We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abbie Flanagan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Abbie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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?
I found my passion for photography in high school in my digital arts class in 2007. I started gaining recognition from friends and family who hired me to take senior portraits, family photos, etc. Although I loved it, I didn’t really put myself out there as I preferred it as a hobby and didn’t feel confident enough to charge for my services. At one point in my early twenties, I even sold my camera and figured it was a hobby long gone.
In 2016, I decided to buy my roommate’s digital SLR just to get back into it as a hobby. I started taking photos of my close friends and their kids, and quickly realized that not only I still loved it- I wanted to get good. I wanted to fully understand the ins and outs of shooting in manual, mastering lighting, and upgrading my toolkit to get to where I wanted. I sought advice from a friend I had met online who was an incredible wedding photographer, who was generous enough to mentor me! Everything changed from that moment forward.
I remember the first few things she asked me. “What kind of photography do you want to specialize in? What is your style?” I realized I had absolutely no idea. This opened so many doors to experimenting with different lenses, Lightroom presets, editing techniques and lighting scenarios. Within months, I had established my first brand and started marketing myself to build a portfolio.
Being 26 or so, I realized pretty early on that although family photography was easiest to be hired for at an entry level rate, I really wanted to specialize in weddings. I didn’t have my own children yet, I was with a long time boyfriend(hoping to be engaged soon) and loved absolutely everything about weddings. As soon as I made that decision – a girl from high school reached out and asked me to shoot her wedding. She was on a budget. She knew I had never shot one before. She’d seen my work with families and portraits I’d done over the years and trusted me. I owe it all to you, Kim! I dove in head first and shot my first wedding May of 2018. I put those images everywhere, started advertising on the knot and wedding wire, and the bookings started flowing! I absolutely could not believe it. I ended up shooting maybe 5 or 6 weddings by the end of the year, and with each one came more recognition and bookings.
By early 2019, I had 25 weddings on the books. I was now married, we purchased our first house and I felt stable and ready. I quit my job in February and never looked back. I quickly met and surpassed my salary from my full time job. Life was GOOD!
I feel like I can spare the details of what 2020 brought because you probably already know that. But we got through it. My husband lost his job and had to take a completely different path, forcing us to pretty much live off of solely my income. Then we had our first baby. Ooof that was tricky. By 2021, however, we managed to move to a bigger house. My husband got a better job, I was booking more and more weddings and sessions, and my income had now quadrupled what I was making at my previous job. 2021 and 2022 were some of my most lucrative years. But here’s where the story gets a little uglier, and I decided I want to be honest and transparent about this because it is real and it’s not always sunshine and rainbows.
Lifestyle creep crept with the new house. I got behind on taxes. House repairs put us into debt. Inflation slowed business. I hit burnout so many times. I realized that being a great photographer does not always make you a great business owner or great with money management. 2023 and 2024 were. hard. 2024 was my “slowest” year since 2020 because guess what? I had another baby! Not at ALL going to lie. The variable income has been hard. I went from the breadwinner and thinking I had endless funds, to the IRS sending me letters threatening to come for our assets. I knew I had two choices. I could completely clean up my lifestyle and finances and continue to hustle, or I could throw in the towel and get another 9-5.
I chose the former. In the last year we’ve made and lived off less than we have since 2018 and have managed to catch up on taxes, and pay off a substantial amount of debt. I actually have more passion for my work now because I feel so much more in control. I fully admit I got lost in the whirlwind of success and lept before I looked. Now, business is picking up again and I’m looking forward to hopefully more lucrative AND balanced times ahead.
Moral of the story- my best advice is that yes. you can do it. But it’s so important to remember that it is NOT the industry that will fail you per-se. It is what you choose to make of it. Six figures revenue does not mean six figures in your pocket. Make your financial goals off of what you pay yourself and can afford to pay yourself. Do things right. Don’t go into debt. Take things slow. You don’t always need the fancy lens or 10 new presets. And most importantly, don’t give up.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I found my love for photography in high school and it naturally became my career in 2018! I absolutely love putting a creative and emotive spin on my subjects with posing, lighting and composition. I also love documenting events as they unfold at weddings, providing a gallery that tells the day’s story even better than remembered. For family photography, I focus mostly on capturing family interactions and kiddo’s natural personalities. Since having my own kids, I realize now more than ever that time is so fleeting. Children change everyday. I consider annual photo sessions as critical additions to the family’s time capsule.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
REFERRALS! I have so many loyal clients provide me with referrals who are then loyal clients and so on. This has been the most lucrative and rewarding source of new clients for sure.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Oh my goodness, so many things. At first- I was just riding the high of doing what I love for work. That felt incredible. Now, 8 years in, I think the most rewarding aspect is when I receive emotional feedback. (positive, of course, haha!) Those happy tears literally fill my soul. From improving someone’s self image to documenting the birth of a baby who was so yearned for for many years. Or even just all the love in the room on a wedding day or stunning captures of a family member who has since passed. I find my role so incredibly important and I find it as such an honor that I’m given and trusted with this privilege.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.citrinepine.com
- Instagram: @citrinepinephoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citrinepinephotography/
Image Credits
Citrine Pine Photography