I am excited to welcome my friend and fellow Sparkle, Jamie Stone, as a guest blogger today!

Jamie is a military spouse and has great insight on how to relocate your military family photography business when your spouse comes home with moving orders. Welcome, Jamie!

One day you decide you’re going to start a photography business. You buy your camera, you create amazing business cards, you spend so much time getting your name out there and building your portfolio. Business is starting to go great for you and you’re so excited to keep going. Then your spouse comes home and says,

“sorry babe… I got orders.”

That’s right… yours is a military family photography business… and those three little words are the worst for military spouses who have their own business. There’s nothing we can do about it because that’s the life we live. Having your own business can be fantastic, but when you live the military life, it’s a given that you are going to have to start over again.  If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll be in one spot for a while, unfortunately, most of us pack up and move every two to three years.

The Challenges of a Military Family Photography Business

When you’ve established your business, have a big following, and a decent income, moving can feel like the end of the world. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s going to be frustrating and there’s probably going to be some {or a lot of} tears. You might even want to quit. It’s hard to move your military family photography business, but can be done with some work!  It’s important to surround yourself, either in person or online, with people who understand your business and your unique struggles.

I learned the hard way with our last move. I was unprepared, unrealistic with my expectations, and I found myself ready to sell it all and quit. Then I found this wonderful lady that loved pink sparkles and she gave me the motivation to try one more time. Since then, I’ve been preparing for our next move, whenever that will be. I have a better expectation of what moving a business means and I know that it’s going to take time and hard work. But I can, and I WILL move my business and be successful again when the time comes.

Giving up wasn’t an option for me, and I don’t want it to be an option for you. Let me share some tips that might make your journey as a military spouse photographer less frustrating.

If You’re Thinking About Starting a Photography Business…

• If you plan to live on base, check your base housing rules on home businesses. If not, check your neighborhood/local/state rules and regulations. Some base housing does not allow you to operate a business while living on post. This means you may not be able to have a studio or meet clients in your home.

• If you plan to photograph families on base, check the rules on photographing around certain areas and buildings. This also applies to local parks {especially if they are private parks}. Make sure you are always checking to see if parks require a permit to shoot there and always get permission before entering private grounds.

• Reach out to another military spouse photographer who has been doing it longer in your area. Look for local photographer groups and don’t be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to the area at one time.

• Cyrissa has lots of resources for starting a photography business!  Read this blog post for some pointers or watch a video right here!

Got orders?  Here are tips for PCSing {moving} with a Photography Business…

• It will probably take 9-12 months for you to build up your client list again. If you’re lucky enough to know your orders early, start 4-6 months in advance getting your name out in the new area. A few things you can do are: change your blog SEO to include your new area, run Facebook ads in your new area announcing your arrival time, and contact local shops and ask them if they’d be willing to put business cards up for you. Get creative and think outside the box!

• You will probably have to volunteer and do model calls again. Don’t let this get you down. Having a good attitude during the building phase again will help you succeed. Don’t be afraid to change your game plan to adapt to your new surroundings. For example, I went from not having a studio and doing mostly families to mostly photographing newborns in my home studio. That is what worked for my family when we moved and after research, that’s what this area needed.

• Refer to the tips {above} for starting a business. Every base is different and has different rules. You always want to make sure you get to know your new area and do things the right way.

If You’re not Military, but work with a lot of Military families…

• Always ask permission if it is ok to use their images on social media, especially when wearing a uniform and respect their decision. The military is full of many different jobs and they will have their own reasons for asking you to keep images off social media.

• If a military member is deployed and you take photos of their spouse/kids or they will be deploying, ask about OPSEC and never repeat any info your clients may tell you during a session. OPSEC means Operation Security. The short version is, don’t post about dates military members/units are leaving, coming home, or where they are specifically going. Try saying “overseas” instead of “Afghanistan” or “leaving soon” instead of “leaving next week”. This may seem silly to some, but in the military world, it’s very important. When in doubt, ask your client. I know they will be happy to answer any questions and will appreciate you asking instead of just posting.

• If you live around a military base, educate yourself on base rules/regulations. Are you able to get on base with your driver’s license? Do you need to get a pass? Do you need a sponsor to get on base? This comes in handy when doing military homecomings or events such as retirement ceremonies or military balls. Make sure you ask about how a ceremony will go so you aren’t stepping out on a field when you aren’t supposed to be.

There are so many other suggestions and resources that can help you when operating a business in the military world, but that will have to wait for another time. I hope that this information can help someone prepare for a move, help you start a business, or just give you knowledge about working with military families.

Having photos of family and children are extremely important to military families because at certain moments in life, that’s all we have. Military spouse photographers are important, and you are needed. Don’t give up on your dream or your business, you got this!

Thank you, Jamie, for inspiring all my military family Sparkles!

Are you re-launching a photography business because of a move or another life event that caused you to take a step back for awhile? Social media will be KEY for your re-launch! Grab my *freebie* “30 social media posts for your photography business” here and let me show you how to post the content you need to bring in new clients! Let’s get you back in action! Helping hard-working photographers shine online is my JAM, and I can’t wait to jam with you!

Hi! I’m Jamie Stone, of Precious Stones Photography, and I’m an Ohio girl currently located in Temple, Texas. My husband is stationed at Fort Hood and we’ve been a military family for the past 14 years.

Like most moms, I started photography as a way to document my four daughters. I never planned on it becoming a full-time job, I actually wanted to be a special ed teacher… but life has a way of surprising you.

I’ve been photographing families and newborns for ten years now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  If you’re a fellow Military photographer, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram!