Taking the freelance road

Two years ago I had a great job as Picture and Video Editor for a UK TV channel.

As the end of my maternity leave loomed, I realised I had a big decision to make - do I return to work?

When we sat down and did our sums, it didn't make sense.

I'd be working full-time, we'd be paying London prices for childcare (I shudder) and at the end of the month, I'd be left with just pocket money.

I wanted the best of both worlds. I wanted time with our daughter but also a creative outlet and the chance to use my 10 years of photography and photo editing skills.

I took the plunge. My small newborn and baby photography side business would become my full-time job.

There was a lot that appealed, I would be my own boss, work the hours I wanted and have a good mix of work and family life. I could build up the business slowly and at my own pace.

In recent years many companies have put a greater focus on a healthy work/life balance and flexibility for their employees. This shift in attitude has seen the rise of freelancer communities such as The Hoxby Collective, making it easier than ever to work on your own terms.

I also made the decision that in between photo shoots, I would continue to work on improving my skills and striving to be better at what I do. 

Gone are the days where heading out in the dark to sit in a classroom is the only option. There are loads of great courses online with passionate and enthusiastic teachers. 
 

These are a few I have completed and really enjoyed over the past year:

Makelight

Emily Quinton runs Makelight, a company offering a selection of photography courses and workshops both online and at her London studio. She has a stunning Instagram feed - take a peek here.  I didn't really understand Instagram at first, so looked to Emily and her Beautify Your Instagram course.  She teaches you about composition, editing, hashtags and shares her tips for photographing with a smartphone.  As a mum of four she also offers advice on how to run your creative business whilst balancing family life. I signed up to the course and each day, for a week, a new video landed in my inbox. All I needed to do was find a spare half hour to put the kettle on, listen and learn.

Visit www.makelight.com to find out more.
 

Family Photography: Modern Storytelling by Kirsten Lewis

Kirsten is a wonderful documentary photographer. In this course she shows how she produces special, unique, tender family moments.  Her course is amazing and has had a huge impact on me. Kirsten also runs through her whole editing process and her photography style has opened my eyes and given me a fresh perspective on my own work. Kirsten's class consists of 37 lessons, available to buy and download at www.creativelive.com.  
 

Can't Crop This Class from Studio DIY

I don't even remember how I found this class but I'm so pleased I did! Jeff and Kelly at Studio DIY run Can’t Crop This Class which is a series of downloadable videos. They teach you about building a profile on Instagram, branding, editing and composition. They make the class fun and their tips for using different editing apps on your phone has made a huge difference to my Instagram feed already.

Can’t Crop This Class is available at www.studiodiy.com

Find me on Instagram: katiecollinsphotography

Finding creative inspiration at home

I recently wrote a blog post about how I have been learning online during my baby's nap time. Now we have a loose routine (of sorts) and she sleeps for a couple of hours in the early afternoon, it means a few times a week I get to work on photography ideas, my blog and my website - I generally get to put my creative hat on!

As a new mum to a seven month old baby, I may not have endless hours in the day to visit museums, go to film screenings or devour whole books in a day but there are other things that I do to keep my mind active and find inspiration for my work. I read tons of magazines, mainly fashion and I love the ideas and concepts behind fashion shoots. I quite often rip out pages and keep them for future reference. It could be how a prop is used, or how two colours work together, or maybe the camera angle. They are all ideas that influence me and my work. I also watch lots of films - including loads of documentaries. I recently watched a film called Time Zero, all about the last days of Polaroid film. It inspired me to dust off the two Polaroid cameras I have and order some film from The Impossible Project to test out for a future blog post idea.

People sometimes ask me what is the best way to get into photography and learn about taking pictures. I still believe the answer is practice, practice, practice. I'm constantly setting myself little projects and challenges in order to keep my photography fresh. Sometimes I pick a theme and go off and take shots based around that idea, or I may experiment with food photography or play around with my macro lens. For me it's all about learning and improving.

Another way to help get the creative juices flowing is through online courses. The last one I completed was How to Build a Successful Creative Blog by April Bowles-Olin and it was a huge eye-opener. It has not only given me a whole new way of thinking about my blog but it also encouraged me to totally revamp my website.

April is back on November 10th with another class called Create Digital Products That Sell While You Sleep. As I discovered with the blogging course, April is great at serving up new, exciting ideas and working them into your business. I'd love to hear more from her about selling photography online, advice on creating downloadable e-books, blogger case studies, as well as successful marketing strategies for selling digital products. Most of all, I know April will make the class fun! Here's more:

Are you ready to make your creative work more lucrative, stable, and sustainable in the long-term? Join April Bowles-Olin for an introduction to digital products and how they can enhance your creative business. This course will show you how to produce and position viable products for generating multiple revenue streams and passive income. RSVP right here to watch it live and get access to the workbook for FREE. This post is part of the Create Digital Products blog tour.

Getting creative (while the baby sleeps)

Rewind to a year ago and I was helping to organise a photo-shoot for a new TV show. It was a two day shoot involving a busy, celebrity photographer and in between shot set-ups and while the talent was summoned from make-up, I'd get chatting to his two female assistants.

One of the women mentioned a website called Creative Live - www.creativelive.com. She recommended it for online photography courses. In the past I've paid up to £300 a time for a one day photography course in London so I jotted the website name down on a scrap of paper and loaded it up when I got home. My first scroll through the site revealed I can learn new skills for much less than that and I can even be doing it in my PJs in bed if I want to! As a new mum, it also means I can complete the courses in small bursts at a time - when the baby is asleep or in the evening.

I'm now on my fourth course and since I first logged on, there's now a huge range of different programmes to choose from - not just photography. So far I have completed several on baby and child photography, food photography and blogging with the inspiring April Bowles-Olin. 

If you have the patience and time and don't mind the US time difference, new courses are streamed live and for free, otherwise you pay per course and get the videos to keep - great for going back and referencing. It's great that courses like this are so accessible and I can honestly say it's made me so excited to learn new skills. Next on my list? Cake decorating or maybe even a dabble with Floral bouquets!