For almost ten years, I was a brand photographer. I loved it. But if I’m honest, the part of every shoot I looked forward to most happened before I ever picked up the camera.
It was the planning. Building the mood board. Talking through what the brand was trying to say and what the images needed to do. Friends would call me to talk through their brand ideas, and clients would ask what I thought about their launch or their colors. I always had an opinion, and it was usually about strategy, not shutter speed.
The catch was that as the photographer, I could suggest a direction, but I didn’t get to decide whether it was used. I’d hand off the images and watch the strategy around them go somewhere else. That’s when I realized the part I enjoyed most was the part I had the least say over.
Notice what you want to keep
Look back at your last few projects and ask yourself which moments felt the most natural. For me, it was never the editing. It was the conversation that shaped the shoot. Be specific about the activity, not the job title. “I like photography” is vague. “I like deciding what a brand should look like and why” told me exactly where to go next.
Once you know what you enjoy, check whether someone will pay for it. Enjoyment is a clue. A real client saying yes is the proof.
Give the new direction a structure
My pivot became real when I went through the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program. Working with a business advisor, I restructured my offers around creative direction instead of single shoots. We ran financial projections, and that pushed me toward a retainer model, which made my income steadier than booking one shoot at a time.
You don’t need a program to do this, but you do need to write it down. Who do you want to help, and what do you help them do? Mine became: fractional creative direction for beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands. Once it was written, it was easy to see where my website, offers, and even my Instagram bio were still describing the old version of me.
Let your systems carry the change
A pivot isn’t only a mindset shift. It’s paperwork. Here’s what I updated:
- A clear service description that says what I do now
- An inquiry form that asks about brand goals, not just shoot dates
- One place to track client work and deliverables
- A simple, consistent way to communicate with clients
I made a list and worked through it in stages. I also kept my existing commitments separate from the new offer, so no one was confused about what they had already hired me for.
Leave room to learn
Today I direct the creative instead of only capturing it. I hire photographers, shape the strategy, and work directly with the founders. My decade behind the camera is the reason I’m good at it. I know what a shoot needs because I’ve been on every side of one.
You don’t have to announce a brand new identity overnight. Test the direction, notice what fits, and adjust. The work you’ve already done isn’t something to leave behind. It’s what you’re building on.
If you’re thinking about a change, start with one page: what you enjoy, what people need, and one small way to test where those two meet.
