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

Alright, Brooke thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

Most people think asking friends and family to support your business can be a little scary but honestly it doesn’t always have to cost money for them to support your business. They can support your business as in a share on social media, commenting or liking a post, giving a shout out online or recommending your business to someone. I love when my friends and family help and support my business.
I will say that some people expect free photography sessions just because they are family or friends and that is not the case. So boundaries have to be set and held strong.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Brooke Fugate and I own Brookefugate photography. I am 24years old and was born and raised in Ohio but I have been in South Carolina now for 5 years. I am a mother to two boys and am starting to find myself again. I am a huge mental health advocate.
I am a self taught photographer and once covid hit and I was going through postpartum I really got serious about starting my business. I photograph families, weddings, newborns, couples, kids, etc. but most of all I photograph my journey with my mental health whether that is self portraits or through others. Growing up I was in and out of psychiatric units and never saw mental health related content so I make it a point to share my experiences and feelings through my photos.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I definitely still struggle with this but I am in the process of comparing myself to other photographers and their work. I feel like Imposter syndrome is the number one killer for businesses. I have almost quit multiple times because I get so caught up in comparing myself and my work to others. When I get in those funks I have to remind myself that everyone is going to compare themselves to others and remind myself why I take photos and how far I have come.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started I had no idea where to start. I started following different groups that related to my business and saw people posting in there. I would host model calls to build up my portfolio and would ask my friends if they could just share my work. I would also post on local mom pages. After a while with posting on Facebook and Instagram my following shot up a bit. If I could give some advice I would build your portfolio up and keep posting even if you only get 1-3 likes on the post. Staying consistent is hard and I’m still working on it but it helps.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/brookefugatephotography?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bfugatephoto?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Brookefugate photography