← The Portrait System Podcast
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- [00:00]
Nikki Klosser
Hey there, it's Nikki Klosser and I want to let you know about an awesome free giveaway for people on our email list. If you haven't already, click the link in our podcast description or go to theportraitsystem.com signup to get on the list. If you sign up, you'll get a free posing 101 PDF to jumpstart things. It's an epic PDF so you'll definitely.
- [00:19]
Want to get this.
- [00:20]
Also, just by being in our email community, you'll get deals, sales and information about any of our upcoming events and activities. So head over to theportraitsystem.com signup and sign up.
- [00:31]
Today you're listening to the Portrait System Podcast.
- [00:35]
Sophia Barrett
I am incorporating all the elements, all the skills you know that I love doing from when I was a kid, right? I didn't get to go to school for fashion, but I'm finding a way to make pieces for my clients.
- [00:55]
Nikki Klosser
Welcome to the Portrait System Podcast. I'm your host Nikki Klosser and this show is here to help you succeed in the world of photography and business. To help you learn to become financially free, doing what you love and so much more. With over 1 million downloads, countless photographers have taken what they've learned from both our episodes and from theportraitsystem.com and they have grown their businesses, quit their day jobs and are designing a life of their dreams. We keep it real and share stories about the ups and downs that come with running a photography business. You'll hear real life stories of how other photographers run their business how and you'll learn actionable steps that you can take to reach your own goals. Thank you so much for being here. And let's get started. My guest this week on the Portrait System podcast is Sophia Barrett and her work is beyond breathtaking. The sets that she creates in her studio for her clients are unique and stunning and luxurious and I'm so excited to introduce her to you. If you don't already know who she is. Sophia is based in Atlanta and she mostly focuses on maternity photos. It does not surprise me one bit that her pricing starts at $4,500. She truly gives so much creative and physical energy into each of her custom photo shoots. We had so much to talk about that we will be back again for part two of her interview, but for now, here is part one with Sophia Barrett. Hi Sophie, welcome to the Portrait System. How are you?
- [02:17]
Sophia Barrett
I'm doing great. How are you doing?
- [02:19]
Nikki Klosser
I'm so good. I'm so happy to talk to you.
- [02:22]
Sophia Barrett
I'm so excited. Thank you.
- [02:25]
Nikki Klosser
Okay, so, Sophie, so Sue texted me. Sue Brice. She texted me one day, and she was like, have you seen Sophia Barrett's work? And I was like, no, but it sounds like I need to, you know, and so I quick pulled up your Instagram and I was like. Like, I seriously think I gasped. Like, it was. The reaction that I had when I saw your work was just. It's just blew me away. Totally blew me away.
- [02:55]
Sophia Barrett
Thank you so much. I appreciate that. And that's so crazy to me. It's so crazy to me, especially, you know, coming from where, you know, like, where I came from. You know what I mean? And watching sue from the very beginning, for her to text you about me is just mind blowing.
- [03:14]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, yeah. She was like, you've got to have her on the podcast. And I was like, oh, yeah, you don't have to say that twice. Like, I'm going to message her right now. Okay, so you said where you came from. Can you kind of, you know, give us a background history of, you know, kind of what you mean by that?
- [03:33]
Sophia Barrett
Sure. Just, you know, starting a business from scratch and seeing sue, you know, on Creative Live, I feel like I've been watching her from the very beginning. So, like, when she first was on.
- [03:47]
Nikki Klosser
Creative Live, it was like, 2012, 2011.
- [03:50]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah, that's when we started the business.
- [03:53]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah.
- [03:54]
Sophia Barrett
Yep, exactly. So it was crazy, like, for me to watch how she went from, you know, just starting on Creative Live. Of course, she had her business before, but her talking about it and her talking about, you know, not allowing what society says you have to do in order to have a business or all the different challenges that you have in your brain that keep you from starting, and just how simple she made it, how possible it was just how she broke everything down. Me following that, and then for me to be in a position now where I'm, you know, on this podcast, talking about what I do is truly, you know, it's amazing. I'm so blessed. I'm so excited to share on this platform. So thank you so much for having me. I'm just so geeked. But awesome.
- [04:54]
Nikki Klosser
I am, too. Obviously, you are a creator. I mean, clearly by looking at your work, that is very obvious. When you were starting your business, though, did you know a lot about business? I mean, I know you said just from what you said, like, there were some things that you had to work through in your mind and just some roadblocks to kind of get past or whatever, but did you know a lot about business?
- [05:16]
Sophia Barrett
No, not at all. I just knew since I was a kid that I was going to have my own business. It's just how I've always been. I always tell people the story. Like, when I was a kid, we didn't have a lot of money growing up, so I wasn't getting an allowance. My sister and my brother, we weren't getting allowances like that. So if I wanted to buy something, if I wanted some candy or if I wanted whatever, I would need to hustle. So at kindergarten, I would sell little bracelets, I would sell little bags that I would crochet or what have you so that I could make some money. So whenever I've needed money, whenever I've needed to, like, buy something, if I didn't have it, then it was a matter of, okay, what do I need to do to create that? And, you know, that's just how I've always been. And I've always been extremely creative. I'm always creating. I was staying up at night when my family was asleep, I'd stay up watching hgtv, you know, making stuff, sewing things together. So I am creative. I don't have a business background. You know, going to school and learning the basics on, you know, how to work with clients and all of that, I kind of learned. But in terms of creating a business and, you know, having, you know, client management and, you know, everything that it takes to have a business, it's all stuff that has been really, like, trial and error and just trying to learn from people around me.
- [06:58]
Nikki Klosser
I love that. That trial and error, it really is. Like, there were some things that I did that I was like, that's not working. And some things that I was like, okay, that was successful. And I feel like if we. Okay. I will say, though, it's kind of nice when someone presents you with a business model and just like, a general structure. And I know that's what I got from sue was the general structure of what to do. And then, you know, I tweaked it and made it my own, and there were lots of trial and error within it. I feel like just as business owners, we kind of have to go through that in order to figure out what truly works for us.
- [07:30]
Sophia Barrett
Exactly, exactly. And that was definitely. You know, we've had this business since 2011, so we've had a whole lot of that. We've changed things. You know, we used to do weddings, and then we did weddings and portraiture. And, you know, how we worked with our clients, the processes that we took them through, you know, what really helped us to make money versus what didn't. It was constantly changing. So I'm really thankful for that. I'm thankful that I didn't have to be in a situation where I had to take a whole bunch of courses. I mean, granted, I know that it would have been extremely helpful for me to go and get a business degree or something like that, but with platforms like Super Ice Education and, you know, just learning from other mentors or people around me, I'm really, you know, blessed and happy that I was able to get to this point.
- [08:33]
Nikki Klosser
There are. There are so many platforms out there, and whatever resonates with you, stick with it. Like, whether it's the portrait system or sue or something completely different. Just finding something that resonates with you. And because I think what happens a lot of times is not just photographers, but in any industry, people kind of jump from one thing to the next, hoping for that, like, magical, shiny thing that's gonna all of a sudden make their business successful. And that's just not. That's just not how it works. And something that you just said is, how do you, like, stand apart from other people and to be different? And I feel like you are such an example of being the photographer that people want to book. I talk about that a lot. You've gotta be the photographer people want to book. And I feel like you nail that because you. Your work is quote unquote different. You have this, like, elegant luxury to your brand, where a client who wants luxury there I don't feel like there's a whole lot of. I mean, they're going to look at you and be like, oh, yeah, she's the one. And when they see the price, they're going to be like, well, she's the one I want to book, so I'm going to pay it. I just feel like that's how it is with you. I don't know, I could be wrong, but that's how it seems.
- [09:46]
Sophia Barrett
You're not wrong. Yeah, you're not wrong. You know, people will follow me before they're pregnant or they'll follow me until they're ready to book me because, you know, they're lovers of photography or they love portraits, but they've had bad experiences and they don't want to settle. They don't want to have another bad experience while being photographed. And I think that what is really important for me is that I'm creating. So while, yes, my work, I didn't set out to be different. I didn't sit down and say, okay, I need to set myself apart or I have to be different from everyone else. For me, it was that my work wasn't really connected to who I am. Right? I was. I was shooting kind of like how everyone else was shooting. I was doing the same kind of, you know, portraiture that everyone else was. And I wasn't really excited about what I was shooting. I wasn't really excited about. About the work. I love, you know, photographing people. I love that connection. I love creating. But what happened was, is that I sat down and I had a maternity session. And the reason why I connect to maternity specifically, I can talk about that, too. But I wanted to pour into this maternity shoot that I had scheduled, and I just saw some ideas I was inspired by, also some things that I did learn in school. So I started to create. I started small just by painting my client and then creating a headdress for her to wear with that paint. And I created something that was, you know, different from what I normally created. I was really excited about it. It was. I want to say it was at least six years, seven years ago that I tried that for the first time. And people gravitated to it. People saw it. They, you know, felt like it was different, and it did set me apart. But what I was doing is I was just pouring into the work in a way that felt true to me rather than me paying attention to what.
- [12:25]
Nikki Klosser
Everybody else was doing right now. Will you just kind of. I know you talked about people following you before they were pregnant. So you do mostly maternity, but are there other genres that you. I know you said you used to do weddings way back when and that sort of thing, but do you do anything other than maternity, or is it strictly maternity?
- [12:45]
Sophia Barrett
No, I photograph family. I photograph. I photograph special moments. So people who are coming in and they want to capture their family because they're at this new stage in their lives, or people who are celebrating their birthdays, or people who want to celebrate their bodies, people who want to create something unique for themselves, something that really tells the story of this moment in their lives, is what I photograph.
- [13:16]
Nikki Klosser
Okay, got it now. Okay. So I know, like you said, your business wasn't always what it is now. You know, you said you kind of started with that one maternity, you know, getting creative and painting. And then it slowly kind of morphed into what it is now as people were gravitating towards your work. Was there, like, a pricing change through all of this? Or like, when you. When you first started out, was. Were you charging you know, sustainable pricing, or did you build up to it? Okay. Yeah, just kind of, like, go through. Because I know people really like to hear how. But how did you, you know, raise your prices? How did you decide you were going to charge more? You know, so could. Could you kind of, like, summarize that?
- [14:02]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah. So when I started, you know, while I was doing portraits, in the beginning of that period of, like, when I started transitioning away from weddings, I was charging anywhere between that. That period was, like, I would charge $250 for people to, like, as a sitting fee. Then it went up to, like, around 650 for a sitting fee, and I would, you know, edit and print, you know, 25 portraits and have people come in and pur. And that started to transition because I hired on an assistant, and the assistant was like, you're charging what? And you're doing how much work? Because at that point, I started doing. Exactly, exactly. Kimberly, you know, it was great hiring her and having her, like, look at my business and give me that input, because, you know, to me, I was having a hard time with making sure that, you know, or having people buy all 25, or there was just all of these complications, and I wasn't making enough money. So, you know, the amount of shoots that I had to do and all of that in order to make enough or make the amount that I wanted to, it was just ridiculous because I was creating all the time. Like, I was, you know, I didn't have a life. So she was just like, you need to raise your prices. And I know that that's something that sue always talked about, like, raise your prices. Like, you need to look at everything, and you can't make a living if you're just making enough to cover what you, you know, just, you know, the. What you did to create X, Y, and Z or, you know, So I started to really look at, you know, my pricing, and I started to increase that. And, you know, me increasing that allowed me to be able to have a larger creative budget, too, and do more creative stuff. And I kept raising my prices. So every year, I was raising my prices two to three times a year because people were paying it.
- [16:17]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, if people are paying. If you're booking, like, a few consistently, it's like, okay, time to look at getting, you know, raising it again. At least raising. You know, you don't have to always raise your whole life, but, you know, getting to where you're comfortably making an income. Yeah, I like that.
- [16:32]
Sophia Barrett
Exactly. Exactly. So we kept doing that every year. It was, you Know, two to three times, depending on how busy we were. And it kept going. Like, I was able to just keep increasing my price, and I would double it. I would. I would double my prices, and I'd wait and see. You know, with our consultations, we would get lots of consultations. We would look to see if people would. Would, you know, gawk at the prices or if they'd say, yeah, okay, cool. And people would keep, you know, agreeing. People would keep paying. We didn't have to do a whole lot. We would have a presentation that we would show so that people would understand what our creative process is like, which I think is different from a lot of other photographers. So setting that expectation was really important. But we were able to just keep raising up, you know, raising that price to where, you know, I. I really was like, well, this is what I'm comfortable charging right now. Where we are right now. I'm very comfortable we might raise it again. But right now, I'm really happy with what I charge, and I don't feel upset with the amount of work that I'm pouring into. I'm able to have a balance with my life and my family. So I only shoot max, six shoots a month.
- [17:56]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, that's great. That sounds like a nice balance because. Especially because it's not like you're just doing show up to the park, shoot a couple shots, and you're out. Like, you know, you put so much more into it, which we'll get into that in a second. And your pricing now, it says on your website where you can click a link that says book a consultation, which I love that you do that, especially with everything that you put into your shoots. I feel like you have to do that.
- [18:20]
Sophia Barrett
Absolutely.
- [18:21]
Nikki Klosser
But. And then it says starting prices at 4,500. And, you know, when you look at the sets that you create, it makes sense immediately to me that you would start at 4,500.
- [18:35]
Sophia Barrett
Absolutely. We take a lot of time to prepare the client from the very beginning. We sit down, we create with them, we ask them for inspiration. It's really about making sure that the portraits speak to who they are. The aesthetics need to match their personalities. You know, the story needs to make sense for what it is that they want, you know, in their family heirlooms. And that's what we, you know, remind them of, is that we're creating their family heirlooms. You know, we're creating possibly the first pieces of art for their family, you know, that. That feature them. So starting at 4,500 is that's not what people normally book. People usually book a little higher than that, and that's because they want more creativity or they want even more, you know, items in the shoot or a concept that really speaks to who they are. But we really take the time to make sure that what we're creating for them is specific to them. I don't like to do the same thing over and over and over again. If I've already done a look and somebody reaches out to me and says, I saw this picture on your Instagram, and I want this, we are going to talk to them about how we're going to adapt that to them so that it makes sense for them, because I don't want to do the same thing again. I always want to create something new and different, and I want to challenge myself. If I don't feel challenged, then I don't feel as connected to what I'm creating. So that whole process is super important from the very beginning that our client books with us.
- [20:14]
Nikki Klosser
All right, will you talk a little bit about, I mean, how are you creating these sets and, you know, everything from. I have so many questions. I'm like, do you have a whole, like, storage area where you keep all these props, or are you just using, you know, light to make it more interesting and just adding in a prop here and there and the draping and just, like, all these amazing things. Is any of it done in Photoshop? Is it all, you know, okay, I'll just stop asking questions. Just tell me about it.
- [20:44]
Sophia Barrett
It's a combination of things. So for the most part, the sets are done in studio. So we'll take the time to create the floral arrangements or do the draping. If there's a special prop, then we're asking a vendor to create it for us or we're creating it ourselves in studio. Large props that are, you know, where I can't store, I usually will sell after or just get rid of, but for the most part, I have two closets full, like, large closets and a room full of garments and all types of clothing. And then we have a larger storage area where there's flowers in a bunch of bins. And then we have different fabrics that we store. If you walk into the studio, you'll see all the headdresses and accessories all over the walls. So my space isn't big. I mean, it is larger than, you know, a bedroom or a garage. But because of how it's built, I really have to utilize every single corner in that space to store what I.
- [22:01]
Nikki Klosser
Mean how your studio's built.
- [22:02]
Sophia Barrett
Yes.
- [22:03]
Nikki Klosser
Okay, got it. Tell us a little bit about that.
- [22:06]
Sophia Barrett
So we. We've rented. We've had, you know, studios, commercial spaces in the past, and we started to foster care. We started doing foster care, and that changed how we functioned. It changed, you know, what we could do on the weekends. It changed just how we moved. So we purchased a home that had a large backyard, and we always knew that we wanted to build a studio in a backyard in our backyard. So we moved forward with that plan so that we could be home more, so that I wasn't worrying about, you know, moving back and forth between my home and the studio space to just have that convenience. So we built a large studio in our backyard so that we could, you know, be at home and me still have that studio to work from.
- [23:05]
Nikki Klosser
That's amazing.
- [23:06]
Sophia Barrett
I love my space.
- [23:08]
Nikki Klosser
I love it and to have it right there. But it's also not in your home, so there's some separation there.
- [23:13]
Sophia Barrett
Yes. And that is from me shooting in my master bedroom for, like, what was it, like, two years?
- [23:20]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, yeah.
- [23:21]
Sophia Barrett
That was tough.
- [23:22]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, I can imagine. I mean, people do it. But.
- [23:26]
Hey, just a quick break to tell you that since you're here listening, you have access to a really great offer for our listeners only. We have a special promo code you can use to get 50% off the cost of membership. Just go to theportraitsystem.com or click the link in the description and use the promo code PODCAST50 to get 50% off of a membership. We rarely discount memberships, so this is a big deal. As I hope you already know, the membership is how I and so many guests on this podcast reached our success. And it gives you access to countless amazing videos, an awesome community, and all the tools you need to build a massively successful business. So use the code podcast50Now to join the community and to start building the business of your dreams. I'll see you there.
- [24:11]
I remember when I first built my business for, like, the first, I don't know, almost year, I was shooting out of my. Out of my. The rental home that we had in Seattle. And I remember just, like, always having to have it super clean. We had a big dog. And, you know, it was just a lot like, people do it and you. You can, like if that's the only option you have or if that works for you, but it is nice when you can get out of it finally. Yeah.
- [24:36]
Sophia Barrett
And I followed your story for a while. I think at one point you guys did it like your husband transformed Your garage for you.
- [24:43]
Nikki Klosser
It wasn't our garage. It was one car. Rent it. I rented a one car garage.
- [24:50]
Sophia Barrett
Basically, that's what it was.
- [24:51]
Nikki Klosser
And yes, it had orange paint and orange carpet. And I had just had my first son. He was like in the NICU while we were.
- [25:00]
Sophia Barrett
Oh, wow.
- [25:01]
Nikki Klosser
Well, I didn't leave the nicu. I stayed the whole time, but Dan would leave periodically, and my makeup artist painted it because we were sharing. She painted it and then my husband installed the flooring. That's a great little one car garage was amazing.
- [25:15]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah.
- [25:15]
Nikki Klosser
I made so much money in that studio. Yeah. All right, so, okay, let's talk a little bit about your creative process. So if I were your client, I kind of want to. I never thought these words would ever come out of my mouth, but I'm like, I kind of want to get pregnant again just so I can have a photo shoot.
- [25:34]
Sophia Barrett
Oh, my God.
- [25:36]
Nikki Klosser
I mean, it's not. It's not possible. It's not happening. But damn, like, that would be really fun. Anyway, okay, so if I came to you and said, all right, Sophie, I really want to book a shoot, but I'm not sure what I want, I love everything you do, you know, how do I decide? What do I do? You know, if I'm. If I'm a client who just doesn't know, what, what would you tell me.
- [25:56]
Sophia Barrett
During the consultation that really is like the beginning of the creative process for us? So during the consult, taking the time to explain what our process is like, but before that, I'm asking you a bunch of questions, just trying to understand more about you and your aesthetic, your likes and your dislikes, because that helps me start to get an idea of what is possible for you, like what you would love, what you don't like. So I start that process in my brain from that moment and then just speaking to you, kind of getting a sense of your personality during a zoom consultation. It's really helpful for me. I feel. I feel like I'm pretty good at understanding people's personalities and what they might like and what they. And what they don't. I don't like to like. If I have a client that's really goofy, I know that doing a shoot that is extremely serious, right. For them, one where they're constantly giving me smoldery eyes or what have you may not fit for them. So that process starts then. And then inspirational photos. Pinterest is my best friend. When I can't travel, Pinterest is my best friend. So I'm on Pinterest. I'm having my clients go on Pinterest. I'm asking for inspiration that isn't maternity based because I don't want them to send me maternity photos. I want to see pieces of art that they love.
- [27:36]
Nikki Klosser
I love this.
- [27:37]
Sophia Barrett
So music videos. I want to see movie covers. I want to see, you know, pieces of fabric. I want to see everything that is beautiful to them. And that really helps me understand even further who they are and what they like. So from that point, I sit down and I start to put ideas together. I'll piece together because they're telling me, you know, I love this picture, but the only thing I love about this picture is what they're wearing on their head. I don't like anything else about the shot. And this is what I like about the hat. This is what the hat reminds me of. You know, like, having all of that information again gives me further insight into them, gives me further insight into what they want for their portraits. Because the same words will keep coming up, right, in different ways. So it really gives me that sense of them. And then I start to piece everything together. Then we sit down during a meeting to talk about, okay, this is what I've come up with for you. This is, you know, look number one, look number two. And lighting. This is what we will do with your lighting. This is what we'll do with X, Y and Z. And they'll tell me if they like it, if they want to move forward with it, or if they want to make any adjustments. And I really love that period. I really, in their process, I love it when their eyes get big or they get excited. They see the board and they're like, oh, my gosh, you read my mind. This is exactly what I want. Or, you know what? I didn't even know I'd want that. Or I couldn't imagine that, but you somehow went into my brain and pulled out stuff and put it together in a way that just makes sense to me and that I love. Even though they weren't able to tell me, this is what I want the pictures to look like or this is what I want the backdrop to look like. So really having communication with the client, talking back and forth with them, getting a sense of who they are, getting their inspiration, sitting down, taking the time to really think about it and put everything together. It's, you know, invaluable to what the experience is like. It's invaluable to my business. I really love doing that. It excites me. I love doing it for each and every Single one of my clients. When I have clients that are like, I don't care. I just want this exact picture, I'm still going to try to find a way to change it. I'm still going to try to find a way to make it them.
- [30:12]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. Yep. You said so many important things in there. And. And I think, like you said, people often don't even know. They don't know what they want. Like, they might see a photo that they're drawn to, but they have no idea what it is about that.
- [30:27]
Sophia Barrett
Exactly.
- [30:28]
Nikki Klosser
What is it that I like? It could just be the type of lighting or. And I love how you're specifically, like, don't look for maternity photos. Give me what you really are drawn to. That that I think will really help with a lot of people listening. It clicks like, okay, this is how you design a shoot for a client to truly nail their vision. When they don't know what their vision is, what are they drawn to? In my head, as you were saying this, I can 100%, if I was your client, I can imagine what my vision board would look like based on textures and colors and elements. It's really cool. I like how you do this.
- [31:10]
Sophia Barrett
Thank you. Thank you. It's thanks to that interior design degree and that architecture. Yeah.
- [31:15]
Nikki Klosser
And we didn't mention that yet. That that's originally what you went to school for.
- [31:18]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah. So I actually wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to be a fashion designer.
- [31:25]
Nikki Klosser
I feel like you kind of are with what you're creating.
- [31:28]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah, that's exactly. So that's the point. Like, I am incorporating all the elements, all the skills, you know, that I love doing from when I was a kid. Right. I didn't get to go to school for fashion, but I'm finding a way to make pieces for my clients. I am creating sets and rooms. Right. I am thinking of all these different elements. I'm thinking of the way colors go together or, you know, the way that I finish off a portrait. I outsource my editing, but when I get it back, I'm still editing. I'm still, you know, doing the final touches to make it, you know, a piece that I'm really happy with, and that makes me happy. So I'm incorporating all of these things. And they come in. Like, I'll have male clients that'll come in, and they haven't tailored their pants, and I'm having to tailor them before we start shooting. Oh, my gosh. Oh, ma'am. But I hate editing. I hate editing pants. Or just the way it looks.
- [32:43]
Nikki Klosser
Now, something you mentioned, too, is with lighting and, you know, having the lighting dialed in and that sort of thing. Would you mind sharing? Do you use studio lights? You know, strobes, constant lights? What do you use?
- [32:55]
Sophia Barrett
I use monolights. So I have four GT four hundreds from geekoto, and I've been using them for the last two years, and that's what I use for lighting in my studio. So whether I use two or I'm using all four, it really just depends on the look that we're going for. And I really do like to switch it up. So while I do have a light setup that I use a lot, I'm constantly trying to add new stuff, change things up, because, again, I don't like doing the same thing over and over again, and I like to transform the space with lighting. I love how that happens. Go ahead. Just.
- [33:47]
Nikki Klosser
Sophie, for people who don't know what monolights are, will you just kind of go. Go through that real quick?
- [33:52]
Sophia Barrett
So they're. They're strobes. So basically it's. Now, granted, you're asking me some technical questions here.
- [34:02]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, you don't have to go crazy and do it, but, you know, just. Yeah, they're strobes, basically.
- [34:07]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah, they're strobes. And I'm able to adjust the lighting on the back of them. I'm able to, you know, change, you know, which group they are so that I can control them with the trigger on my camera, which is great. I'm able to adjust them up and down individually, turn them off individually so that I can layer in my lights to see exactly what each one is doing. They're 400 watts, but I just adjust my ISO to make up for the power. And they work great for me for how I use them in the studio. They're perfect. They give me the light that I want. I'm able to transform a space from feeling like it's just in a regular studio environment to feeling like there's the sun that's coming up, you know, on the Serengeti or what, what have you. I love being able to do that for clients because, you know, when they walk in, they see the set and they're like, okay, you know, it's beautiful. I love it. Then when they see what it actually will look like on camera on the screen, that's when they're like, oh, now I get it. Yeah, now I get it. So, you know, having my strobes, I'm able to use them on battery so I don't have cords hanging around everywhere. I'm able to move them really easily. So, yeah, I love my lights.
- [35:34]
Nikki Klosser
That's awesome. This is all just so amazing and so inspiring.
- [35:40]
Sophia Barrett
Thank you.
- [35:41]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. So you always shoot in studio then?
- [35:45]
Sophia Barrett
Well, because I mostly photograph right now families. Families with small children and maternity. I like having that control. There are so many elements that we consider. So even like shooting on location, it's a whole production to get a truck packed or the van packed with everything that I need. And shooting on location, it's just not my style because I can't control every element. I can't control perfectly where this tree is in relation to this horizon. I just can't control all of that. I do shoot on location, but I really don't show that on my Instagram unless it's a different studio space where I'm still able to control the environment. But I do love shooting in studio for that reason. And I don't want my clients, like my families with kids to have to worry about being outside. It's Atlanta, it's hot. Trying to find where we're supposed to be, trying to find change, all of that. And in my studio, I have food provided for them. The bathroom is right there. They can sit down whenever they want to. All the jewelry that I need, all the headdresses that they want to change into, because now they want to go ahead and put the pink feather headdress on and swap from the black hat. You know, it's. I'm not having to lug all that around. And my clients get to come in and play dress up all day. So I prefer to shoot in the studio.
- [37:28]
Nikki Klosser
It's so fun. I love it. Well, this is very cool.
- [37:33]
Sophia Barrett
Thank you.
- [37:34]
Nikki Klosser
And if people who are listening have not checked out your website, your Instagram and everything, definitely, definitely do. It's Sophia Barrett Studios.
- [37:43]
Sophia Barrett
Yes, yes, I know I've been calling.
- [37:45]
Nikki Klosser
You Sophie because that's, you know, what you go by. But your Instagram is Sophia Barrett Studios.
- [37:51]
Sophia Barrett
And then my website, they can go to my website if they're not on Instagram. Just that sophia-barrett.com and it looks like there are.
- [37:59]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, if they're not on Instagram, but there are some links and things too to like you have an Amazon store and just like, you know, a couple other things on your links that. Yeah, awesome. Well, I do have. I feel like I could talk to you about this all day, but for time sake, we'll have to do another one.
- [38:15]
Sophia Barrett
No problem. I didn't go into my story, so that's a big thing for Me. So if you want to have another chat, I'd love to.
- [38:23]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. Yeah. Well, maybe we should. I'm like, how much more? Like, tell me more. What else you got? Yeah, maybe we'll do. We'll do a part two. I definitely want to do a part two, because I feel like there's so much more, you know, just. Yeah, like you said. So we'll do that for sure.
- [38:41]
Sophia Barrett
I'd love to.
- [38:41]
Nikki Klosser
It's a big thing, and we won't wait a year to do it. We'll do a Sophia, you know, Barrett, part two.
- [38:46]
Sophia Barrett
I'd love that. Thank you.
- [38:49]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, but we're not done yet. We still have. I still have more questions to ask. I have the same four questions I always ask at the end of each episode.
- [38:57]
Sophia Barrett
Okay.
- [38:58]
Nikki Klosser
And the first one is, what is something you can't live without when you're doing a photo shoot?
- [39:03]
Sophia Barrett
I mean, my camera. Is that not a good.
- [39:07]
Nikki Klosser
Let's pretend. Your camera. Well, what do you shoot with? What camera?
- [39:10]
Sophia Barrett
I have a GFX100.
- [39:13]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, very cool.
- [39:15]
Sophia Barrett
I love my camera. I love my Fuji. That thing is my workhorse.
- [39:22]
Nikki Klosser
That's great. What's something else? Anything else you can think of other than your camera?
- [39:28]
Sophia Barrett
My. My. My lens. My. My favorite lens to shoot with is my 110. So I definitely need that lens with me when I shoot. And something else that I absolutely need with me when I shoot. Man, I know the minute I get off of this, I'm gonna be like, oh, duh, Sophie.
- [39:48]
Nikki Klosser
Well, when we do part two, you can.
- [39:50]
Sophia Barrett
Sounds good.
- [39:51]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. All right, number two is how do you spend your time when you're not working?
- [39:56]
Sophia Barrett
Oh, with my family. With my family. That's. That's like. I love to spend time with my family. I'm. I'm an introvert, so I like to be home, but I love to be home with my family. I love to spend time with them to, you know, go out to the belt line. So if you're familiar with Atlanta, then you might be familiar with, like, the belt line that goes around Atlanta, and you can go to different restaurants and sit down, have picnics. But I. I just love spending time, you know, with my loved ones and having, like. That's. It's super important for me. It's. It's the reason why I've structured my business the way that I have.
- [40:40]
Nikki Klosser
Absolutely. That's so nice to hear that. All right, number three is what is your favorite inspirational quote?
- [40:50]
Sophia Barrett
So it's on my phone. I don't know if this is my Favorite, but it's definitely one that I am pulling up. It's on my wallpaper, on my phone, and it's, you're suffering from self doubt while others are intimidated by your full potential.
- [41:10]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, that's a good one.
- [41:13]
Sophia Barrett
I deal with a lot of imposter syndrome, so that too. Yeah. So it helps me out when. Whenever my brain starts to spiral, I think about that. I put that right up on my wallpaper to help, you know, refocus me.
- [41:32]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, that's a great one. I might have to do that, too. All right, number four is what would you tell people who are just starting out?
- [41:41]
Sophia Barrett
I would tell them to not be afraid of really pouring into what makes them them or what drives them, what they think about, you know, and finding a way to incorporate that into their work. For me, that's when I really, truly embraced what I do. I was afraid to. I actually was. I tell the story. The first time I really did that. Like the painting on the body with the. The red headdress. I showed it to some friends of mine, and I. There were also photographers Joshua and Anika Duane, and I talked to them about, you know, I don't think people are gonna like this. It's different. It's weird. I don't see anything like this on Instagram. So I don't think that people will gravitate to this. And they looked at it and they were like, sophie, do it. You know, this is you. It's beautiful. Just go with it. And I feel like so many people are afraid of really doing what speaks to them because they're afraid of what other people will say. They're afraid of how it'll be received. But when you pour into something that connects with you, that work is going to be on a different level. So I think that that is a big thing for me. It's something that I was so afraid of doing for so long, and I wish I did it earlier.
- [43:12]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, yeah. That's great advice for sure. Yeah, that's. That's exactly right. It's, you know, sticking with what lights you up and what makes you you, and just to go for it.
- [43:23]
Sophia Barrett
Yeah.
- [43:23]
Nikki Klosser
And look where you are now. It's very cool.
- [43:25]
Sophia Barrett
Thank you.
- [43:27]
Nikki Klosser
All right. And then people can find you online. I know we already said, but it's Sophia Dash. Barrett.
- [43:35]
Sophia Barrett
Barrett.
- [43:36]
Nikki Klosser
Okay. And then on Instagram, Sophia Barrett Studios.
- [43:39]
Sophia Barrett
Yes.
- [43:40]
Nikki Klosser
Awesome. And we will have you back for sure. This is great. Thank you.
- [43:43]
Sophia Barrett
I love that. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity.
- [43:47]
Sue Brice
Thank you so much for listening to the Portrait System podcast. Your 5 star reviews really help help us to continue what we do. So if you like listening, would you mind giving us a review wherever you listen? I also encourage you to head over to soubreiseducation.com where you can find all of the education you need to be a successful photographer. There are over 1000 on demand educational videos on things like posing, lighting, styling, retouching, shooting, marketing, sales, business and self value. There's also the 90 day startup challenge plus so many downloads showing hundreds of different poses. We have to do checklists for your business, lighting, PDFs. I mean truly everything to help make you a better photographer and to make you more money. Once Again, that's Sue briceducation.com.