Emmy in Her Studio
Hello all, happy December!
I hope the month has started off gently for you. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I can wind down this year and really put it to rest, rather than just rushing forward and suddenly finding myself in 2025, with the same sense of urgency that I have been wrestling with for much of this past year. What are the ways you put one year to rest before moving onto the next one? I would love to hear from you about rituals and practices you have for this time.
I am back in your inboxes today sharing my favorite photos from the second half of my shoot with Emmy of Fabled Flora. I also figured it was time for another update on my journey off social media, so I will start with that. Feel free to scroll down to peruse the photos if that is what you’re here for—no hard feelings.
As of this moment, I have not been posting on Instagram for a little over 5 months. I’ve been surprised (but not very) to find that the impact on my business is negligible. Since leaving, my client load has continued to grow pretty consistently—more clients are hiring me, slowly but surely, with a slight increase over time but still some slow periods (like right now). I honestly have not seen any proof that being off IG has led to any loss of business.
Of course, I paired it with some strategies:
Having a website that is really clear and well-made. Shout out to Della, my amazing designer!
Starting to shoot weddings again, which means I am casting a wider net of possible services I could get hired for.
Sending my newsletter which helps maintain a sense of connection with many of my past clients and potential clients, plus serves as a container for my new photography.
Printing biz cards and giving them out at every opportunity (which has turned out to be especially handy because I put my phone number on them so if I need to give someone my # I just give them my card).
Working to improve my SEO.
Setting up a Google Business Profile and collecting reviews for it. By the way, if you are a past client or collaborator and want to write a review, I would be incredibly appreciative!
So I definitely think those strategies have helped mitigate any loss of business. I have not been tempted at all to post on IG but I am guilty of still going on IG on my laptop to check DMs and sometimes to see what some of my favorite people have posted lately. That is not aligned with my intention of living life completely free of IG and it’s something I am hoping to shift this month. I will probably just have to add a blocker on my browser to really break the habit.
All in all, I have come to believe that IG is not necessary for running a successful business—especially a service-based business where I don’t need to get my work in front of thousands of people (I can’t really speak to the experience of product-based businesses that need to sell many products every day to sustain themselves).
As an icing on the cake, something funny happened that confirmed all over again that IG is not the right place for me. On one of my not-so-sneaky visits to IG, I noticed one of my clients posted my photos of her (with credit—I always appreciate that), and it turns out this client had 320,000 followers. What?! I wonder if this will lead to a big influx of followers for me? I thought to myself, not so subtly. Well, guess what? I got a grand total of 6 new followers. I had to laugh at myself for 1. Caring enough to notice, even though I am “off” the app, and 2. Getting exactly the confirmation I needed that IG is not the place for my business to thrive. Although it was bittersweet, the reminder will be well heeded.
And with that, let’s dive into some photography! If you saw my last email, you may remember that Emmy stewards a gorgeous flower farm on the Olympic Peninsula. After photographing her harvesting fall florals to make an arrangement, we made our way to the gorgeous little studio she keeps on the property. It was still raining steadily so I was a little worried about the lighting and decided to push my film to account for the PNW darkness—and as always, Portra 800 pushed +1 stop did not disappoint.
Photographing someone at their craft remains one of my favorite kinds of photography, and looking back over these images just confirms the fact I want to do it even more in 2025. Thank you again for the time together, Emmy! I will not soon forget it.
Thank you all for being here and taking the time. I will be back in your inboxes towards the end of month with more photography and musings as the year comes to a close—and as my 31st birthday approaches on the 31st of this month!
Until then,
Holly
These photos were taken on the traditional lands of the S'Klallam People, and I honor with gratitude the land itself and the S'Klallam Tribe. Learn more about the First Peoples of Port Townsend here.
