We recently connected with Megan Jones and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, 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?

Well, I have always had a deep love of photography, ever since taking high school courses geared towards the art of photography. Turns out, being a photographer is a lot different than being a business owner, or knowing how to make money with your art. I did study Photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design, which taught me a lot about the art of photography, but nothing about how to make money through my photos. When I graduated college, I floated through life, working odd jobs like a breakfast buffet at a hotel, while also taking the occasional photography job, which were few and far between.
It took years of shooting odd jobs to start booking more consistently, and only then because I was picked up by an elopement company. Eventually I realized there were educators who were out there doing exactly what I wanted to be doing! Making a living (a good living) at being a photographer. I started taking notes on their business, attending workshops, purchasing guides, and structuring my new portrait studio as the money making entity I always hoped I would run. I eventually closed the elopement photography side of my business because the portrait studio far outpaced it in clients and revenue.
My studio now has a dedicated space that I own, a full time assistant, hair and makeup artists, and a calendar that regularly books completely out 1-3 months in advance! I have learned a lot about marketing my business through others doing what I dreamed to be doing. I know now I could have probably skipped the college education if I knew of learning from other artists making the exact living I wished to make, if I had known about it sooner.

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 Megan and I own Savannah Glamour, which is a glamour and boudoir based portrait studio in Savannah Georgia. My clients book portrait session, and my studio offers a whole experience, with professional hair and makeup, a full wardrobe including shoes, jewelry, crowns, wings and more! Most of my clients have never done a photo shoot like this before, and it is often a big step out of their comfort zone. What they don’t realize is that beyond a fun experience, a photo shoot all about them can be so empowering! They get to see themselves in their best light, through the eyes of an artist, and have a blast while doing it! I am honored to bring this experience to my clients, seeing women bloom into their most comfortable selves is such a gift. Women tend to give so much of themselves, to their families, careers, homes. This is a chance for them to give back to themselves in a big way.
My studio also offers beautiful heirloom products, including gorgeous albums, metal wall art that my clients are obsessed with, viewfinders, crystal blocks, digital files, and more! The goal is that by printing their photos, my clients will get to treasure them for much longer than the average digital file lasts. I believe these albums will be passed down through generations, in a “wow grammy was a hottie!” way.
I consider this a very female experience. My team is all female, as are most of my clients. It’s a day to be girly with the team! We give permission to women to treat-yo-self, and have created a once in a lifetime experience!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is a quick moving game. I have found Facebook groups can be very helpful! I currently have a group of women and women identifying folks of about 5700! Starting a Facebook group can be tricky, and I have used Facebook ads, as well as incentives and giveaway to help these ladies add their friends to the group.

I also recommend learning about tiktok. I had one video go viral for my business’ tiktok and it launched me to 87,000 followers! Follow the trends, stay on top of them, and if you’re too busy, hire help to keep you updated and relevant on social media. A lot of my best clients come from tiktok!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Pay artists. Don’t ask for discounts. Don’t expect them to work for free or for exposure. If you can’t purchase their products, there are lots of ways to support for free! Share their work, re-post their stories, send their website to a friend who might be interested!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.savannahglamour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savannah.glamour/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SavannahGlamourVIPgroup
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/savannahglamour https://www.tiktok.com/@savannahglamour?

Image Credits
Megan Jones Savannah Glamour