scale business where I have lots of repeat and new clients every month!

Becca, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Like I said, I did go to school and major in Photography, which is how I learned the basics, but my real understanding of the work I do and becoming good at it, came with the years of experience I got working in studios where I was shooting and styling every single day.

Because I’ve worked full-time for brands with small art departments, I’ve gotten a lot of first hand experience with every aspect of a photoshoot. I work in so many roles beyond just being a “photographer”. My portfolio showcases work that I’ve created, single-handedly, from planning the concept to the final delivery. Whether the client has their own art direction or just a loose concept of branding, they trust me to execute everything correctly, while also letting them know what to expect every step of the way. From budgets to backgrounds, lighting to retouching – I handle everything directly with the client, so it doesn’t matter if they’re well versed in doing studio photoshoots, or if it’s their first time product launch – I know what needs to go into the shoot and how to get it done right :)

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I get asked this a lot! The strategy I use is really to just maintain my online presence, and not just social media, but keeping my website up-to-date with recent projects and new additions to my portfolio on a monthly basis.

I’m constantly in a state of website optimization, because it really pays off when you focus on your SEO – if you know, you know! Your website and business is always going to perform better if you’re coming up on the first page of Google.

Aside from getting found in the first place, I find that having good experiences with clients is always a boost for my business. I’ve formed a lot of ongoing relationships with different clients over the years, and they always return or refer their friends and colleagues to me because they know I’ll always go above and beyond in helping them get what they need done. Maintaining those positive customer relationships is a huge part of running any successful business and should never be underestimated.

How did you build your audience on social media?

If you want to grow your social media audience organically, I think being real, showing your personality and being consistent is the key to being successful. I personally have a hard time keeping up with posting regularly and I struggle with making reels often enough, but anytime I talk directly to my audience or give a useful photography hack, I reach a lot more people.

If we’re being honest, social media can be so fickle, and I try not to rely on it too much, even if it’s a great way to reach a wide audience and it’s really the only place to share your work – it’s constantly changing and pushing paid content, while not showing things that are actually relevant from people you follow. It’s unpredictable, so it’s hard to put a lot of eggs in that basket, for me personally.

But if social media growth is your goal, you just have to find your niche, commit to your strategy, be authentic, and stick with it until your audience finds you. Also try to have fun and don’t worry about the likes! :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.becca-m.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/beccamcreative

Image Credits

image 1 for le bon garcon
image 2 for califlora
image 3 for vital shrooms
image 4 for lively root
image 5 for maison rue
image 6 for poketo x pattern brands

all images copyright of Becca M.