We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sally Boice. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sally below.

Sally, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I were starting over today, I would go back far enough that my college major wouldn’t have been dietetics, but photography. Back then, I was afraid of photography. Darkrooms and developing films seemed complicated. Of course, many other things I did were scarier and more difficult. So, I would say, just do the difficulty that goes with your passions. When digital cameras came out, it was a whole new ballgame. If I were to do it over again, I would have taken photography classes then instead of taking the slow road of being self-taught. The information on the internet is wonderful, but there is something about actually taking a class and getting a degree. I think ultimately it takes less time to get the key knowledge. I don’t think it is ever too late to take a class and learn more. I would also strive to connect with more photographers to ask for their advice.

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?

I was the youngest child in my family, and it was so different in the ’60s and ’70s. We had an insta-matic camera, and it wasn’t used daily as the phone cameras of today are. I remember taking photos of my dolls and arranging them on the furniture and surroundings, lol. I also loved to photograph the same scene in different seasons or myself with an annual photo, such as my snowman each winter. The lack of photos from my childhood surely was the root of my desire to photograph in abundance, as if to make up for it. I have few photos of me with my mother and even fewer of me with both parents. Some may criticize the current generation for over-documenting their lives, but I find it a joyful way to record time.

I relished photographing my children, and some friends started to ask if I would photograph their families, I knew I had found my path. I remember hearing of someone having a photographer go to his home to capture the family, and it seemed a luxurious idea. Now, of course, outside photo sessions at homes and parks are the norm,

I am proud that I can get people to relax and have fun during our sessions. I strive to capture the person’s personality, which takes more thoughtfulness than a cookie-cutter pose and a “smile”. I want clients to know that I am 100 percent present during our shoots, and the world is what I see through my lens. Plus, the experience to be having that constant evaluation going of changing angles, lighting, positions, or energy. I could put ten people in the same spot and pose, and it would be ten different photographs.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

We were told to “jump and the net will appear.” or “Follow your dreams and the money will follow. ” While we do need to have passion and excitement about our goals, I think when I finally acknowledged that no net was going to catch me if I had not done my work, I was better off. I think we all should know what we love and what we are not cut out to do. If we are lucky we can figure out a way to make what we love profitable. But to think it is an automatic process could deter actual progress. I will agree with Lucille Ball, however, that, “It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.”

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think most people’s lives are a series of pivots. When I moved to Kauai in 2001, I started a produce delivery business, Galloping Garden. I knew little about the farming community or consumers, but had the idea and the motivation to give it a try. When I returned to Atlanta I pivoted again to start my photography business. Change is scary, but I tend to thrive on change and welcome a challenge. I have never regretted pivoting toward photography, and welcome learning about the changes in the industry. Phone cameras have changed the way people take photos, but it hasn’t displaced photographers. AI has drastically changed how photographers edit. We have to keep pivoting if we want to keep growing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sallyboicephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sallyboicephotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054605763419
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-boice-a96254276