08/26/2026
I have a confession to make.
Starting in 2022, I fell prey to several "industry professionals" who flood the photography market with courses. What they offered was so tantalizing - consistent income and clients. A livable wage. A 6 figure business with TOO many clients, rather than not nearly enough.
All I had to do was pay thousands of dollars, soak up their wisdom, and make that money back tenfold by the time my Klarna Pay in 4 was due.
But each payment hit my credit card.
And I never had enough in my account to cover it.
Up until July 2023, I kept buying more educational PDFs. More courses. Thinking that just one more would give me the key to unlocking a profitable business. Just one more credit card swipe and I would get the life preserver, and maybe I wouldn't be drowning.
Every time you bought one of the PDFs from one of these photography geniuses, they'd reference another PDF you should buy. The education will only work unless you have the full set, you know!
One of these photography educators wasn't even a photographer anymore. She was just raking in cash from offering the chance to true girlbosshood from PDFs with spelling errors that she hadn't updated in almost a decade.
This delusion came crashing down when I signed up for a call with one of these industry professionals - on sale for $99! What a steal! Talking on the phone with this person for 30 minutes will absolutely be what I need to unlock my business greatness.
During that time, she diagnosed me with a mental illness (even though I repeatedly told her I have a medical team that has a different opinion), she told me I was cheapening the photography industry, and she told me that I would be out of business in 5 years.
Owning a business can be a really lonely experience. And clinging to a sense of community and the dream of a consistent, successful livelihood isn't a sense of weakness or failure.
These educators are tapping into a very human desire, and while I think some have the best intentions, others are intentionally preying on the desperation of people with a dream.
I've got 2 more years before her prediction can come true.
We'll see who's right in 2028, "Coach."
