Why I refused to choose between my two niches — and what it taught me about being seen

When I started my business I didn't know anything about marketing or building a business.

My sole purpose was to photograph women and show them how beautiful and confident they truly are.

I started to learn how to build a business. It’s slowly and sometimes frustrating and overwhelming but my own confidence is growing day by day.

Recently a business coach advised me to choose one niche. Maternity or branding. Not both. They told me that business owners would find it confusing to see maternity photos on my feed, and that pregnant women might not connect with branding content. They said it would create confusion. And I understood the logic.

But I couldn't do it.

Not because I didn't try. I did. I sat with the decision, I weighed it up, I told myself I'd choose maternity. And then I thought about branding and I couldn't let that go either.

Because both of these niches are close to my heart in a way that goes far beyond photography.

The maternity side is personal in the most painful way.

I don't have a single photograph of myself pregnant.

My son turns 18 this year. And there are moments when I would give anything for one image of myself carrying him. Not an iPhone selfie taken in a mirror — a real, beautiful, considered photograph. A reminder of that woman, that chapter, that version of me before everything changed.

I know how it feels to reach a milestone and realise the moment wasn't documented. Many people say iPhone selfies are enough. They're not. There is a difference between a snapshot and a photograph that says — you were here, you mattered, this chapter deserved to be celebrated.

I photograph pregnant women so they never have to feel that absence.

The branding side is personal in a completely different way.

I'm a female entrepreneur over 45. And I grew up always in the shadow.

The grey mouse. The woman who didn't take up too much space. Confidence wasn't something I had — it was something I watched other people carry, wondering how they made it look so natural.

When I started my own business I had to confront every single one of those insecurities. Because you cannot build a business in the shadows. You have to show up — consistently, visibly, vulnerably — even when every part of you wants to hide.

And when I work with female founders I see it immediately. The hesitation. The apologising. The women who have built something extraordinary but still don't believe the world needs to see their face.

They are out there with sad eyes. Waiting for permission to be seen.

I know those eyes. I had them too.

So here is what connects both niches — and why I could never choose.

Whether a woman is 28 weeks pregnant or running her own business, she is facing the same fundamental fear.

Am I worth being seen?

And my answer — every single time, without hesitation — is yes.

The pregnant woman deserves photographs that celebrate the most extraordinary chapter of her life. The female founder deserves images that reflect everything she has built and everything she is.

Both of them need to step up and finally allow themselves to be seen.

That is what I do. That is why I do it. And that is why I will never choose between them.

Maybe the business coach was right that focus matters. But some things are too important to choose between.

And for me — helping women be seen is one of them.

If any part of this story sounds familiar — I'd love to hear from you. [Book a free 15 minute call →]