Episode 6 with Heather Rosario
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode, we chat with fellow photographer Heather Rosario about her journey toward becoming a photographer, why her IG feed is entirely upside down, and some of the challenges she struggles with as she focuses on taking her photography business full-time.
EPISODE SHOW NOTES:
About Heather:
Heather’s journey into photography began in 2003 when her mom enlisted her help to take some fun photos of herself. Growing up in an army family, she had the opportunity to live and travel to many places – something she still values and finds joy in to this day. This gave her the chance to photograph all kinds of different locations and landscapes when she was just a kid. Around 16, she got her first camera and was hustling her way through high school and two jobs – she was in a school-to-work program where she worked at Sea World while also juggling photography on the side.
She recently completed her bachelor’s in Business Management. However, after being laid off from her corporate job due to Covid, she decided to take the leap and focus on her photography full-time.
One of the most important lessons she’s learned over the last couple of years is how important it is to set personal boundaries so that you can spend time with the ones you love, especially when the future is so uncertain.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
When navigating social media, it’s essential you don’t compare yourself to others. Everything we see on social media is a filtered reality, and we can’t allow ourselves to get trapped in the cycle of comparison.
Because social media is so filtered, there’s value in posting about the real, sometimes ugly stuff. Sharing your vulnerabilities and the challenges you’ve had to overcome makes you come off as more human and more relatable. You never know who you’re helping by sharing your own story; not everyone has access to support, so your story may become a form of support for someone else.
When it comes to your social media feed, don’t feel obligated to follow everyone back. Instead, make sure you curate your feed so that you only see posts from people you want to engage with and who engage with you. This helps prevent some of that scroll burnout – when we’ve seen too much content to be able to interact with it in a meaningful way.
When creating reels on IG, allow yourself to scroll through and find sounds or songs that resonate the most with you (don’t necessarily jump onto every trend). You can draw inspiration from the content of others and find ways to recreate the concept with your own content and ideas.
Word of mouth and networking are some of the best ways to get your name out there. Give your clients a memorable experience, and they’re more likely to recommend you to someone else. Make friends with other vendors so that when opportunities arise, you can recommend them or vice versa.
“Be kind to others; it goes a long way. You have no clue where that connection may take you at a certain point. “– Heather Rosario
Hiring a bookkeeper can be a helpful alternative to a more automated system like Dubsado or 17 Hats because it gives you personal one-on-one time with an expert. In addition, a bookkeeper can help with navigating things like taxes and deductions when no one else is around to teach you about them.
Heather’s wise words of advice:
“Be patient with yourself. We’re all going through the same things, maybe a little bit differently than the others. Be patient with your timeline. Do things that will help you get past the comparison aspect “– Heather Rosario
Remember, we’re all on different timelines. Don’t compare your journey to the journey of others. Be kind to yourself, don’t engage in negative self-talk, and allow yourself to live by the timeline that works best for you!
Connect with Heather Rosario below:
Instagram: Hrosariophotography
Website: https://rosariophotography-wanderlust.com/
SEGMENTED TIME STAMPS:
(00:36) Who is Heather Rosario?
(10:55) How did the pandemic impact her business?
(12:30) How to navigate the slow season
(15:23) How to book travel weddings
(17:48) The story behind Heather’s upside-down IG feed
(21:20) A chat about creating IG reels and how to stay inspired
(26:40) Heather’s struggles as a photographer including outsourcing work, feeling guilty about setting boundaries and being consistent with posting to social media.
(49:22) Tips for not getting overwhelmed while working as a photographer
(55:00) Heather’s final piece of advice for other photographers
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