Leaving a corporate healthcare salary to run a full-time photo and video business sounds bold until you look at the math. Matching an average U.S. salary took more than 200 clients and nearly 300,000 images in a single year.
Coming to you from Joseph Blake Photography, this detailed video walks through the first full year after that career shift with real numbers on workload, revenue, and time. Blake shares how managing over 200 clients forced constant prioritization, especially when peak season collided with family birthdays and major holidays. Delivering galleries on time meant YouTube often took a back seat. That tension between paid client work and content creation shaped the entire year. You see what happens when instinct gets replaced by hard data, including feedback from more than 100 client surveys that produced a 4.83 out of 5 average rating.
Those reviews weren’t vague praise. The highest marks came from attitude and demeanor at 98% positive, followed by clear communication at 90%. Only 2% of clients asked for more help with posing, a small number but a clear signal on where to improve. Technical skill kept the baseline high, but client experience drove the ratings. That focus becomes critical when your calendar is packed and every late delivery costs trust. With this many sessions, small weaknesses get exposed quickly.
The gear breakdown is where things get concrete. The Canon EOS R5 handled 96% of all images captured. The rest were split between the EOS R6 Mark II, EOS R1, and EOS R5 Mark II, but the original R5 stayed the workhorse. Nearly 290,000 raw files were captured, with about 27,000 final images delivered. That discard rate makes sense when working with kids and families where blinking and motion never stop. The metadata shows which lenses actually earned their keep. The Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM accounted for 52% of usage. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM came in at 35%, proving EF glass still holds value in a professional workflow. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and RF 24-105mm f/4L filled smaller roles. Several exotic primes, including the RF 50mm f/1.2L and RF 28-70mm f/2L, saw less than 1% use. The takeaway is clear without hype: a reliable 24-70mm and a strong portrait lens can carry most of a volume business.
Video work expanded alongside photography. Event-based social content and corporate projects required faster turnarounds and different deliverables. Brand collaborations added another revenue stream, with 22 completed during the year. On YouTube, views climbed 32% while watch time jumped 72%. That retention translated into a 30% increase in subscribers and a 57% rise in channel revenue. Comparison videos and technical deep dives outperformed vlogs and news updates, shifting the content strategy toward education and gear analysis.
Financially, the result matched roughly an average U.S. salary, though still below Blake’s previous corporate income. The tradeoff showed up in schedule control and keeping children out of daycare while building something independent. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Blake.