January 3rd: A Day in the Life of a Photopreneur

What do car repairs, giant houses, and Olive Garden have in common? My January 3rd. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to juggle the life of a real estate photographer, flat-fee listing agent, and human being trying to keep it all together, buckle up. Today was a wild ride. It started at 7:00 AM at the mechanic. My car, a Mazda CX-5 with over 185,000 miles, had been slipping during acceleration. The culprit? Spark plugs. The fix? $500. Crazy, right? But I can’t complain too much—it solved the problem, and when your livelihood depends on being on the road, a reliable car is non-negotiable. While waiting at the mechanic’s, I started editing photos from a New Year’s party I shot a few days ago. It wasn’t an easy decision to prioritize those edits over other work, but they were overdue, and I just had to get them done. With the car fixed and the party photos finally edited, I headed out to shoot my first house of the day. I didn’t quite finish, though. I only had time to capture the photos, leaving the video and drone work for tomorrow. It wasn’t ideal, but hunger was winning the battle, and I knew I had a long day ahead. After a quick meal, I made my way to the big house—a sprawling property that was as beautiful as it was challenging. Adjusting my usual workflow to handle its size left me scrambling to stay organized. Processing things out of order threw me off, and it felt like a delicate balancing act to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Three hours later, I wrapped up the shoot, but I wasn’t quite done with my day. Next, I met with a homeowner who had previously hired me as a photographer. This time, though, she’s working with me on my flat-fee listing service. It’s exciting to see this idea gain traction and help homeowners take control of their sales. Then it was back to the big house for twilight photos at 5:30. There’s something magical about twilight photography, but it’s also unforgiving—you get one chance to nail the shot. After that, I headed to Olive Garden at 6:30 to meet up with my family. Between breadsticks and laughter, it was a much-needed pause in an otherwise nonstop day. Now, it’s 10:42 PM, and I’m back at my parents’ house, where I’m staying for a few days while my sister visits. But the day isn’t over yet. I still have to list that flat-fee property on the MLS, prep the contract for e-signatures, and pull together a packet of paperwork for the homeowner. Some days feel like a sprint, others like a marathon. Today was both. But amidst the chaos, there’s progress. And maybe that’s what it’s all about—embracing the hustle, finding the joy in small wins, and learning to keep moving forward. Tomorrow’s a new day, and who knows what it’ll bring? For now, I’ll take a deep breath, wrap up these last tasks, and call it a night. Until tomorrow, -Aleksey —

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