What happens when you leave a stable 9 to 5 and decide to build a career around your passions instead?

In this episode, Olivia Chenery, a London based events, hotel, fashion, and brand photographer, shares how she walked away from corporate life and built a photography career. What started as small shoots and saying yes to opportunities before she felt fully ready turned into photographing Morgan Riddle, a major influencer at Wimbledon, and working with brands and hotels across the UK and the world.

Olivia talks about the fear of losing financial stability, the pressure of starting over, and the steps she took to turn photography into a full time career. She shares how she found her first clients, how she built her portfolio, and how she positioned herself in competitive industries like fashion, hotels, events, and brand photography in London.

We also talk about her solo trip to Portugal and how traveling alone helped her grow creatively and personally.

This episode is for anyone who feels stuck in a 9 to 5 but is scared to leave. It is about taking a creative risk, building something from scratch, and understanding what it actually takes to make photography a real career. Let’s dive in!

Connect with Olivia:

• Website
• Tiktok
• Instagram

Follow along on other platforms:

• Instagram
• Tiktok
• Youtube

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KEYWORDS Olivia Chenery, London photographer, London fashion photographer, London events photographer, London hotel photographer, brand photographer London, how to become a photographer, leaving your 9 to 5 job, quit your corporate job for photography, creative career change, full time photographer journey, how to start a photography business, beginner photography tips, building a photography portfolio, finding your first photography clients, freelance photographer London, female photographer London, travel photography Portugal, solo travel Portugal, creative entrepreneurship, turning your passion into a career, how to grow as a photographer, photography business advice, starting over in your twenties, leaving a safe job for a creative career, photography industry insights