We recently connected with Erin Thompson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I almost didn’t start a business. Despite feeling called to, we’re a military family that moves frequently. Why would I start a service-based business only to have to pick up and move it every few years? That sounded hard.

But, I couldn’t shake the joy I felt with a camera in hand or the voice in my head telling me to give it a try, so I went for it. And sure enough, after running my business for just a year in Albuquerque, NM, our family got orders to Washington DC.

In January 2023, just a few months after our big cross-country move, I was unexpectedly laid off from my full-time job. Filled with fear, anxiety, and a deep desire to serve more families through photography, I decided to go full-time with my business… and I replaced my previous job’s salary by the end of that year. More importantly though, I proved to myself that I had what it takes to run a profitable photography business.

At the end of that successful year, we already knew our next move was coming in summer 2024. As I started to prepare to move my business to Dayton, OH, I had the thought that it would be so much easier if I could talk to another milspouse photographer who had experience running a business in Dayton. Around that same time, Melissa Sheridan connected with me on Instagram and through typical milspouse small talk, we learned that she had recently moved from Dayton… and was getting ready to move to DC!

We were exactly what each other needed! She shared her local insight on the neighborhoods near base. I gave her my two cents on the rental they were looking at in Alexandria. She shared a couple locations she loved for family sessions. And we both just felt better overall about our upcoming moves having talked to each other.

Then it dawned on me… my situation was far from unique. There are so many milspouse photographers moving around all the time. And if I’ve learned anything about milspouses over the years, it’s that we have a special bond that comes from mutual understanding of the challenges of military life and we love to help each other. So, what if there was a place where milspouse photographers could connect with each other, build community, and just make moving easier? I couldn’t find one, so I set out to create one.

In April 2024, I officially launched Photographers Changing Stations, a free Facebook group for milspouse photographers to build community and thriving businesses despite frequent moves. Together, we brainstormed the types of resources that would be helpful and have since created many of them for one main reason: to help milspouse photographers build businesses that thrive despite frequent moves.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Erin, a military spouse and teacher-turned-photographer.

I started my career teaching math in a high school classroom when we were stationed in Great Falls, MT. After four years in a classroom, I pivoted to teaching online while we were stationed in Albuquerque, NM.

During that assignment, I was furloughed for a couple weeks during the pandemic and decided to take an online photography class to pass the time. I’d enjoyed photography for as long as I could remember and I wanted to learn more. Well, not only did I learn more, I finished the class feeling inspired and called to start my own business.

It took about six months to square away the legal details, build my portfolio, and get my website and backend up and running. I officially launched Erin Thompson Photography on June 13, 2021.

From 2021-2024, I primarily photographed families, newborns, and military events, first in Albuquerque, NM and then in Washington DC. Near the end of 2023, we learned we would be moving to Ohio for 18 months, with a follow-on assignment in Colorado Springs come 2026. The building and rebuilding from all these moves inspired the next adventure in my business.

Since launching Photographers Changing Stations, I’ve been working with fellow milspouse photographers in the community to create resources to help all of us as we move. For starters, we launched a blog series called Location Guides for Milspouse Photographers. I do all the formatting and publishing, but the content of the blogs are written by fellow milspouse photographers. In short, a milspouse answers questions about their favorite places to shoot and shares other relevant local knowledge to help someone who will be moving their business there. We currently have over 30 location guides in the US, Europe and Asia, with the goal of eventually publishing a guide for every base around the world.

In addition to location guides, our community decided it would be helpful if we had a way to keep track of who has experience where so that when someone has a question about a place they’re moving, they can easily find a list of photographers who either are currently there or have been there in the past. To organize this, my husband and I worked together to create the Milspouse Photographer Database. It’s an interactive tool that responds to different filters so photographers can easily find the connections they need.

Finally, as a teacher at heart, I’ve created a YouTube channel to teach milspouse photographers about business topics that aren’t specific to a particular location. I’ve also launched an online shop with a detailed marketing resource that covers exactly what marketing tasks I do and when to create a seamless transition between duty stations. My goal of all the content I create is simple: to make it easier for milspouse photographers to move and run their businesses.

While I’m proud of all of these resources we’ve created over the last year, I’m most proud of the way our community came together at the start of 2025. After the horrific airline and helicopter crash over the Potomac in January, I asked in if anyone was interested in helping. Within minutes, I had contact info for the battalion involved and countless volunteers willing to help however they could. Over the course of a few days, we were able to raise and donate over $2,500 to support the Gold Star families impacted by this tragedy. So, while creating photography resources has been great, I’m most proud of the community we have built together. We are so much more than just milspouse photographers. We are real people with our own individual stories who want to make a difference.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

With all the moving we do, I’ve gotten a lot of practice building tribes wherever the Air Force sends us. There is naturally a lull in bookings as we transition from one place to the next, but learning how to minimize that time has been crucial. The best strategy for me has been creating strategic partnerships.

As a family photographer with young kids myself, our schools’ PTO has been a great place to do this. Through offering discounted mini sessions with a percentage of each session going back to the school, I’ve been able to get myself in front of many ideal clients. I’ve done similar partnerships with our squadrons as well. Basically, when I get to a new place, I identify where I can find ideal clients through natural connections in my own life, figure out what can be in it for them, and then use the opportunity to serve my new community and expand my clientele.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

While partnerships have been a good strategy for quickly expanding my reach, by the time we’re getting ready to move, the majority of my sessions are with repeat clients or friends they’ve referred. That speaks to how important client experience is. I have learned time and time again that if I give my clients an amazing experience, not only will they come back, but they’ll tell their friends about me too. With this in mind, when we move to a new place, I focus on quickly building a base and serving those clients really well. By the time we leave, my marketing is taking care of itself. Then I rinse and repeat!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.erinthompsonphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinthompsonphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinthompsonphotos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinthompsonphotography
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/photographerschangingstations

Image Credits

All portfolio images were taken by me. My headshot was taken by Emily Marcella Photography.