How ChatGPT Booked Me a Client at 3am

I don't know what it's like where you live, but I live in Seattle, WA, and it is starting to feel like fall. The days are already getting a little shorter. The evenings are cool. We even have rain in the forecast again… And very soon, our days are going to be much shorter, and for natural light photographers, that means our potential working hours also take a cut If you're a photographer who works with natural light, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Summer gives us long days. And those long days, give us options…Then the season changes and our window for "good light" gets smaller and smaller. And what really sucks, is that this change in light happens just as the busy fall season is picking up. So, just as our bookings are increasing, our light starts leaving us. Now, if you listen to this podcast then you probably already know that I love working with strobes and flash, and you’re probably think that thats what I’m going to pivot into…. But I also know that there are many photographers who work exclusively with natural light and LOVE natural light, and so it thats you, then please stay, because I actually wrote this episode for you… There is a cost to being a natural light photographer that nobody talks about. And honestly, if someone would have had this conversation with me at the beginning of my career, ti would have saved me years of stress and years of wasted time and money. So lets talk about it…

Have you ever bought a photography class that you were absolutely convinced was going to change your business... And you log in, do the work, finish it and realize... not much actually changed? Maybe you learned something. Maybe the instructor was fantastic. Maybe the course delivered exactly what it promised. But somehow... Your business still looked the same. If you've ever had that experience, I want to suggest something that might surprise you. I don't think you bought the wrong class. I think you were trying to solve the wrong problem. So lets talk about it.

Have you ever finished a session and thought… “that was amazing! I totally nailed it!” The light was beautiful. Your clients were perfect and easy to work with Everything just worked. And then you get some, you get the images on the computer and you think, yes, These are exactly the kinds of photographs I always wanted to create." And then, almost immediately, you think. "Can I do it again, or did I just get lucky?" If you've ever felt that way, this episode is for you. Because today I want to talk about something I don't hear photographers discussing nearly enough. Not lighting. Not marketing. Not posing. But Self-trust. Because after nearly three decades of photographing families and teaching photographers around the world, I've become convinced that self-trust is honestly the biggest difference between photographers who stay stuck and frustrated and photographers who build long, sustainable careers. So let's talk about it.

Fall busy season is coming, and so are shorter days. If off-camera flash still feels intimidating, this episode is for you. Sandra breaks down the only two things you actually need to know to get beautiful, natural-looking light with strobes and flash — and shows you how you already know more than you think, just from working with natural light. No complicated studio setups, no jargon overload. Just two simple questions that'll change how you shoot for the rest of busy season.

I started my business in 1999, which means this is my 27th year doing this as my career. I’ve been in my studio for 20 years. I run an education company that has served thousands of photographers around the world. I’ve written two books, spoken at countless industry events and conferences, so by all accounts I’ve had a pretty successful career as a photographer. And yet, at least once a month, I say to my husband, or my best friend, or my assistant something to the effect of, “Maybe I should just quit and get a job at Starbucks.” In fact I said something to that effect just this morning at my team meeting. And I can’t be the only professional photographer who has moments of feeling that way. Right?