A Realistic Day in the Life of a Fashion Photographer

Every day in the life of an NYC photographer looks a little different. Some days, there might be a photoshoot happening, whereas other days might be spent looking for work.

I try to photograph something every day, be it stock photos for additional passive income, or self portraits just to keep the creativity flowing.

I'll usually wake up around 8 AM. Full disclosure, I have tried the entrepreneur early morning schedule and it just doesn't work for me. I have found getting more sleep actually makes me more productive. 

I'll usually try to get in a workout and a healthy breakfast, but sometimes that looks like a walk to a coffee shop to get an egg sandwich and a cold brew coffee.

Then I look at my schedule for the day. I try to schedule out my days as if I had a traditional job to keep myself on task. It usually involves looking for work and shooting new content.

I try to apply to at least one, if not multiple projects a day. I use the internet and source projects on sites like Threads, Concept Studio, and Kavyar.

 If I do not have any paid projects going on, I photograph new work to keep my portfolio relevant, especially on Instagram. I'll go out to the streets to get stock photos and street photography.

I do admin work, such as updating my Pinterest and Shutterstock accounts, and writing blog posts or newsletters.

I get stressed easily so I do make sure to take mindfulness breaks and eat a healthy lunch/dinner. I really like Sweetgreen for fast casual but I'm trying to cook at home more. I love to make salmon and rice and portion it for a couple of days quick meals.

I try to start my day around 9 and stop around 5. Looking for work takes the most time out of my day, and is realistically the biggest part of it. I'm hoping to integrate a marketing team in the next few years.

My biggest advice to those who want to take their photography full-time is just to take the risk and do it. You're smarter and stronger than you think, and if you take the time to invest into your business, you'll reap the rewards.