Latest / The Unfiltered Tea with Evie / How to Grow a Photography Business with Melissa Shearer
Transcript
- Evie Tavares: Welcome to the Unfiltered Tea with Evie podcast where personal brands and service providers come for honest, anti-sleeves marketing advice that actually works. I'm Evie Tavares, founder of Evie Tavares Branding. And if you're tired of manipulative tactics, sleazy marketing strategies, and feeling like you're the only one who doesn't have your business altogether, you're in the right place. On this podcast, we're diving into a copywriting, personal branding strategy, business mindset, You are in for a real treat with this episode, especially if you are a photographer ⁓ you are either just starting out or even if you're well along in photography in growing your business. I feel like there's always so many things that you can learn about the industry and learn about growing a business within the photography world. And get to sit down with somebody who did that, who has grown a successful, sustainable photography business over the last 10 years. Welcome to the Unfiltered Tea with Evie. I am here with another incredible guest episode. And today I have Melissa Shearer, who is an absolutely incredible photographer from Burlington, Ontario. Her and I have known each other for a while. don't even, it's one of those relationships you don't know when it started. It's like, it's just always been that way. But thank you so much for being here, Melissa. I want to take a quick moment just to thank you so much for joining me in this space just to encourage you that if there was anything that kind of sparked something for you or you felt like somebody that you know maybe needed to hear, please feel free to share the episode. ⁓ And you are excited to hear more, go ahead and subscribe and listen to more of the episodes. Melissa Shearer: don't know, maybe. thank you for having me. Thanks for asking me. Yeah. Evie Tavares: Yeah, I'm super excited to dive into the photography world with you. I do like more copywriting now, but obviously started my business. I say it was the gateway drug into my business was photography. So super excited to dive into this with you. ⁓ You've built like such an incredible business, but I want to give you a chance to kind of share that story and tell us how it all started. is not shy about sharing experiences and sharing lessons and wins and fails and all of the things that you need to know in order to grow a business that you can be passionate about ⁓ do something that you love, but also make it profitable and make it something that you can do for the longterm. So without ado, our next guest is Melissa Shearer. Shearer is a Burlington based and balancing business with kids and real life. I'll be bringing in some epic guests, including business experts share their insights and real experiences in life and business. You can expect real life stories, tactical tips, ⁓ and the spicy EV moment, all served up with your morning cup of tea. So grab your tea, get cozy, and let's get into it. I'm so excited that you're here and I can't wait to continue this journey with you. Melissa Shearer: ⁓ my goodness, okay, how far back do we, how much time do we have? All the time? So, I mean, I guess my business started very randomly. I been working a job that ⁓ I that I did not like. And I a travel agent and it just not for me. And I quit without knowing what I was gonna do. Evie Tavares: We have a lot of time, we're good. maternity motherhood and family photographer and educator for photographers who want to build meaningful, sustainable businesses. With a background in film studies and nearly a decade behind the camera, she's known for her connection-driven approach and her honest, no-fluff mentorship style. A Platinum Award winner in the 2025 Burlington Community Votes featured in She Shoots Magazine and Gallery Lane Magazine and named Artist of the Year with Unraveled Academy Melissa Shearer: and I was actually in a really bad mental spot. I had severe anxiety, really bad depression at the time. And I think I took about six months where I didn't have a job. parents were supporting me and wasn't a really good feeling at 28 years old. So I had the to go see my best friend get married in New Zealand and Evie Tavares: Melissa blends artistry with practical strategy through workshops and creative events that support both families and fellow photographers. This was such a great chat. Melissa Shearer: She asked me, can you bring your camera? Because I want you to take pictures of my wedding. And I was like, you're nuts. Like, what are you? No. Like, no, don't don't let me like take pictures of your day. Like, I'm going to ruin it. Like, you're not going to have memories. And she was like, no, like, I know you can do it. I want you to do it. I do have another friend that's taking pictures, too. so I I did. I went I took pictures ⁓ Evie Tavares: I can't wait for you to lean in, take some notes, take ⁓ all the value out of this episode and use it to continue to grow your photography business. go ahead and dive in and enjoy. Melissa Shearer: she loved them. Like she has them printed all over her house. on that trip, ⁓ was also seeing another friend get married from when I lived in New Zealand. ⁓ they also asked me to take pictures. And so was like, OK, why not? ⁓ do it. And then I started getting like inquiries from people living in New Zealand to do wedding photography for them, like six months down the road. And I was like, well, I'm, unless you want to pay for me to come back, which I'd love. I live in Canada. So anyways, came back and my friend Kate, who had asked me originally to shoot her wedding, she was like, why don't you give this a shot? Like, what else do have to lose? And so I was like, yeah, OK, let's do it. And I just kind of put it out there in the universe. And I had a couple people book me in that first year. And I kind of just like. went for it. Fast forward a couple years later, ⁓ got connected with a wedding photographer and I did a lot of second shooting. That's kind of the direction my business went. Fast forward even more, I got married, got pregnant very soon after, ⁓ my first son, was still doing weddings and couples and families and kind of everything, wanting weddings be the main focus. got pregnant with my second son during COVID and decided I'm not doing weddings anymore. We're not, we're not doing this. So that's when I transitioned over to motherhood, maternity, birth photography and family. Yeah. And then since then it's kind of just snowballed. Everything really feels ⁓ and Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: it's really just taken off. Since I came back after that, after having my second son, just skyrocketed and I've ⁓ into the world of photography education and events and stuff like that. So it's been pretty wild. ⁓ been pretty wild. Evie Tavares: And it's been over 10 years now, right? Melissa Shearer: It's been 10 years since that wedding in New Zealand. ⁓ And officially this month is 10 years since I registered my business. So officially. So yeah. Yeah. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Amazing. That's exciting. Yeah. so what you mentioned that you, I mean, you obviously gained all of this experience over 10 years and growing a business from nothing from scratch. and then you have added education for photographers into the mix now from your experience. What kind of made you want to add that? Was there kind of a moment where you like, there's some of these things that Melissa Shearer: Yes. Evie Tavares: photographers need to know. There needs to be more education around this. Melissa Shearer: ⁓ I was very fortunate in the fact that income was not necessarily required in our family. It's a nice add-on, but I had that safety net because if I didn't have that safety net, I probably would have had to pack it in a lot sooner. I went probably five years truly making like ⁓ a a good income. And that's scary because you're putting in all this effort. And what really prompted me to educate was don't make all those mistakes. Like ⁓ I had luxury of being able to sit back, which I fully acknowledge is a luxury that not everybody has. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: But if you're actually wanting to like make a go of this and you need that income, you don't have five years to mess around and make mistakes like I did. And I figured there had to be an easier way. so I started investing in myself. I have had so many mentors over the years in both photography ⁓ and business, I think is something that is just so important. to, you know, has propelled my business. Since I started investing in my business, it's just taken off. Evie Tavares: you and I have talked before about that you have to treat it like a business. Like, yes, we're creatives and we love to take photos and that's what we love to do. But the way to make it really last long term is to treat it like a business and learn how to treat it like a business. Melissa Shearer: Yeah, and I think that a lot of people in this space are like, I'm fantastic at taking a photo. I can make beautiful imagery. But they don't know how to run a business. They don't. There's a lot of imposter syndrome, obviously, in in this business. think we've probably all felt it and people get scared and they get too focused on what everybody else around them is doing and. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: They don't actually consider their own cost of doing business, what makes sense for them and their family, you know, and genuinely just how to do kind of things like marketing, like, you know. ⁓ Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Yeah. obviously over the years, like I know that's something that you're very passionate about in your business as well is ⁓ your brand and you have like such a, you're like, your, your brand is unique to you. And I think that's what I love about you is like, you're, that's something that's such a huge thing for you as well. And, something that I love too, is kind of like your client experience. Like you make it a whole experience. You called it like, laid back luxury. can you of just let us know ⁓ does that actually mean for you? ⁓ how did you kind of figure out that that's your thing to make yours? Melissa Shearer: So a good piece of advice a mentor gave me probably about four years ago was people will walk away from their photo shoot remembering how you made them feel. They're going to look at those photos and forever they will look and remember whether it was a good experience or a bad experience. And that stuck with me and I was like, I need to make sure that ⁓ everybody that I serve walks away feeling like they had a good experience. So for me, laybacks luxury, I'm unapologetic about the fact that I do provide a luxury experience. I'm in a luxury price point, but I have a very high touch experience that I give my clients. ⁓ Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: And so obviously that comes with, you know, paying for my extra time that I put in. We do virtual calls. We do styling sessions where you come and you get to try on items from my client closet. I have a client closet. So you don't even have to like worry about what to wear. I have, oh my God, don't talk to my husband because. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: I'm not allowed to buy more items yet. He's like, you have to get rid of some stuff. Evie Tavares: Or do we need to talk to him to convince him to get more? Melissa Shearer: Right? So whenever thought luxury in the I have always thought it had to be a way it had to be studio portraits. Very like it has a very. editorial look and you get like a very high touch experience, which I do like the high touch. But my personality, I am not that I'm not that person. I am not going to show up to your shoot wearing a suit, wearing dress pants. No, I'm going to be on my tights and t-shirt and I'm going to be rolling around in the grass with your kids. ⁓ that is that is who I am. I everybody to kind of feel like we're friends a little bit. That's truly what I strive for, because Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: If you can have that kind of connection, can just let go and you can have a great experience during your session ⁓ ⁓ those images that are just so candid ⁓ uniquely you. Evie Tavares: Mm hmm. Yeah. Yes, it did. I think I love that. I think that that connection between like the client ⁓ you needs to be there. Like you can't just ⁓ up straight out of the blue. Like, I know, you can obviously, but it's been my experience and obviously your experience that it is better to build that relationship a little bit. Melissa Shearer: that answered that question. People do, but... Evie Tavares: beforehand so that everybody feels more comfortable. Melissa Shearer: Yeah, and I mean, I've had so many clients that, you know, the first step in my process is we do the virtual planning call and that's where we really get to figure out what the client vision is and how are we going to collaborate so that we can make your vision come to life realistically. And I will give my expertise from, you know, a photography perspective, lighting, you know, knowing different studios and, you know, all that kind of stuff. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: And then we walk away from that and we've already built a little bit of trust. We've laughed. We've, you know, built a little rapport. And then when they come to my place and they get to do their in-person styling session, I've had so many people just thank me and they're like, ⁓ my God, this was A, so fun and B, it just feels like, you know, we're friends. Then we show up to the shoot and can let go of everything. then ⁓ Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: Like they're less awkward, you know Because there's already that trust that's been built which I think a lot of people The shoot-and-burn photographers, you know, they they take your money and they're like, okay I'll see you at the field at you know, I golden hour and it's like I don't know. I'm paying some stranger off the internet Evie Tavares: Right. Yeah. Melissa Shearer: might watch a few of their Instagram reels or stories and know a little bit about them, but like, I don't know what I'm getting myself into. How do I prepare my children? you my spouse, ⁓ my Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's so true. Yeah. Yeah, that's so true. I think it's a very important piece of the process and building that really good experience. So you talked about kind of the first five years of like the guesswork and not, you know, really knowing what to do on your own. What would you say is the biggest mistake that you see new photographers making that you wish? Melissa Shearer: Yeah, I agree. Evie Tavares: even as a new photographer yourself, you wish somebody had told you early on. Melissa Shearer: have two. have two. Okay. So the one is, photographers are really focused, like hyper focused on what ⁓ around them ⁓ charging. ⁓ so they, ⁓ kind of starts their business. I shouldn't say everybody, but a lot of photographers start their businesses and they have this like, Evie Tavares: Hmm. Melissa Shearer: incredible sense of doubt and they're like, am I going to be able to do this? There's so many photographers in the area. Why are people going to pick me? The imposter syndrome, right? And then they go and they look up everybody's website and they find out what everybody else is charging and they're like, okay, well, I'll just charge what they're charging. And again, like I had mentioned before, like they haven't done their cost of doing business. They don't know much ⁓ need to actually like break even for the year, let alone make profit. And then they kind of get in this spiral of like, ⁓ well, I need to attract people. So I'm going to start with low, low prices. But it's very hard to transition from low clients who, ⁓ you may not about the quality as much, ⁓ may not about the experience as much. ⁓ They just one or two photos a year. That's all they need. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: They only want to pay $50, $100. That's it. It's very hard to convert those clients to the clients who are going to be able to afford more expensive sessions that are going to better pay your bills. So the trap is they have, they load their calendar with all these low paying sessions. They overwork themselves and then they burn out. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: And then they're like, well, time to throw in the towel because I made no money. I've never worked so hard for such little money and like, great. So that's one thing that I see people doing wrong. The other thing is people are, or new photographers are afraid to invest in themselves and they're afraid to join that content date or take a workshop or invest in one-on-one mentoring. Evie Tavares: Hmm. Melissa Shearer: because they see the price tag. And I think there's a little bit of that old adage, you have to spend money to make money. have, whenever I have invested in my business, in mentorship, in education, in events, in getting in community with people, it has paid off like Like I have ⁓ so much money from all of it. ⁓ And I think people just don't realize. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: They don't, they get scared. They get scared to invest in themselves. But if you're not willing to invest in yourself, why should anybody invest in your business? Evie Tavares: I think along with that, when you talk about like investing in communities and going to like content days and that kind of thing, I think it's like almost a block because they're maybe thinking like, I'm not going to go in and meet my next client there. So how am I going to make money off of that? You know what I mean? How am I going to get my ROI on that event? So you kind of have to get creative with like, okay, you're going to learn skills that are going to Melissa Shearer: Yes. Right, right. Evie Tavares: help you to market yourself better. You're going to learn things that will help you to take better pictures. You're going to learn things how to better your experience so that you can charge more. thinking of it like that instead of like, I need to get my next client out of my next investment kind of thing. Melissa Shearer: Yeah, and I mean, speaking specifically to content days where there may not or shootouts, they're also called shootouts, you know, where, know, you're there isn't necessarily a formal education component to it. However, you learn being in a group of other photographers and you learn how to position your clients, how to talk to your clients. What is this other photographer who's shooting alongside me? Evie Tavares: Thanks Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: How are they getting the images that they want? you know, whenever we're doing content days, whenever I've been at a content day, you know, you might see the back of someone's camera and you're like, ⁓ my God, how did you get that shot? What settings are you on? Like, what settings are you using? What lens are you using? You know, and that's when you kind of learn all those kind of in the moment skills that you might not otherwise learn if not in community and you're not with Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: other photographers who may or may not have more experience than you, you know? Yeah. Evie Tavares: Right. Yeah. Yeah. And I want to just touch for a second on like building a sustainable business. Cause like you mentioned as photographers, like some of, some of us started out charging, you know, not very much burning out very easily. And that can take the joy out of it too. So what have you found? Like what does sustainability kind of look, look like for you day to day? Melissa Shearer: Totally. day to day. ⁓ God, I think I'm I mean, I'd say I'm still working on it. But for me, it's like avoiding the burnout trap ⁓ and really intentional about how I set up my week. So, you know, Mondays are admin days ⁓ admin virtual calls and potentially styling session. But I have like certain days of the week that are for certain Evie Tavares: Month to month, no. Hmm. Melissa Shearer: I guess. And I don't day. I might only take on one shoot a week. You know, I'm also a mom of two, so ⁓ I to factor in my boy's schedule, my husband's schedule, everybody's schedule into my business. So sustainability is honestly avoiding burnout and not over scheduling, not over committing, knowing how much. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: being a photographer that has such a high touch kind of business where I am meeting with clients multiple times before their shoot, I need to be able to factor that in, which means I can't over schedule myself. And, you know, I do kind of always fall into that burnout trap at the end of the year when it's Christmas mini season and You know, you're like, ⁓ I'll just add one more day with 12 more clients. And then you're like, ⁓ God. ⁓ But one of the things this year, my goal, one of my goals for this year is actually to bring on a VA and to also bring on an editor, which means that I can better serve people in the ways that I think are my forte. Evie Tavares: you Mm-hmm. Mmm. Yeah, because it's such an easy trap to fall into because you get excited and you're like, ⁓ another shoot booking up like just do it, book it and it's like it's hard to when somebody's sitting right there saying they want to book a shoot with you. It's hard to say I'm booked until you know, whatever month because you're worried that you're going to lose them. Melissa Shearer: I mean, and the reality is you might and you probably will if you don't have the time. I've had every fall. I feel like ⁓ get this, you know, I get booked up kind of end of ⁓ the summer. My fall completely booked up and I had I want to say like 20 to 30 inquiries for specifically the end of September through Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: the middle of October and they all came in kind of a couple weeks before their intended shoot date and I had to say no to every single one of them because I was booked since July. You know, I mean that's a great feeling as a business and as you know a business owner but it's not a great feeling to have to turn away opportunity and to you know. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: not take them on, you know, and not be able to serve them because they want they want to work with you. So yeah. Evie Tavares: Yeah. Yeah. You have to think of the cost of it. Like imagine yourself in that season, if you said yes to all of these people, would you fully be able to serve the ones that you have booked, right? And are you going to be in a good mindset? Probably not. You're going to be a little stressed out. It's not the best feeling. Melissa Shearer: Exactly. probably. Yeah, yep. And like I said, I do it every year. I wind up overbooking myself regardless, even without taking those 20 to 30 extra inquiries, you know? So. Evie Tavares: Hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So it's a lesson that we learn constantly. Melissa Shearer: Yeah, yeah. And have to keep reminding ourselves every year. Evie Tavares: Yes. ⁓ mentioned briefly about pricing and of like pricing for beginners, but then also like pricing for yourself. Mentioned that you're like in like a luxury price point. So how do you ⁓ price yourself a way that feels good while actually supports your life? Like, like you said, making the profit. Melissa Shearer: You OK. Well, I mean, I've mentioned costs of doing business. So some might be listening to this and being like, what the heck is that? It's literally like every expense your business has annually, like writing it all out and then determining what you to make and figuring out the numbers. You know, if I want to make one hundred thousand dollars a year. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: and it's going to cost me $25,000 a year to run my business, then I need to be making $125,000 a year. And I don't want to work seven days a week or five days a week or, you know, and I can only take on X amount of shoots a month. And then you just break it down. So then you have to figure out kind of roughly what your average client is. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. like it comes into of comparing yourself because you might look at somebody else and say, ⁓ she's only charging this much, or she's charging this much, or she or he charging this much. And like, this person might not have to make as much as you in a year and this person ⁓ does and it's like you to find, like you said, the number that fits your needs and your lifestyle. Melissa Shearer: Exactly. And I mean, going back to beginning when I, you know, mentioned my income wasn't ⁓ to keep a roof over our head, you know? And ⁓ I recognize that is a huge luxury that not a lot of people have, but I in a very different position than somebody who ⁓ might fresh out of college or university ⁓ or And they need that income. They need to be able to afford their rent. They need to be able to put food on the table and everything just to hit the bare minimum, for just an income that is bonus money. ⁓ ⁓ it does hopefully light a fire under people's butts to understand why it is important to know your numbers. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Right. Yep. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. switching gears a little bit. This is going to sound out of left field now after pricing, but switching gears a little bit. When you think of photography, I always find it interesting because you get to meet a lot of people who are like clients. Like you get to be around people for your shoots, but then the rest of it is very ⁓ isolating. sitting. Melissa Shearer: and know them well, you know? Evie Tavares: editing, you're by yourself a lot, you're figuring out your business, like, it can feel very lonely. So I know that you're very involved in building communities for photographers. what made you decide to do that instead of just accepting that it's lonely and isolating? Melissa Shearer: think honestly I had attended a few workshops and I always left feeling super energized because I'd been in like this community aspect. but then there was no like effort to kind of like maintain the conversation and maintain the community beyond that one event. So, an opportunity came up with Laura from All Who Want a Flower Farm and she was like, I want to create these community events for photographers and I need a photographer to help me and would you be interested? I was like, absolutely. And then, you know, having never run any events before, I was like, well, I think I'm a little out of my depth, you know? So that's how we wound up bringing Lucia from Lucia Iglesias Photography on and And together we created this little community, Cultivate Capture Connection is what we call it. And they're content days and they're all at All Who Wander Flower Farm in Dundas, which a gorgeous photo spot. If you haven't been, you got to check it out. It's really, honestly, something really cool to experience. But we wanted create it because, like you said, it is isolating. You go, you get to be super social. for a couple hours and then you sit in front of your computer for however long it takes you to edit and work on getting your next clients and yeah there's a lot of solo computer time so if you don't make the effort to actually get out it does wind up being very lonely. Evie Tavares: Yeah. So the that you run the workshops and the content what you really want people to walk away feeling beyond just the skills that they're learning? Because I know you have like some good skill workshops as well. But beyond that, Melissa Shearer: Yeah, I mean... Yeah, I want them to feel empowered that they've taken these beautiful photos because with of my workshops and like the more educational ones, we always do have practical shooting time as well. So I want them to feel empowered. want them to like walk away and be like, yeah, I you know what? I can walk into that dark room and I know exactly how I'm going to get like what I need to do to get an image that's going to look good. I want them to walk away knowing that they have somebody that they can bounce questions off of, that they have a community that is eager to stay invested and stay helpful, I guess. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Yeah, to keep on the course and stay, the word, ambitious, motivated. ⁓ yeah. Melissa Shearer: And yeah, exactly, exactly. And I want them to walk away like, yeah, just feeling really proud of themselves for getting these images and for taking the chance to, you know, maybe step outside their comfort zone, come to an event where they don't know anybody and, you know, hopefully walk away with a few new friends. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Yeah. You mentioned already that you're mom of two. How old are your boys again? Melissa Shearer: ⁓ Four and six and a half. Yeah, same age. Yeah. Evie Tavares: and six and a half. So yeah, same age as my girls as well. Yeah. So fun. Such a fun age. And yeah. So you photograph a lot of the phases of motherhood like maternity, birth, newborn as the kids get older, but you're also navigating that for yourself. So I'm curious if Melissa Shearer: Yeah, You girls though. ⁓ Evie Tavares: Being a mom affects how you show up for your clients and how you run your business. Melissa Shearer: ⁓ absolutely. Absolutely. I think especially if I have if I know a family might have young children, you know, I approach you know, every every shoot ⁓ comes with you know, factoring in nap times and factoring in, you know, knowing that typically if we have a preschooler or younger. earlier in the day is likely going to work better than ⁓ five, six, seven, you know, witching hour past bedtime. You know, some photographers that I know who may not be parents, you know, they're like, ⁓ well, you know, they're they know their kids ⁓ they're, know, if they want these photos, well, it has to be a golden hour in June, which is eight o'clock, you Nobody. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: in their right mind knows like is going to keep a two or three year old up till eight o'clock. Typically, you know, typically there are some people that have their kids stay up late, but, know, exactly right. And do they really want to be dressing up going to a location that they don't know, have a new environment and have some random stranger with this giant camera in their face asking them to perform like a circus monkey? You know, Evie Tavares: Typically, Yeah, but are the kids happy about it? That's the question. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: So I think that definitely factors in as well as, you know, having my two boys, like I know kind of how to read the children a little bit more. So if they are looking like, you know, they're going to need a little they're they're they're running out of steam, they're going to need a break. You know, being able to read the cues that maybe people who don't have kids might not just naturally know to see. Evie Tavares: Mm. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: ⁓ As well as just like knowing how to try to make it fun, you know. I I don't know that necessarily takes being a parent for that, but. Evie Tavares: Yeah, yeah. And I think. Yeah. But it takes like within that field, it takes that practice and that extra effort, whether you're, whether you have kids or not. Like I've seen people who know how to put in that extra effort of like, think you have those things around your lens, right? The little toy things, right? Like there's little things, there's little things that you can do to make it fun for the kids as well. Cause it doesn't just have to be like strict posing and Melissa Shearer: Yep. Yeah. I'm like, I don't have one handy, but. Evie Tavares: do this and do that. It can be fun. Melissa Shearer: You know how many, you know how many sessions include me like making fart jokes and you know, like lifting my leg and like, like, when doubt, you will always get a laugh. It might not always be from the kids. It might be more from the parents. yeah. And then I guess also from like a motherhood perspective, like also being able to put myself in the shoes of the mom. Evie Tavares: Yes. There we go. Melissa Shearer: you know, when they are in like, if they're a maternity client or if they're a newborn client or birth, birth, birth photography client, you know, I've been all of those people because I did have birth photography with my second son. ⁓ and so just being like more. Sensitive to, you know, their change of body, how they might be feeling, maybe any postpartum stuff that might be coming up. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: ⁓ And then obviously like being in a birth situation like that's a completely different No, nobody yeah, no knowing when to talk ⁓ when to hide in the background and fade into the background is Definitely a skill ⁓ Evie Tavares: Yeah, that woman does not want to pose or talk. you Yes. Yes. So you've touched ⁓ this ⁓ little bit already. So investing in yourself and the impact that that's had on your business. But like we said, there's a lot of people who are scared to do it, especially early on when the money might not be there yet. They might not have the extra funds to invest. But what would you say to somebody who's kind of sitting on the fence about that? Melissa Shearer: things, ⁓ never say one thing. I it before, but if you're not willing to invest in yourself, why should any other person invest in you and your business? Why should they pick you over the 20,000 other Because there's really good photographers out there, you know? So if you can invest in yourself, you're proving to others, you're proving to yourself and you're proving to others that you are worth it. And you believe that you're worth it. So there's that. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: every time that I have invested, whether been event, or anything, that money has always come back. Always, like so fast. So do you need to necessarily go for the most expensive mentor out there? No. If you like figure out how much realistically like you can invest. find somebody. There are educators of all different price points or maybe it's not a one-on-one situation. Maybe it's you know, attending a workshop or investing in an online course or like a self-directed course. Evie Tavares: Yeah. is there ⁓ investment that kind of comes to mind for you that really kind of changed everything for you? Melissa Shearer: Yeah, for me it was one-to-one mentorship I ⁓ invested think I did about a year with this one mentor and that really like moved the needle and she really like helped with ⁓ a of mindset blocks and a lot of like helping with figure out pricing and this was when I came back from Evie Tavares: Hmm. Hmm. Melissa Shearer: my second maternity leave and when I was ⁓ the pivot in my business. Because I didn't know ⁓ of how to make it profitable and sustainable at that point because I was just like, I'm giving this one last shot and I'm going to give it, I'm going to give it like a year, two years. And if I'm not making like a proper, proper like income, if I'm not making ⁓ numbers that I need to be making or want to be making, like we're gonna have to pack this in. So that was the one thing that really moved the needle for me was investing in the one-to-one. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And what do you think photographers, what do you believe like the number one thing ⁓ photographers back from growing their business? ⁓ Melissa Shearer: Imposter syndrome. 100 % Everybody has imposter syndrome. But the thing is, the thing that newer photographers don't understand is that like I still have imposter syndrome. You know, they might look at me and they're like, holy moly, like Melissa is killing it. And, you know, I still sit here and I'm like, oh my God, do I belong in these rooms? Like. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: So I think that there is like a little bit of like a fake it till you make it, but then like actually like you need to do the work to like, you know, to back it up. ⁓ what's quote? Do you know that quote where it's like fake it, fake it till you make it, but then like. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Which one? it till you are it. Melissa Shearer: that what it is? Maybe. Evie Tavares: That's the one that I heard where it's like instead of fake it till you like if you feel like you're faking it till you make it start acting it till you are it. Melissa Shearer: Yeah, I think that's like more along the lines of what I was thinking. Yeah, So I think, yeah, that everybody just has imposter syndrome ⁓ really working on the mindset piece of it ⁓ is Evie Tavares: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And the only way to do that is to do the thing like get out there face like that fear. There's always like that. I'm when especially when you're doing something, you're going to a different room or you're like doing a different shoot or like there's always that uncomfortable feeling, but it's like pushing through that and proving to yourself that you can do it is the only thing that's going to make it work and make it feel better. Melissa Shearer: Yeah. Totally. And I think, you know, even for myself, like every shoot, like I still walk into every shoot with a little bit of nerves. And I think that if you don't have those nerves, like even just a little bit, like not challenging yourself enough. ⁓ Yeah. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. it shows you care too. Like you want, you still want it to be a good experience and to deliver a good quality photo shoot for your clients, right? It just shows you care. Melissa Shearer: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, totally. I mean, I think I messaged you the other week when I had to go to a shoot and I had like food poisoning ⁓ I was like terrified that like I gonna toss my cookies in the middle of the shoot and ⁓ you I was nervous and it was a dark day and the studio was dark ⁓ and Evie Tavares: Yes. Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: I just delivered those photos and like there's some of my favorite photos. I didn't toss my cookies so that was good. Yes! Evie Tavares: There we go. That's a win. That's the win for the day. before we get into the rapid fire questions, I wanna give people kind of an opportunity to know where they can find you, where they can learn more about you, whether they're looking for family photos or they're looking to learn more about the education and your workshops and content days. Melissa Shearer: Yeah, so I'm most active on Instagram, so that's always the first place you can find me is Melissa Shearer Photography. My website, melissashearerphotography.com. I have a newsletter you can sign up for, for regular folk. That's the one, the pop-up that ⁓ up on the website right away. And then if you navigate over to my photographer section, there's another newsletter for photographers. That's how you can find out first about all the events that come up. I ⁓ am going to be starting ⁓ a podcast of my own. That's in the works. So yeah, you can watch this space. Hopefully going to be launching that real soon. You've been a big help as well with giving me some tips. Evie Tavares: Woo! Yeah. Melissa Shearer: Yeah and then I have a whole bunch of photographer education events coming up this year. I a content day with Cultivate Capture Connection, another content day as part of a ⁓ collaboration with ⁓ photographer out in the Durham region. Evie Tavares: You're going to spill the tea for us? Yeah. Melissa Shearer: we spilling the tea? ⁓ Yeah. So Ashley Rosicky ⁓ and ⁓ ⁓ are starting the podcast a bunch events. So we do have content day workshop happening this July. have have I told you about this one? I don't even know the overnight retreat. tell you about that. Okay yes and we're so we are gonna be doing a weekend retreat in Muskoka at the end of September. So watch space there's gonna be a lot more and that is all part of a new little brand that we are calling the Mother Clickers Collective. ⁓ Evie Tavares: I think you did, yeah. But still on that one too. I love it. love the name. When you told me, was like, yes, I love that. ⁓ clickers. ⁓ it. Amazing. if people you on Instagram, they'll be kept up to date ⁓ on all of those Okay. Amazing. Let's get into some rapid fire questions to wrap it ⁓ up. ⁓ okay. So Melissa Shearer: clickers I you know little tongue-in-cheek Everything. Everything. Okay, all right. ⁓ Evie Tavares: newborn and family if you could only shoot one for the rest of your career, which would it be? Melissa Shearer: can't make me do it. Don't make me choose. Evie Tavares: I didn't say these were going to be fun, Melissa. Melissa Shearer: Right now I'm saying maternity, but yeah. But I know, but like I like them all. Don't make me choose. Evie Tavares: Okay. Yeah. It's like choosing your favorite child, isn't it? Yeah, sorry. what's The biggest business lesson you've learned from year one to now. Melissa Shearer: It is. to not be afraid to invest in yourself. Yeah. Evie Tavares: Perfect. Tea or coffee? ⁓ is your go-to? What is something about you would surprise people? Melissa Shearer: Coffee. I mean both, but coffee. Like first used to be a travel blogger in another life ⁓ and for three-year span I just traveled the world. Lived in Australia, New Zealand and traveled through Africa and I worked with lions. ⁓ No? Yeah. Evie Tavares: Mmm. Mm-hmm. Okay, I didn't even know that part. thought you were going to mention the horses. Melissa Shearer: I worked on a horse farm too in New Zealand. Yeah. Yeah, it was a stable hand in New Zealand. Yeah. Yeah, I volunteered at a lion conservation project. Yeah, I should show you some of my pictures. ⁓ Evie Tavares: There we go. Yeah, I didn't know the lion one though. That's a new one for me. That's amazing. Yes, please do. you ⁓ to use one word to describe your editing style, what would it be? Melissa Shearer: I think it's warm and moody not brown. ⁓ true to life colours. ⁓ would say that. Warm, moody, but true to life colours. Yeah, you're like, I said one word. Melissa, word. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Yes. Okay. We'll just put hyphens in between all of that and make it all one word. Is there a dream collab or partnership that you're calling in for 2026? I know you just spilled the tea on ⁓ of them. ⁓ there like another one or is that like the big one? Melissa Shearer: Mother clickers. Right now, that's all I can kind of think about right now. ⁓ Yeah, Mother Clickers, we have some pretty big dreams and pretty big goals of where we might take this. So yeah, definitely follow along. Yeah. Thank you. ⁓ Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what happens with that. thank you so much for coming on and sharing all of your wisdom for the photographers out there. I know that there's a lot in ⁓ audience who are photographers as well. So ⁓ wait for them to kind of dive in and learn all of your wisdom. ⁓ Melissa Shearer: Thank you. Thank Well, thank you. Thank you so much. And yeah, I hope people, you know, have found value in what I've had to say. But yeah, and keep doing keep doing you, Evie, because I love your podcast. I was listening to it, you know, when I was walking my dog the other day and you were talking about to events as an introvert ⁓ and kind of process and ⁓ and Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. Melissa Shearer: I know I kind of present as an extrovert, but I do truly believe, like at the heart of things, I am like an extroverted introvert. So ⁓ I definitely got a lot from that. So I appreciated it, yeah. Evie Tavares: Mm-hmm. ⁓ amazing. Thank you. I love hearing that. It still doesn't get old hearing that. So thank you. Thank you. Amazing. Well, thank you so much, Melissa, ⁓ we will chat soon. Melissa Shearer: ⁓ I love I love your podcast. I love it. Thank you. Sounds good. All right.