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

Alright, Zoe thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I am a full-time wedding and portrait photographer. When I first started out, I was working a full-time job in marketing, and I did photo shoots in the evenings after work or on the weekends, and I edited whenever there was a free moment. For me, the goal was always to live a creative life with flexible hours. So during those early years of photographer, I worked every single job I could get. The first few years, I was photographing 40-50+ wedding a year to build my portfolio. Then two years after starting my photography business, I went full-time and never went back. In the first five years of my photography business, I did primarily weddings and engagement sessions. Then after 2020 when COVID hit, I decided to diversify and expand into families and newborns, and that has really kept me going during those slow wedding years. Weddings haven’t been the same since 2020. Fewer large scale weddings and so the mix of family shoots and newborn sessions have kept me afloat.

Zoe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a wedding, lifestyle family, and portrait photographer. I have a classic and timeless look and feel to my photographs that are a mix between light and airy and balanced. I focus on creating joyful, authentic moments that my clients can always cherish.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2020, when almost all my weddings were cancelled, I decided I had to pivot or face the ultimate choice of having to close down my business and getting another full time job. I decided to diversify my offerings and making it more of a priority to shoot more family and newborn photos. Then a few years later, I added social media branding and lifestyle headshots to my list of portraiture options. It’s been hugely helpful, especially during the slower, winter months and super hot summer months when no one is wanting to host weddings. It’s been business saving and I’ve loved it!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Instagram and Google have been huge for me. My website is very SEO-friendly. I post many of my sessions and weddings on there, which really helps Google see that my website is active and constantly updated, which is so good for SEO and helps me rank higher in the search engines. Also, my Instagram tends to get a lot of traction as well. I don’t do any of the hot, trendy reels, but I do post lots of carousels so that anyone on Instagram who is looking for a local photographer can easily see my portfolio and the type of photos they can get when they hire me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zoelifephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoelifephotography_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoelifephotography

Image Credits

Zoe Life Photography