We were lucky to catch up with Shika Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shika, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am extremely happy with being a business owner. I have thought about returning to a regular job and the only reason at the time was because I wanted to help establish my discipline in the workplace and, secondly, to be in a more social environment. Being a business owner is a lonely road at times. Most of the time, it is just me and my husband brainstorming, coming out with ideas, and working at events or weddings together, so when it comes to my social work life, non-client related, it is minimal. Also, tasks such as marketing myself, making my own schedules, and dealing with clients on a day-to-day basis, are totally rewarding but can hinder me at times when I am not in the mood, and having an off day can make the mistake of taking too much time or losing passion. I have learned with time that I should treat my job like any other.

Before I started Soshika Photography, I was in the US Army for 8 years. I worked in the aviation field and learned so much there; the army taught me many tools and tips, especially when maintaining a position or being responsible for a specific task. I use these tools to help professionally elevate my business. It was always mission first then, and it still applies now. Making sure my clients have the best experience during their photoshoot session while receiving quality photos that highlight amazing memories.

When it comes to being a business owner, you are not forced into anything; my joy about being a business owner is the fact that I am first doing something I love, and second, it is at my pace and with my own rules. Seeing my clients enjoy their photos and the experience with them brings me joy alone. That being said, that makes being a business owner more rewarding and fun in the process.

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 Shika Johnson, a self taught photographer from Orlando, Florida. Before I started my business I served in the US Army for 8 years, that is where I met my husband who is also a veteran. In 2007 I was gifted with my very first nikon digital camera from a family friend. That was when I started taking interest in photography as a hobby. It wasn’t until 2017 when I decided to take it more seriously. I started by taking photos during my army field training, then ceremonies and events on post, then it started being my coworkers and their families requesting for family and maternity portraits. I developed a new love for taking photos, the reactions the smiles and tears of joy, all of it felt good knowing that I am capturing special moments. Once I left the army my husband and I moved to Orlando. I started using platforms like Instagram to find local photographers who had meet up events every once in a while. This was basically a group of photographers set a location where all creatives from photographers, videographers, etc would like up to a themed photo opportunity. My first event was an eye opener on all the new cameras, techniques, styles of photography. My second event I attended was the one that really made me thing that opening my own Photography bussiess is possible. I spent a lot of time networking with other photographers. I then started to build a decent clientele and they response was amazing. I begin to narrow my specialties and my range of work varies from; family portraits , maternity’s, graduations session are extremely popular, birthday, engagements and weddings and more. I have had the great opportunity to have my work published in multiple magazines.

As a photographer and small business owner my main goal is to ensure all my clients feel conformable, beautiful and creative. Making memories is the most important part of it all. Whether it is families getting together for holiday photos or a couple taking engagement photos, making sure my clients feel free, many have not been in front of the camera before, so I make sure I take note and find a way to make them feel comfortable whether it’s playing music or letting them talk to me about their lives, celebrations or their love stories, building a relationship with my clients is the most important.

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

At the beginning of 2022, I took an almost 3-4 month hiatus. At the time, I was going to UCF for my BA in Human Communications. I was extremely overwhelmed with school and work to the point if I focused too much on one, I would then fail in the other. There was no balance in my life. Being that this was my business, I took it upon myself to block out a few months to focus on myself and my health/ mental health while pushing through towards my degree. That was the best decision I made. I took on bookings still, but most were pre-booked sessions. In the process of this hiatus, I was able to obtain my Bachelor’s degree, and now my full focus and energy is on photography.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Word of mouth and Instagram. With social media platforms today, it is easy to be noticed but a searching crowd. My goal is always to build great relationships with my clients. Many of my new clients are referred to me from a past or current clients. Other times just from posting photos or behind the scenes, potential clients mentioned to me because of my style of work is why they book and or they found my tag on someone they follow on Instagram. This is something I enjoy to hear time to time because word of mouth and my online portfolio is a free advertisement that builds trust within my community where a potential client can voucher my service.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soshikaphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soshikaphotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soshikaphotography0/

Image Credits
Shika Johnson