How Tia Haygood Achieved A $2k Sales Average With Virtual Networking (Re-Release)

Summary

The Portrait System Podcast: How Tia Haygood Achieved a $2k Sales Average with Virtual Networking (Re-Release)
Hosted by Sue Bryce Education
Release Date: June 20, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging re-release episode of The Portrait System Podcast, host Nikki Klosser sits down with Tia Haygood, a successful photographer based in Tokyo, who expertly balances her business between Japan and North Carolina. Tia shares her journey of building a thriving portrait photography business, achieving a consistent $2,000 sales average through innovative virtual networking strategies.

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Tia's Journey into Photography

Tia Haygood’s path to becoming a professional photographer is both inspiring and unconventional. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Tia moved to Tokyo after graduating college, fueled by a long-standing passion for Japan sparked by literary works such as Memoirs of a Geisha. However, she didn't begin her career in photography immediately.

[02:24] Tia Haygood: "I was a student. I graduated college and I rocketed into the Japan space."

Within her first four years in Tokyo, Tia transitioned from hobbyist to professional, thanks in large part to a mentor who recognized her potential and guided her into the business world. This mentorship not only honed her photographic skills but also laid the foundation for her business acumen.

[06:36] Tia Haygood: "He was a five-time startup entrepreneur and he taught me how to build a business here in Tokyo."

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Building the Business

Eight years into her career, Tia reflects on how her business has evolved dramatically. Initially balancing part-time work with growing her photography venture, she strategically focused on building her brand in key genres: headshots, lifestyle photography, and event photography. By targeting English-speaking expatriates and long-term residents in Tokyo, Tia carved out a niche that resonated with her target market.

[09:03] Tia Haygood: "I focused on headshots, lifestyle, and event photography to build my skill sets."

Her decision to self-sponsor her visa allowed her to commit full-time to her photography business, further accelerating her growth and establishing a strong presence in both Tokyo and North Carolina.

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Post Processing and Efficiency

A significant challenge Tia faced was managing extensive post-processing, which was beginning to delay her workflow and dampen her motivation. To overcome this, she embraced various tools and AI technologies to streamline her editing process.

[16:22] Tia Haygood: "Aftershoot has been amazing with culling and batch post-processing. It’s really cut down the time significantly."

She utilizes Aftershoot for efficient image culling and Evoto for cleaning up images post-reveal, allowing her to finalize her edits swiftly and maintain a high level of quality without burning out.

[17:45] Tia Haygood: "Everything was great in consultations and shoots, but post-processing was where delays started."

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Marketing Strategies: Virtual Networking

Tia’s success is deeply rooted in her effective use of virtual networking. Understanding the risk-averse nature of the Japanese market, she leveraged word-of-mouth and built strong relationships within the community to gain trust and secure repeat clients.

[23:57] Tia Haygood: "The first five years of my business were entirely word of mouth. Japan is a very risk-averse nation."

During the pandemic, she capitalized on virtual communities, such as the Make March Matter Facebook group, to connect with other entrepreneurs, share resources, and support each other's businesses. This online collaboration led to significant growth, with Tia experiencing her highest sales to date.

[35:26] Tia Haygood: "Through that group, I grew my business. I think I had more sales that year than any other year prior."

Additionally, Tia formed strategic partnerships with coaches and community leaders, integrating her portrait sessions into their programs to reach a broader audience and demonstrate the value of Western-style portraits.

[31:32] Tia Haygood: "Partnerships with coaches allowed me to communicate and educate Japanese clients on Western-style portraits."

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Pricing and Business Growth

Tia strategically structured her pricing to reflect the value she provides while ensuring consistent sales averages. Initially offering competitive rates, she gradually increased her prices as demand surged, a move that underscored her value and helped manage her workload effectively.

[46:29] Tia Haygood: "I raised my prices from $29 per image to $59, and then to $100 per image."

By aligning her pricing with the quality and uniqueness of her services, Tia not only maintained a stable income but also positioned herself as a premium photographer in a competitive market.

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Working Across Two Locations: Tokyo and North Carolina

Balancing her business between Tokyo and North Carolina, Tia highlights the importance of virtual networking and maintaining strong client relationships regardless of location. Her ability to market herself virtually allowed her to tap into clients back home while managing her operations in Japan seamlessly.

[34:03] Tia Haygood: "I recreated the sense of community from my virtual networking in Charlotte to build relationships and market my services effectively."

Through meticulous planning and leveraging online tools, Tia successfully manages to satisfy clients in both regions, ensuring her business remains robust and versatile.

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Challenges in the Japanese Market

Tia discusses the unique challenges photographers face in Japan, particularly the cultural emphasis on risk aversion and customer honorifics, which make it difficult to command prices reflective of their true worth. However, she emphasizes that building trust and delivering exceptional service can gradually shift perceptions and encourage clients to invest in higher-value photography services.

[27:23] Tia Haygood: "It's hard for photographers to convince their audience to pay what they're worth because the customer is God here."

Despite these challenges, Tia's dedication to quality and community-building has enabled her to break through these barriers and establish a loyal client base willing to invest in her services.

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Key Tools and Recommendations

Tia pays particular attention to maintaining her equipment in Tokyo’s humid climate. She highly recommends investing in a dry box to regulate humidity, ensuring her gear remains in optimal condition.

[55:27] Tia Haygood: "A dry box is essential here. It keeps the humidity down to a nice 30%, protecting all my camera gear and batteries."

Additionally, she leverages AI tools like Infinite Tools for efficient color grading and retouching, which enhances her creative workflow and maintains high-quality outputs without excessive time investment.

[20:00] Tia Haygood: "Infinite Tools helps me brainstorm and quickly produce impactful looks for my images."

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Personal Insights

Beyond her professional life, Tia finds balance through various hobbies that help her unwind and maintain mental clarity. Her love for drawing spirographs and participating in moving meditation activities like tea ceremonies in Japan reflect her creative and active approach to relaxation.

[52:07] Tia Haygood: "I enjoy spirographs and moving meditation activities to slow down my brain."

These personal practices not only provide her with mental respite but also inspire her creative process, contributing to the vibrancy and authenticity of her photography work.

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Advice for New Photographers

Tia offers invaluable advice to those starting out in photography: Identify your niche early. Focusing on specific genres allows photographers to build expertise and a strong portfolio, facilitating faster growth and recognition in their chosen fields.

[56:43] Tia Haygood: "Find out what genres you really want to do within six months so you can focus and niche quickly."

She emphasizes the importance of dedication to chosen specialties, warning against spreading efforts too thinly across multiple genres, which can hinder growth and establish a lack of clear brand identity.

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Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Tia credits Sue Bryce Education and The Portrait System community for providing the tools and inspiration necessary to scale her business effectively. Her story is a testament to the power of mentorship, strategic networking, and embracing technology to overcome geographical and cultural barriers in the photography industry.

For those interested in following Tia’s work or seeking inspiration, she can be found online at:

• Website: toptia.com
• Instagram & Facebook: Toptia Photos

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Key Takeaways

• Mentorship Matters: Having a knowledgeable mentor can significantly accelerate business growth and personal development.
• Embrace Technology: Utilizing AI and efficient post-processing tools can streamline workflows and prevent burnout.
• Strategic Networking: Building authentic relationships and providing value within communities leads to consistent referrals and loyal clients.
• Pricing with Confidence: Properly valuing services and adjusting prices as demand grows is crucial for maintaining a sustainable business.
• Niche Focus: Early identification and specialization in specific photography genres can lead to faster recognition and success.

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This episode of The Portrait System Podcast serves as an enlightening guide for photographers aiming to build a successful business through strategic networking, efficient workflows, and a clear focus on their niche. Tia Haygood's experiences offer practical insights and actionable steps to inspire and guide aspiring photographers on their path to success.

Transcript

[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 want to get this. 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 and sign up today. You're listening to the Portrait System podcast.

[Tia Haygood]

I had this realization where my workflow was going really, really smooth. I do my consultations, we do the shoot, Everything was great, communications were on point, and then I get to the post processing and that's where I noticed things were getting delayed and my motivation was starting to go down. And I'm sitting here just trying to think, okay, well, how can I, like, make this more efficient?

[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, 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. Hi everyone, it's Nikki Klosser. And my guest this week on the Portrait System podcast is Tia Haygood. Tia is a photographer based in Tokyo, but she also comes back to North Carolina to do photo shoots and she tells us how she makes that work. Tia talks with us about virtual networking and how she has success with it, as well as how she markets herself to stay quite busy in Tokyo with with a $2,000 sales average, TIA also gives us tips on how to be efficient with post processing and how she keeps her business efficient in general. All right, let's get started with the wonderful Tia Haygood. Hi, Tia. Welcome to the Portrait System. How are you?

[Tia Haygood]

I'M great. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, this is so exciting. You're all the way in Tokyo.

[Tia Haygood]

Yes, I am. Yes, I am.

[Nikki Klosser]

What time is it there?

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my gosh. It's 11:30 at night.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, at night. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. Doing this so late, it's so hard because our producer Vincent is in Pacific time, I'm in Eastern time, and then you're in. What is the time call in Tokyo. What would that be?

[Tia Haygood]

It's Japan Standard Time, so. Jst okay.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah. So it's hard sometimes. Like we're gonna have Kelly Brown on soon in Australia and it's like finding a time that works for all three of us where it's not the middle of the night is really tricky. So even 11:30pm Gosh, I really appreciate you. Not a problem.

[Tia Haygood]

I'm kind of used to it because I'm pretty active in community. So oftentimes there's the lives and workshops that are in the middle of the night.

[Nikki Klosser]

Right. On the portrait system, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

So this is on the early side. Usually it's like maybe 12 or 2 o' clock.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh my gosh. Wow. Well, you're not originally from Tokyo?

[Tia Haygood]

No, no, no, no. I'm actually from Charlotte, North Carolina.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay, very cool. Were you a photographer prior to moving to Tokyo?

[Tia Haygood]

No, I was not a professional or full time photographer prior to moving. I was a student. I graduated college and I rocked out into the Japan space. I studied abroad in high school and in college and it was just known to me and probably my family that I was going to go to Japan soon afterwards. So I did that with the intention.

[Nikki Klosser]

Did you just fall in love with it?

[Tia Haygood]

I did, I did. I love Japan. Japan was just this. I fell in love with it when I was 16. I was reading a few books that were based in the Meiji Restoration. Not to be too dry, but it's basically the 1800s, essentially late 1800s. And I read this book called Memoirs of a Geisha. And then I read.

[Nikki Klosser]

I know that book very well.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, yeah, amazing.

[Nikki Klosser]

One of my favorite all time books.

[Tia Haygood]

So that was one of them. And then I read another book called Naomi and they were just such gorgeous stories. And of course I went to Japan and I'm thinking, wait a minute, where are all the kimonos? Everyone's wearing plaid shirts. Looks like North Carolina, but made some great friends. And, you know, I came back in college my junior year and then I said, okay, well this is, this is a done deal. We're just Going to have to move here. Wow.

[Nikki Klosser]

I love it. I love it. Okay, so you moved there and you said you weren't a photographer at the time and did you just. You. So you grew your business in Tokyo?

[Tia Haygood]

So I grew, yeah, everything was grown in Tokyo. So I was think I was four years in and I was thinking about leaving Japan. So just really kind of considering what my career goals were going to be because at the time I was just really doing jobs that were, that kept me in the country, allowed me to have fun, allowed me to have some pocket money. But, you know, my 20s were starting to come to an end and I needed to do something of significance.

[Nikki Klosser]

Adulting.

[Tia Haygood]

I need to do adults. Exactly. So, you know, I was one foot in Japan, one foot out. And at the time I was doing photography as a hobby. And the idea was I was either going to go to law school in grad school or I was going to go to photography school. And I've been shooting around, like doing travel photography, food photography, things like that. But I met this guy and he hired me to shoot his birthday party. So I agreed to it. And he, I guess he kind of saw that I was a little bit green because he hired another photographer just in case. Just in case. And of course I had the top of the line, like Canon gear, and I'm sitting here with rented lenses that weren't even the top of the line rented lenses. It was what my budget could afford. And I said, you know what, Tia? We're just going to have fun. We're going to do this. And we really rocked out. Like he showed me his pictures and then he saw my pictures and he was just like, wow, you're really good. You should make this a business. And I laughed at him.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, that's so great.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, yeah, I laughed at him because I thought like business. And then in business in Japan, like, I don't know how to do either of those. And surprisingly, this guy was a five time startup entrepreneur and he said, well, I'll teach you. So that's what he did for eight months. He taught me how to build a business here in Tokyo.

[Nikki Klosser]

Isn't that so amazing to have someone that just takes you under their wing like that?

[Tia Haygood]

I know. Well, full disclosure, I married this guy, so I think he had some, I think he had some ulterior motives back then.

[Nikki Klosser]

He liked you. Oh my gosh, what a great story.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, yeah. So I do want to be honest with, to listeners that, you know, it does pay to have a mentor, but maybe not all mentors are Love struck, right?

[Nikki Klosser]

How cool is that though? Oh my goodness, I love it. Is he still part of your business?

[Tia Haygood]

No, he's actually doing his own business. He's, he's got his, I guess it's at his sixth business now. So he's a web media agent or runs a web media agency. So he essentially builds people's websites and then maintains them on a subscription basis versus a per project basis. So that's what he's doing.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay, very cool.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

All right, so. And how long ago was that?

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, this was like eight years ago, I think.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, eight years. Okay. So you've had your business for about eight years?

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay, cool. And we're going to talk about what it's like doing business in Tokyo. But I, I want listeners to know too that something you are going to talk about is how you manage to have clients back in North Carolina and like marketed all of it virtually so that you can kind of, which I think is super interesting because if you had been a photographer in North Carolina before and already grew your business there and whatever, like I feel like that would be a little bit more simple, you know, just kind of easier. But you weren't, you started in Tokyo and, and you kind of had to grow your, your name or you know, do all the networking back in North Carolina is, hey, I'm a photographer now. So we'll, we'll talk a little bit about that later. But I just want people to know that we're going to, going to talk about jumping back and forth and that sort of thing.

[Tia Haygood]

Sure, not a problem.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay, so let's talk a little bit about, you know, you started your business eight years ago. Does your business look similar to what it was then or have things changed quite a bit and evolved?

[Tia Haygood]

Oh my goodness, it is leaps and bounds different. The reason why I started this business was to see if I could do it. At the time, you know, I was mid-20s and the world was my oyster and I just wanted to try and see, well, can I do this? Can I make a career out of this? And my, my idea was, is if I mess up, then I can just go back home and I'll just mess up before I'm 30 and I'll be okay.

[Nikki Klosser]

I love it.

[Tia Haygood]

But you know, I did have to be smart and I did have to be strategic about it. So when I quit my full time job, I reduced it to part time and, and then I worked on the business mostly just getting my name out there. And the thing that really perked people's ears were English speaking photographers in headshot capacity, lifestyle photography capacity and event capacity. So those, those three things, I really just tried to build my skill sets over the course of the first. Well, still continuously, but, but absolutely during the first four years of my business. And then when I got to a point where I could self sponsor my visa, I decided, okay, I'm going to do this full time and then I'm going to focus on these three genres.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay. So event events, lifestyle. Is that like family and that sort of thing?

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. So it's really cool being here in Tokyo because a lot of times it's people who are expats or long term residents that are not Japanese and they want to just like document their time in Tokyo or in Japan.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, that would be. I always thought that'd be the coolest job. Like, you know, back before I had kids and when I just, I just traveled constantly and I, I look back and I think, man, if I. Not that I have any regrets, like I, I love all of the experiences I had in my life. Well, okay, not all of them, but you know, I wouldn't necessarily want to go back and change things. But if someone was like, you have to go back to your 20s, I just thought it would be such a cool job to travel with families or find a place that I really love and then document their vacation or like, I mean, how cool would it be to have a photographer with you on vacation that is just like hiding in the bushes, like taking these amazing photos candidly of you and your family during these moments, you know, like I have to stop and be like, okay guys, let me get my camera out. And I like miss the moment. Yeah, so that's just, yeah, that's very, very cool.

[Tia Haygood]

It's a lot of fun and even for tourists because now there's a tourist boom happening with the yen being so low. You get, you know, spouses wanting to do surprise proposals, people want to wear kimonos and they want to be photographed under the cherry blossom trees and their kimonos. So it's a really nice opportunity to get some great sessions out here and using lifestyle photography as a genre.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, very cool. And now we'll talk a little bit more about pricing and if it's different in Tokyo. But when you price these sort of sessions, are they similar to portraits? You're doing packages. Are you doing this just a one stop shop price?

[Tia Haygood]

Great question. I listen to that sales intensive and money management that sue posted in the portrait system. So the only thing that's different is the session fee for lifestyle, it's $200 on a good yen day, and for everything else, it's $500. So the reason for the difference is refactoring in hair and makeup and things like that.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yep. Okay, so the session fee is different, but everything else is just packages. Yep. All right. And then. Okay, let's. You know, we're already here at pricing. Let's talk about it. So you do the. Mostly headshots, the lifestyle and the events. So take us through what those packages look like and what it includes.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, so headshots as well as anything portraiture. If I do, like, a special campaign portrait, they're all $500 equivalent. I'm going to speak in dollars, because if I speak in yen and dollars, I'm going to confuse myself.

[Nikki Klosser]

Totally fine.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, thanks. So it's $500 session fee, and then the pricing per image is $300 per image. But of course, the more bang for buck is the packages. So my packages are 10 images, 20 images, 30 images, starting at $2,000 for that. That bottom package.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, fantastic. That's a really great average. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Starting. Okay. Sorry. You didn't even tell me your average. I just meant, like, starting point. Like, that's f. No, you're right.

[Tia Haygood]

The average tends to be about 21, and that's factoring people who are getting packages, who are getting the middle packages. I will admit, I am mostly. I mostly sell the lower end, that lower package. But that still keeps my average pretty nice and cozy. So that's something that I'm not in a big rush to figure out ways that I can sell more of that middle and top package. But that's something that I definitely want to learn how to do. I also want to learn how to sell wall art, because the narrative here in Japan is that there's no wall space.

[Nikki Klosser]

So people say that about New York, too.

[Tia Haygood]

Do they really? Of course. When you think about New York, everyone's got stylish apartments and they've got a wall somewhere that they. But that's something that I want to learn maybe in the months or years ahead.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah. A couple episodes ago, I did an interview with Lynn Duvall, and she's really, really passionate about something, selling wall art, and she has some pretty good strategies around that. And it definitely. It's like. What comes to my mind is, man, like, if you could go to their space, to their home, or even if they sent you photos of their space, I feel like there are not. I feel like there are programs out there that you can design it for them and show them how it works. Like, oh my gosh, you could put in this one little corner this gorgeous family photo or whatever. I feel like people can't see the vision, but if you show them the vision, I feel like that might be a way to kind of attack that. In Tokyo. I'm just brainstorming, but yeah, I like.

[Tia Haygood]

To see if I can find a program that can do that. I do find myself bringing American programs into Japan and implementing them with clients like Spot. My photos was a real winner for my event photography. So I'll have to look into looking for what that is and then bringing it over here.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, for sure. Well, and speaking of programs, you had mentioned before when we were just chatting, getting tech stuff set up, that there are a couple programs that you've been using that have been super helpful and one being AI related, right?

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. So I've actually really embraced AI. One of the reasons for that is my workload tends to be very post processing heavy. I had this realization where my workflow was going really, really smooth. I do my consultations, we do the shoot, everything was great, communications are on point and then I get to the post processing and that's where I noticed things were getting delayed and my motivation was starting to go down. And I'm sitting here just trying to think, okay, well how can I make this more efficient? And you know what, Aftershoot has been so amazing with culling and batch post processing. It's really cut down the time significantly, especially for my events. And then also Evoto. Evoto has been phenomenal after my photo reveals because once I do the photo reveal, my clients have their, their orders locked in and I'm putting those, those images through Evoto, getting those, those backgrounds nice and clean and the flyaway hairs, you know, just kind of out of the way. And then I can put everything through Photoshop and just kind of put my little spit shine on it and then be done within, you know, a weekend. So it's, it's quite, quite efficient.

[Nikki Klosser]

In terms of post processing, that is fantastic. Okay, how easy is this? Like sometimes I refer to myself as like an 80 year old grandma when it comes to technology. Like once I learn it, I'm good. Like, okay, I'm not that bad. But you know, okay, I should say there are a lot of amazing 80 year old people out there who are incredible with technology. So I'm really not trying to be whatever. I'm just trying to paint the picture that I'm not the best at learn. Like I need someone to Walk me through a new program. But once I get it, I get it. Like, how easy was it for you, this whole, you know, evoto thing?

[Tia Haygood]

You know what? I am a true millennial at heart. We just go into it and just figure it out on the fly until we hit a wall, and then we have to look it up on YouTube.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, I do that quite a bit too.

[Tia Haygood]

But no, what I've been doing is, because I had to do this for. For some programs, is I'll look at the crash courses first. And usually they have really great crash courses on their website. I'm referring to specifically Infinite Tools. So I really love the Infinite Tools plugins, and it was kind of hard. I couldn't really millennial my way through it. So I did have to just kind of like, source through the images, source through the videos, and then just kind of go along step by step. And it doesn't help. That I could talk to Pratik directly and ask him questions as well. Does help as well. He was so friendly, just helping me out. But yeah, some have a steep learning curve that you do have to kind of, like, watch the videos for, and others you can just kind of mess around and have fun.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay. And I know Prateek has created some amazing tools around AI, so that's pretty awesome. What is it? Is it Infinite Tools? Is that right?

[Tia Haygood]

So that's one of them. Yeah. So he actually. He and Felix are actually doing this really, really amazing job with this course. So he. He actually has a course of. Of how to integrate photographers into really appreciating AI. So that's one thing that I would definitely recommend people take a look at.

[Nikki Klosser]

Like, embracing it instead of thinking, like, it's going to take over my job.

[Tia Haygood]

Exactly, exactly. But separately to that course, he has Infinite Tools, which he did have a hand in creating. I think he's the main creator of it, actually. But that is a really great collection of tools that help people color grade, create really impactful and quick black and white images. Retouching. I love those tools because sometimes you don't really. I have a. I have trouble visualizing what the end look is going to be and going through. Yeah, going through Infinite Tools really helps me kind of say, like, oh, do I want, you know, this kind of color grading, or do I want these three colors kind of play with each other for this particular image? I really appreciated what those tools offered in terms of just even brainstorming and then coming up with a look that's quick and easy to produce.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah. When I find a Tool that helps me because when you were speaking about just how your post processing really just puts kind of a dam in your workflow, I can totally relate to that. And part of it is just, like the monotony of it. And I've got my workflow pretty much down to a science, but it just gets kind of stale and boring, and I'm just, like, going through the motions. And when you can find a new program that just helps either make it go quicker or gives you new creative ideas, it's so awesome. And Pratik's so good. Good like that with all of his stuff. He has a bunch of tools and courses and things in the portrait master store too. And he. He's been on this website, and he's just such a nice guy. Like, he's like one of the nicest people I've ever met. I swear. Anyway, so for people who are interested in that, you know, definitely check it out.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, that's. That was helpful.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah. Okay. So lots of programs that you're implementing in order to create some efficiency and just ease to your post processing, which is awesome because that's really important. I think that's, like. I hear wedding photographers say that too. It's just like the sheer volume of images and the editing. And I know there are lots of processes and programs for wedding photographers or whatever, but it really can burn you out. Like, man. Yeah, I just did a shoot, a high school senior, and I took 582 photos. I have Lightroom. I, like, just got off Lightroom before I hopped on with you. I never take 582photos. It's very rare. I could not stop shooting. I just loved this shoot. I loved photographing her and the whole thing. And now I'm just like, I have 582 photos to go through and narrow down. You know, it's like, oh, my God. So anyway.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my. Yeah, but aftershoot, that, it really helps. And I know for naysayers, they'll. They'll probably be like, well, I want to. I want to look and I want to put eyes on the image. And you totally can aftershoot it. It does a cull based on what your settings are, and then you can go in and actually check and make sure, like, okay, yeah, I agree. That should be in, that should be out. And even that process takes me again in, like, a fraction of the time that it used to even cull everything at all.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, Aftershoot's a good one. And Filter Pixel, I believe, is a great. That's also Like a really great culling program. So there's two, the two of them out there that I know that seem to be. People are loving is. Yeah. Aftershoot and filter Pixel. So it's. Yeah, there's options out there. It's. Things are, things are changing. Things are changing quickly and it's, it's, it's interesting just to see what people are latching onto. So.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, agreed.

[Nikki Klosser]

Cool. All right, moving forward, let's talk a little bit about marketing. How do you market yourself in Tokyo? And then we'll jump to the North Carolina part.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my goodness. So. So the first five years of my business, everything is word of mouth. Japan is a very risk averse nation. And what that means is no one's really going to put blind faith into you unless there's someone that can vouch for you. And the people who were able to vouch for me were the people who worked with me in the beginning. And I still have clients from like year one. Actually my very first client, I just did. I don't know our. Gosh, it's got to be our seventh or eighth shoot at this point.

[Nikki Klosser]

Fantastic.

[Tia Haygood]

This past Tuesday, she was with me when I was. Oh my goodness. I was $150, you know, like, yeah, I'll do your pictures for $150. And now she, she pays me, you know, $2,000. So it's. And she was the one that actually gave me the idea for my business name. So that's a, it's a really funny story. That one has nothing to do with marketing. But really quickly, she's an inter. She was an interpreter. And Tia is, is my name. But Tia in Japanese means tear.

[Nikki Klosser]

So like a crying tear?

[Tia Haygood]

No, not a crying tear. Like, like, like, like levels. Like tear.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. T so T I E R. T E I R. Oh, God. T I E R. Yep. Okay, got it.

[Tia Haygood]

So, so top tier. Top tier is a play on both the Japan side and the English side. And I thought that was the coolest, like play on words. So. So it stuck.

[Nikki Klosser]

Very cool.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. But, but she was going back to that. But to the. Her. She was my, one of my biggest cheerleaders and I got to really like go around her network. She's a communications coach now. So people in her Japanese space, people in her international space, I really got to branch out. And then I also went into a women's empowerment space that she also spoke at. And that just really like lit the flames because these were internationally minded women who are also career driven and these are the people who are reaching out to me because they wanted to update their headshot photos. These are also women who were in Japan temporarily and they wanted to do Japan specific portrait photos that require a kimono for their child or a kimono for themselves. Bicultural families that, you know, mom's got to do all the. She's got to juggle the Japan side of her family and the international side of the family. So I got to shoot, you know, both ends. For example, I had a session where I was doing a baptism photo shoot, but then we also did a Japanese photo shoot which is similar to a baptism called Omiya Mairi. So that's like two sessions within a short period of time for one family.

[Nikki Klosser]

Cool. Very cool.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

Do you find. And I'm completely generalizing here, and I'm kind of like annoyed that I'm even asking this, because I feel like it can be different everywhere. But do you find people typically value photos there?

[Tia Haygood]

They do, they do. The thing is, is that, I mean, like, in any market, you do have your shoot and burn photographers, right? The people who are really hustling and trying to just like compete with each other in that, that kind of lower end space. I feel that in Japan there's more of that here than perhaps in American markets. And I think a big chunk of that is just where the economy has been for the past 20 years. Japan used to be in this really great kind of golden era with the economy where people were just spending money and getting money hand over fist. And when the bubble burst, we call it the bubble burst in the early 90s, it's just been this kind of.

[Nikki Klosser]

Long.

[Tia Haygood]

Long journey of getting back to where Japan once was. So really going back to that risk averse mentality, it's hard for, I think, photographers to really convince their audience, or at least in their mind, it's hard for photographers to convince their audience to pay what they're worth. Because here the customer is not king. Here the customer is God. And you really are putting a lot of effort into making your clients happy, not just with the service, but also with customer care. And for what a lot of photographers give. They're not getting what they deserve.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, that makes sense. And part of me is like, don't even ask that question because it's like, just because, you know, in general, quote, unquote, like people in the uk, I've heard people say that people in the UK just don't value photo photos as much. They're not going to buy wall art, they're not gonna you know, no one wants to be considered vain or whatever, but I feel like even if you are in an area where it seems like that there are still your people, there are still your clients, and maybe you can help start making the change to that, you know, it's. Yeah. So I, I really don't want to generalize, but I was just curious.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. And there, there are people who do charge. Like probably not as is is out there is, is, is what. What Sue Bryce proposes, but there are people who charge to the point where maybe the average is about a thousand US or you know, give or take $500 so that they're, they're there, they exist. It's just really going out and finding and educating those people on, on what they're getting and what they're worth.

[Nikki Klosser]

It seems like it's, I mean, how cool is that, that once you find someone, they're going to stick with you, that loyalty, I mean, like you said, you're on your seventh or eighth photo shoot with this one person. Like, that's incredible.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, it's, it's so important. So going back to the marketing point, I know I deviated, but, but yeah, having those cheerleaders and having those people vouch for you is, was such a big boon for me, especially when these were people who were commanding their own communities and wanting to build community with their own clients, particularly coaches. So another big marketing opportunity I got to have was partnerships with these coaches. So if anyone had a program, if anyone had a workshop, affiliate programs, things like that, I was able to come in as the photographer because they're also kind of selling transformational experiences through their coaching. So the cherry on top was, you know, me with my transformational portrait session at the beginning, middle or end of their programs. So that one not only helped me get my name out there, but really helped communicate and educate Japanese clients on how Western style portraits could be enjoyed compared to what maybe they're used to in a traditional Japanese portrait sense.

[Nikki Klosser]

I love that. It's like a blending of the culture of portraits or something like this, you know, the differences and. Yeah. Bringing in a new flavor kind of thing. That's awesome. Very cool.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, it's actually an asset, me not being Japanese here. I found.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

Wow.

[Nikki Klosser]

Very interesting. 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 membership, 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. And like, that initial, like, if someone was trying to break into a market where it was this, you gotta know someone. You need an in. I mean, how. Like, what would you recommend as far as getting started? Like, you know, building that portfolio? Yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

How I did it was I. I knew I wanted to get into event photography, and I would just go to concerts, like, little. Little bars here and there that had good lighting, and I would just shoot concerts, and I could get in for free, which was great. You know, I just show my camera, like, hey, I'm the photographer, and they just wave me in. And I did that for, like, I think a few months. And then when the summer season would hit, I would shoot festivals. So I pretty much built my portfolio, both indoor and outdoor, doing those two things. How I got into headshot photography was hilarious because it literally was, oh, you speak English. Great. I need a head shaft. So, yeah, that's how I got into headshots.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay, that makes sense. Well, let's. Let's flip back to how you had. You had said that you were, you know, you're from North Carolina, and you decided you wanted to do some work when you went back there, but you're in Tokyo. Like, how do you network in North Carolina when you're in Tokyo? So how did you do that?

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my goodness. So I have to thank the pandemic for this because. Well, I shouldn't say it that way. It was a blessing in disguise, because what ended up happening was all of the entrepreneurs who were building their business and running their business in Tokyo, all of a sudden, we didn't have any business at all, and we were kind of panicking. But there was one person. She started a Facebook group called Make March Matter. And the idea was that because everything was kind of going crazy in March 2020, she wanted to create a community that allowed for us to still blossom even though things were decaying. And when we all kind of came together, the heirs of networking in person, you know, like, sometimes you're sizing each other up. You're. You Know, there's a politics, you know, to it. Maybe people are nervous. We had none of that because we're all kind of in the same desperate place, and we're. We're vulnerable. We're very honest, like, okay, this is my business. This is my situation. Does anyone need a translator? Does anyone need a coach? Does anyone need a lawyer? Does anyone need a photographer? And I, through that group, I grew my business. I think I had more sales that 20, 20 year than I had any other year prior.

[Nikki Klosser]

No kidding.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. So just that honesty, that virtual connection and honesty and willing to help another person. Like, if I didn't need translations, I would know some. I knew someone who did, and I would connect those two. Like, really just that. That. That give and take solidified so many relationships that 20, 20 year. So, going to answer your question, recreating that, that sense of community and that strategy from 2020 and doing it basically in Charlotte, where I was going for the summer, or where I went this past summer, is how I really just kind of got myself out there. Really just try to network and see who is in the community. What do people need? The person who ran this particular Facebook group, I kind of wanted to see what his style was, help him be more engaged or help his content be more engaging so that I could. He could notice me and then just really be a team player, a community team player right up until it was time for me to market, like, really heavily market.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay, so this was an online Charlotte, North Carolina, kind of networking group.

[Tia Haygood]

Yes.

[Nikki Klosser]

So you did everything virtually?

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, I did everything virtually, yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

And it sounds like you were able, like, instead of. And this is what I always preach when I'm talking about networking. Instead of going in like balls to the wall, like, I'm gonna book all these shoots and they're gonna. They want me, you know, whatever. Okay. I know people don't usually act like that, but you know what I mean, where the main focus is on booking shoots. Your main focus, it sounds like, was building relationships and being a resource for other people first and foremost.

[Tia Haygood]

Exactly.

[Nikki Klosser]

Brilliant. And that's exactly the way, you know, that I always did it in person and online that, you know, I still do it.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. Well, that's why I had to do it in. So when I. In Tokyo, I started changing my networking spaces and I started going into country chambers. So country chambers, like American chambers, British chambers, Canadian chambers of commerce. And they were these tall, executive, corporate, very intimidating people. And I'm sitting here just trying to sell photo shoots. And I thought, okay, Tia, this is you need to really look sexy for these people. What's the best way you can get noticed? To a country manager for a fintech company here in Tokyo. And a lot of it was really just talking to anyone and everyone and learning their story. And, you know, once you hear enough stories, you realize, oh, okay, this guy is trying to link up with this, you know, this kind of network. I remember a guy from last week, and maybe I can connect the two of them. And that really, really helped me get over my nerves of, you know, feeling intimidated. I'm five even, so, you know, everyone's taller than I am. So really just getting over that. That. That ease of being intimidated by having a give that you can give someone is really empowering.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, it really is. It really is. And. And that builds that trust. People will hire someone who they know like and trust. I mean, granted, you have to have a strong portfolio and, you know, good business presence. You know, just. You can't just roll up and hope they like you but not have any. Anything to show for what you do. But, yeah, it really does make a difference. So, you know, when you decided, okay, I'm gonna go for this, and I'm gonna go back to North Carolina and hopefully do some shoots. What did you do? Did you just say, hey, I'm gonna be there, and who needs photos?

[Tia Haygood]

Well, I actually. I do have to tip my hat off to Tina Liu, because she helped me kind of set this up.

[Nikki Klosser]

Who is that?

[Tia Haygood]

Tina Liu.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, Tina. Yes. I love Tina. She was on the podcast a while ago too.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

We both went to Felix Bella and Pratik's Cape Town retreat together.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, fun.

[Tia Haygood]

Which is how I met her in person. And I asked her, I said, well, I see sometimes you have head coach these headshot days. What are you doing? And how are you getting people to be excited about it? And she walked me through it in terms of how to create a landing page and then really just doing organic shares on my social media platforms. So I was able to do that. And then I also reached out to that Facebook group leader, and I said, hey, I'm going to be in town. I'm doing two headshot days. One on this day, one on this other day. So it was on the 12th of July. Excuse me. And the 25th of July. And he was really gracious. He allowed me to promote for the. For the day. And it was really just about playing analytics, because he had. He had every Tuesday, like a promote your business Tuesday. And I would do that, and I would tweak the Words here and there. And I would tweak the picture every Tuesday to see which got me more engagement. And then I asked him, I said. I said, yeah, thank you. Yeah. And then I asked him, I said, hey, can I get something a little bit more outside of the promotional Tuesday? Can I, you know, can you spot me or can your. Your team spot me, you know, on a particular day? And he, he was gracious enough, and he said, yes, you're very engaging with my, My, my material and with the community. I'd be happy to do something like that for you.

[Nikki Klosser]

So that's awesome. You get back what you put in.

[Tia Haygood]

Exactly.

[Nikki Klosser]

You know, I mean, that's really how it is. And there's something about asking, like, for example, we have a local Facebook group here in Michigan that I'm part of. And, you know, the guy who runs it, it's like, he's awesome, and he puts a lot of time and energy into it. And, you know, if you just go into the group and just post your workshop, having had no engagement before, not asking permission, it feels icky, you know, and he said, he's like, you guys have to, you know, please just get admin approval. This isn't a place to promote yourself in that kind of way. Like, it's not a networking group. It's literally like just a resource. Resources for all the local photographers is amazing. And he said that. He's like, be respectful. Like, talk to me first. And. Yeah, and that's how. That's how it should be. It's just kind of like if this person, you know, if people who wanted to do post their workshops, I don't even know who did it or what, something sparked it. I don't know. Know, but, like, because he had. He had to make a post, like, don't just come in and post your workshop. Like, this just doesn't work anyways. Like, instead, engage, engage, engage. Share information, comment on posts, whatever, and then go to the admin and say, hey, I'm doing this workshop. Would it be okay? And 90 and 99% of the time, as long as it's allowed, you know, in general, they're going to say yes. And it just makes a big difference.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, it really does, because. And then they feel like you respect their time and you respect their space, so.

[Nikki Klosser]

Exactly. I think. I mean, in general, isn't that what we all want? We want to be, you know, feel respected. We want to be heard. And, you know, especially when people. A lot of times, when people are running these networking groups and Facebook groups, whether it's in person or virtual or whatever. They're not getting paid for it.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

You know, it's like sometimes people just want to just to feel appreciated and not taken advantage of and you know. So anyway. Okay. So did you. So you ended up doing then a headshot day?

[Tia Haygood]

I did, yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

And how did it go?

[Tia Haygood]

It went great. I had slots for six people. I was able to fill two per day. So I didn't get that 100%. But I mean, goodness me, for the first year, four people came in and got their headshots done. I'm pretty grateful.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah. Heck yeah. And to be able to go home for a visit and to make a bunch of money while you're there is fantastic.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, absolutely. I think my motivation was if I make dollars, then I won't have to cry so much by all the yen I'm spending and converting into dollars.

[Nikki Klosser]

Sounds funny. Well, this is really, really cool. I mean it seems like you just have been able to, you know, grow your business in a country that is, you know, very different in a lot of ways from where you grew up. And yeah, just to be able to have your business there, to also be able to find a way to work when you come back to the States and make that happen and, and you know, finding more efficient ways to post process and all of that. Like it's not, you know, your starting packages are at $2,000. Like it sounds like you're doing really great.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, yeah, doing really well. I can't complain. It's. I've been very blessed. This, the portrait system has blessed me in more ways than I cannot describe because I don't think I'm so happy. I don't think I would have been able to set up this system with packages and a $2,000 minimum if it were not for the Sue Brice portrait system community.

[Nikki Klosser]

Wow. Isn't it amazing when you see what other people are doing and how they're doing it? It's not only inspiring, but it's pretty eye opening.

[Tia Haygood]

Absolutely. Yes.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, it's very cool. And yeah, it makes me really happy to hear that. I mean, I wish that we didn't need to have this whole like system and all this stuff or whatever that just was normal, you know, like this is the price of a car, this is the price of a pair of Nike shoes. This is the price of photography, you know. And you know, it doesn't always work that way and we all have to go through what we need to, you know, whether it's self value stuff or you Know, improving our portfolio or just learning how to run a business. Like, all of those things. I know everyone has a different journey, but to be able to have somewhere to start from, like, this is a business model that works for a lot of people. It doesn't look exactly the same for everyone because everyone makes it their own. But it's such a good starting point. And when you see other people doing it, it makes you think, like, okay, maybe I could do this too.

[Tia Haygood]

You can. You can. The thing that motivated me to raise my prices was just how I was too available for people. People were liking the work. People wanted to work with me. And I would end up with. I kid you not, Nikki. I would have months where I shot 21 different photo sessions.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tia Haygood]

Yes.

[Nikki Klosser]

I'm assuming at, like, cheap prices.

[Tia Haygood]

No, this was. This was. This was 2021.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

So 21 shoots in a month.

[Tia Haygood]

21 shoots in a month. And then I got it down to 16 shoots in a month, and it still wasn't enough. And then I thought, oh, my gosh, I just need to raise my prices.

[Nikki Klosser]

What were you charging then? Do you remember?

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, so I was charging, I think, 29, like, $30 per image. It was still the. It was still the Sue Bryce method. So I had a $300 session, and it was 29 images, $29 per image, with packages at, I think it was, like, $1,000. No, $800. And I raised my prices so that it became $59 per image. And then I raised it again in 2022 to a hundred dollars per image. And then let's say that that year I had another, like, 20 sessions in a month. And I said, oh, my goodness, I'm just gonna have to do the crazy $300 per image thing. And even now, like, it's. It. It's. I have to raise them again because it's busy season, and busy season, it'll. It'll absolutely become 15 sessions in a month.

[Nikki Klosser]

So much. I mean, that's the thing. Like, if you're booking at the prices that you're at to the point where you can't even keep up, that's. I mean, that's such a good indicator. It's time to raise again.

[Tia Haygood]

That is an indicator. Oh, man. When people say, what, you charge that much? Never mind. I'm like, yes, I have my Saturday.

[Nikki Klosser]

Or even could just say no or push them out further. Yeah, no, I know what you mean.

[Tia Haygood]

It's.

[Nikki Klosser]

It's hard. It's hard to, you know, not Take the work.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah, but you learn. You learn once. Once you know what it is to. To be. To be pretty close to burnout, you. You start really valuing your time, and you start putting dollars or. Or yen to. To. To that.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, absolutely. Well, very cool. This has been super great. Are you going to go to wppi?

[Tia Haygood]

I am lining myself up to go to WPPI next year.

[Nikki Klosser]

I hope so.

[Tia Haygood]

In March.

[Nikki Klosser]

I'd love to hang out. We should have dinner, cocktail or something.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my God, that would be so awesome. Yeah. I didn't get a chance to go last year or this. This year because I hadn't planned that soon. I think it was, like, six months that we. We found out when the next one was going to be, so.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

But now I have more time, so I. I'm.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, good.

[Tia Haygood]

Yes.

[Nikki Klosser]

Fantastic.

[Tia Haygood]

Yay.

[Nikki Klosser]

All right. Okay. Well, that was a total side note, but I'm excited. It's gonna be fun this year. I mean, it's fun every year, but we have a new location. It's just, like, dialed in more. It's just gonna be great. I'm excited.

[Tia Haygood]

Me, too.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay. So I always ask the same four questions at the end of each episode.

[Tia Haygood]

Yes.

[Nikki Klosser]

And the first one is, what is something you can't live without when you're doing a photo shoot?

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my gosh. A completed checklist.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, tell me more.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my goodness. So I. I'm a little bit of an. Of a. I have a. I have squirrel brain. I do have adult adhd, as I'm sure half of us in the community do. But I'm also prone to just forgetting things. And if I have that nagging feeling, you know, like in Harry Potter, Neville has that thing that tells him he's forgotten something, I have that feeling that I've forgotten something. And it will just gnaw. It'll gnaw at me throughout the shoot. And I'm not as focused as I should be, but I tell you when I have a completed checklist. And I know all of my. My gear is there, my things are set up, my batteries are charged, I'm ready to rock.

[Nikki Klosser]

So, yes, I like that there are times when I'll wake up in the middle of the night and I'm laying there full of anxiety over something, and I'm like, okay, these are the things I really need to do or things that I think of, and I'm like. And I try to give myself keywords so that I'll remember it in the morning. And I'm like, you know what? Just get up and write this shit down because you are not gonna remember those keywords.

[Tia Haygood]

Yep.

[Nikki Klosser]

You know, it's like something about, like you said, whether it's a checklist or just to do list or just something that tells me the things that I need to do. I can breathe better. I can just relax.

[Tia Haygood]

Yeah. Oh, my goodness. And notion, I should probably add. So I do my checklist on notion. I love notion. Oh, I've never heard of this. It's like if Microsoft OneNote and Google Drives had a baby. It's a really great tool. And I will vocal, like, I'll say it and then it shows up in my list of notes, so.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, nice. I'll have to look in. I love how you have all these great, like, programs. I need to get more into all the different programs.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my God. It probably doesn't help that I'm a bit of a tech head. And I like, my summer job in college was working in a computer shop and troubleshooting PCs.

[Nikki Klosser]

Nice. So that's probably why I love it. All right, number two is how do you spend your time when you're not working?

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my goodness. Probably I don't. Reading, cooking, anything. That just slows my mind down as much as I could try to do meditation. I'm just not a sit still, kind of meditative person. In Japan, they have a lot of moving meditation activities. So things like moving. Yeah. So if you can move and meditate, that's my jam. So tea ceremony spirographs. I have a mad pin collection, so I will draw spirographs for hours.

[Nikki Klosser]

Wow.

[Tia Haygood]

Anything to slow down my brain.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yep. Isn't that. Gosh, I can relate to this so much. You said it's a spirograph. Yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

You know, like when you were a kid, you were probably summer camp.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yes. That's what I was visualizing in my head. And I just kept talking. I was like, wait, hang on, let me back up. Is that what you were talking about? That's.

[Tia Haygood]

That is what I'm talking about. Wow.

[Nikki Klosser]

Isn't it crazy? Like, sometimes there is just this, like, activities like that that can be so incredible for. For slowing down your brain. Like, for example, my. My stepmom passed away back in March, and she had a jewelry obsession. And when I say obsession, I am. I mean, the amount of jewelry she made and purchased was. Is insane. And my stepdad was kind of like, okay, I'm ready to, like, declutter and just kind of get like the spare room back and, you know, that sort of thing. And so I've kind of been in charge of the jewelry and the crafts. And so we have this massive garage sale at our cottage, like the whole subdivision every year. I was like, all right, I'm gonna. Okay. This is such a long story. Okay, let me back.

[Tia Haygood]

Go for it. Yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

Okay. I know I'm going off on the rails here, but for any of our ADHD friends, I'm wondering if you can relate. Okay, so for this garage sale, you know, you have to, like, narrow everything down and price everything. Whatever I have, I kid you not, probably 12 massive boxes of jewelry.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh, my God.

[Nikki Klosser]

And I was up until like 2:30 in the morning just like, methodically organizing. And I am not an organizer. Like, if you saw my closet, I look like a teenager. But there's something about probably similar to the spirograph, where I'm like, okay, this one's $3, this one's $2, and this one. Oh, this looks like it could be worth something. I'm gonna put this over here. And I loved it. I can't wait to finish sorting this. It's so bizarre. But then when it comes time to organizing, like, my files on my computer, I'm a nightmare. So it's just so funny how our brains work.

[Tia Haygood]

I love it. You know, I used to be frustrated, and then I just kind of got to a point where I said, look, just slow your brain down and then come back to it. And sure enough, some of those back burner, like, file organizing tasks, I get to it eventually.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, it happens eventually. Totally. All right, number three is what is a photography specific product that you would recommend?

[Tia Haygood]

You know, Japan is very humid during the summer months. I'm talking like 80% to 90% humidity. So the photo specific tool, I would say and cherish dearly is a dry box. Dry box, yes. And not the tiny plastic. So a dry box is. It's a cabinet, essentially, and it's electric cabinet that regulates the air inside that space. So what? Yeah, so all of my camera gear, all of my lights, all of my batteries are in this cabinet, and it keeps the humidity down to a nice 30%. Whereas right now it's literally about maybe what's. What is it? I'm looking at it now. It's 79% humid at 12:30am yeah.

[Nikki Klosser]

That's a lot. Wow, that's very cool. I've never heard of this. Yeah.

[Tia Haygood]

Dry bucks.

[Nikki Klosser]

Can you put yourself in it?

[Tia Haygood]

You know, if you buy big enough.

[Nikki Klosser]

Oh, gosh. Anyway. Oh, yeah. All right. And number four is, what would you tell people who are just Starting out.

[Tia Haygood]

I would say find out what kind of images or what genres you really want to do. I know everyone tries to do all the things and, and, and you know, you take it from there and you see a lot of photographers that, that just do everything and anything. But I would really say just figure that out as soon as you can, like within, you know, six months so that you can really focus on really learning and niching quickly. That's probably my biggest regret is that I think I did too many things for too long and that slowed down my growth on the genres that I do want to focus on.

[Nikki Klosser]

Yeah, that makes sense. That's good advice. All right. Where can people find you online?

[Tia Haygood]

Ooh, well, my website is toptia.com and my Instagram and Facebook are Toptia photos. So you can find me there. You can see me dilly dallying and having fun in Tokyo as well as some of my amazing work.

[Nikki Klosser]

Fantastic. Well, awesome. Thank you again for being here and hopefully I get to see you at wppi.

[Tia Haygood]

Yes.

[Nikki Klosser]

And yay. Very cool. Thank you again.

[Tia Haygood]

Thank you, Nikki. This is a lot of fun. Oh my goodness. Can you imagine this with like a nice cocktail?

[Nikki Klosser]

I know, right? Maybe we should start doing like happy hour versions of the Portrait System.

[Tia Haygood]

Oh man, that would be a lot of fun. That would be fun.

[Nikki Klosser]

I love it. Thank you so much for listening to the Portrait System podcast. Your five star review really 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 subriceeducation.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.