About Clare

Hey, I'm Clare

For 13 years, my husband and I ran a portrait photography studio. He handled the camera — I handled everything else. Client consultations, pricing conversations, business systems, marketing strategy, and all those “move that light two inches to the left” moments that keep a studio actually running and profitable.

Here’s what I learned: photographers are brilliant artists. You have the technical skills. You know how to capture emotion, work with light, and deliver images your clients treasure.

But most of you were never taught the business side — how to price so you’re not working for $15 an hour after expenses, how to get found on Google without paying for ads, how to handle the client who says “that’s expensive” without panicking and dropping your prices.

That gap — between being a great photographer and running a profitable business — is exactly what I fix.

Running the business side of a studio

After more than a decade in the studio, I realized I was more passionate about teaching business fundamentals than running sessions. I’d already spent years building pricing strategies, client systems, and marketing approaches that worked — and I was tired of watching talented photographers struggle with problems that didn’t need to be this hard.

Fair warning: I cuss. And not just a little.
I also stick around.

If entrepreneurship was something I was going to quit, it would’ve happened already. I’m here because clarity changes things — and I’ve seen it firsthand.

So I shifted gears.

Through Clarity in Focus, I help portrait photographers — especially those early in their business — price confidently, market intentionally, and build systems that support their life instead of quietly running it. This isn’t hustle culture or vague mindset talk. It’s practical business guidance, explained clearly and designed to work in real life.

No fluff. No “manifest your dream clients” nonsense.
Just honest conversations, clear strategy, and business education that respects your time, energy, and intelligence.

My Approach

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Honest conversations when something's broken
Taking time with decisions that actually matter
Strategies that support your energy, not drain it
Space to think clearly without feeling behind
Guidance shaped around your real capacity

WHAT I DON'T DO

I don’t pretend everything’s fine when it isn’t
I don’t rush you through decisions that matter
I don’t push you into strategies that drain you
I don’t make you feel behind for needing clarity
I don’t expect your capacity to look like anyone else’s

I work with capable, thoughtful people who are tired of being told to “just try harder.”
If hustle worked, you wouldn’t be here.

My role isn’t to hype you up, throw a formula at you, or pretend clarity comes from grinding more. It’s to slow things down just enough to see what’s actually happening — and make decisions you don’t immediately want to undo.

Here’s how that shows up when we work together.

If this feels steady, grounding, and slightly like exhaling — good. That’s intentional. I’m not here to glorify burnout, chaos, or “pushing through” for the sake of saying you did.

We build something that supports your life — not quietly takes it hostage.