What I wish I knew before going full-time as a photographer is very different from what I thought I needed to know. When I hit one whole year full-time in my business, I sat down and looked back at everything that went great, everything that was rough, and everything I learned the hard way. And honestly? The lessons weren't the ones I expected.

If you're in your first year full-time, or you're sitting on the edge of that decision right now, I want to hand you the real ones. Not a highlight reel. The actual lessons I learned in my first year full-time as a photographer.

First, a Little Context (Because My Story Looks a Little Different)

When you hear “full-time for a year,” you might think you're learning from a total newbie. You're not!

I was in full-time ministry for a long time first. I was on staff at our church for nine years, and the last five of those I was a youth pastor. That was the only job I ever had. I was literally hired at 17, while I was still in high school.

I started my photography business while I was full-time at the church, and I kept it part-time by choice for years. In the very first year of my photography business, I actually surpassed my full-time income, and I did it part-time, primarily doing mini sessions. That's why I'm such a huge believer in minis!

I could have gone full-time at that point. I chose not to, because I was content right where I was. I kept photography as a side gig for a couple more years.

Then we felt the pull to move from the north Dallas area to Nashville, Tennessee. My husband Daniel is a musician and audio producer, so Nashville is the land of his people. We transitioned off staff at the church, I went full-time in my business last July, and Daniel joined me full-time in September. Now we're both full-time in the business.

Here's the part I never saw coming: I never wanted to be home with my kids. I was always the person who said I could never be a stay-at-home mom. I loved working! But when COVID first hit, I stayed home and worked with my kids for a month, and I loved every second of it. That month gave me the confidence to run this business while being home with them.

So that's the backdrop. Here's what I actually learned that first year full-time.

Lesson 1: Finding a Rhythm Was So Much Harder Than I Thought

Finding a rhythm working full-time from home was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

When you work for someone else, they control your hours and they control what you do and when. When you work for yourself, there's nobody there telling you what to do or when it should be done. I'm naturally very self-motivated, so that wasn't the issue. The issue was structure. I do really well with structure, and having it so unstructured did not go well for me.

What fixed it was scheduled work times. My work times are Monday, Wednesday, Friday from eight to noon. I know I'm best in the morning. After lunch I'm pretty much done. Daniel is the opposite, so he takes the afternoons and evenings when he's most productive, and we trade off who's with the kids. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends are our family days.

That schedule changed everything for our family rhythm. If you're floundering in the unstructured-ness of working for yourself, build the structure on purpose. It will not build itself!

Lesson 2: Batching Is Everything

The next thing I learned full-time was that batching was key.

If you've never heard the term, batching is a time management principle where you do like things together. So instead of writing one blog post, I sit down and write four blog posts. Instead of recording one podcast, I record four podcasts. Fridays are my podcast day, so on Fridays, I'm recording podcasts.

My workday is very limited, so when I'm in my office, I am ruthlessly intentional with my time. Batching is how I actually get it all done in those few morning blocks. It is so, so helpful.

Lesson 3: If You Can, Hire Help

If it's possible, hire help.

Bringing on Shelby, our nanny, has been incredible. She's with our kids Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We were really hesitant about it, but I'm so glad we did it. Daniel even says he's been the most productive he's ever been since we brought her on.

If you're in that season where you're trying to figure out whether to hire help, I'm telling you, it is SO worth it.

Lesson 4: The Financial Fears Are Real

Here's one nobody warned me about loudly enough: it's really scary relying on just your business to support your family.

This was a hurdle for me because I like to be in control. Not knowing what our paycheck is going to look like each month is really scary. Going from a guaranteed paycheck to “our whole family income comes from this business” is a completely different feeling. And now I have a team too, several full-time employees plus part-time employees and contractors whose families rely on this business doing well.

Honestly, it took me coming to a place of truly trusting God to provide. And He does. Every month, our bills are paid. It can be tight sometimes, but we've never had a month where we've gone without.

The thing that helps the most is practical: having a budget, planning ahead, knowing what revenue is expected to come in, and then pivoting and getting creative when we need revenue. A full calendar does not automatically mean a stable business. A budget and a plan are what make it stable.

If you want the business foundations piece without the overwhelm, my free business class walks through exactly that: rebeccaricephoto.com/business-class

Lesson 5: Being Home With My Kids Was the Biggest Unexpected Blessing

The last one is the one I never saw coming. Being home with my kids has been the biggest unexpected blessing.

Remember, I never planned to be home with my kids. I worked full-time for years with my kids in daycare. I didn't realize how much I missed the simple things, like eating lunch together and putting them down for naps. Getting to experience those things has been so sweet.

We can go on a walk whenever we want, or make a random family Target run just for fun. We control our own hours. If we want to go out to lunch on a random Tuesday, we can. We travel at least once a month. If we want to up and go to the beach, we can throw everybody in the car and book an Airbnb. That kind of freedom is something I never asked for, and I'm so grateful for it!

If you want to make the most of where you actually are right now, here's how I'd approach building a portfolio of images you love from scratch in Year 1. Knowing where to focus makes the difference between spinning your wheels and actually building something.

So, Should You Go Full-Time?

If you're part-time and not sure whether to go full-time, here's my honest answer.

Do it if it's feasible. Don't just jump in full-time if you can't actually support your family. That's the real test, not a feeling or a vibe. Can you actually support your family? If you can't yet, keep building. There's no shame in part-time. I did it on purpose for years!

But if it IS a possibility for you, friend, I'll tell you, it is the coolest lifestyle to be able to live. The freedom and the flexibility to do this much with your days is worth every hard Tuesday. Go for it.

Want to see exactly how I run a real session? That's what Behind the Lens is all about. Every month you get a full behind-the-scenes video of me shooting a real family session, plus a business masterclass. It's the most affordable way to learn with me: behindthelens.rebeccaricephoto.com