Why Getting Zero Bookings Might Be a Bigger Win Than You Think

Cienna So
4 days ago
5 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Black Friday came and went, and inside the Jaide & Jett community a lot of photographers admitted something most people don’t say out loud… their sale totally flopped.

Zero bookings.

And the comments were full of people saying they felt the exact same way.

If that was you too, I want you to know this doesn’t mean your work is bad or that your clients disappeared. It was one weekend. That’s all it was. I’ve had years where Black Friday carried my whole season, and I’ve had years where it didn’t move the needle at all.

What matters now is the mindset you choose going into the new year. A flop can make you doubt everything if you let it, or it can be the moment you decide your value isn’t tied to how one sale performs. You get to pick which direction you go.

I’ve lived through seasons that made me feel unstoppable and seasons that made me question everything. And still — every single time — it was never the sale that defined me, it was the mindset shift that came after.

Welcome to The Mindset Edit. A space to shift your energy, upgrade your mindset, and call in clients who value your work the way you do.

Here’s the truth no one tells you when you start a photography business.

Some seasons go crazy.

Some seasons go silent.

And the silent ones always feel personal even when they aren’t.

Both are part of a real photography business, even though no one (usually) posts about the quiet ones. Unless you're in our group. Where we keep it real.

Either way here’s what I’ve learned after years in this industry.

Black Friday shoppers are a mixed crowd. Some become amazing long-term clients. Some just love a good sale. And that’s okay. Sales bring in a very specific type of booking.

But your best clients?

The ones who trust your creativity, follow your guidance, and come back year after year?

They usually book outside the sale rush.

They book because of your work, not your discount.

So if your Black Friday didn’t go the way you hoped, it doesn’t mean you failed.

It just means this week wasn’t aligned with your people. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually a moment of clarity.

Quiet seasons give you breathing room.

And trust me, your best ideas never come when you’re busy.

They come when you finally have room.

Room to refine your style.

Room to raise your prices with confidence.

Room to shift your mindset from, “Why didn’t anyone book?” to “How can I build a business that attracts the clients who value me at full price?”

That’s the mindset shift that carries you into 2026 (and every year after) feeling grounded, intentional, and actually excited again.

The Mindset Flip That Changed Everything for Me

Here’s the part I wish someone told me when I was in my early photography years.

I've felt the feeling before.

The "Oh no, why is NO ONE booking?" feeling.

I would make it mean something about my talent or my future. I’d spiral, question everything, and assume everyone else was doing better than me.

Then I finally learned the mindset that changed everything.

Every “no,” every slow season, every booking drought is just clearing space for clients who actually value you.

The ones who want you specifically.

Your eye. Your editing. Your way of documenting people.

When I stopped treating sale flops and slow seasons like a warning sign and started treating them like a reset button, everything shifted. I stopped chasing the wrong clients. I stopped underpricing myself. I stopped panicking over discounts.

And the second I stopped forcing things, and STARTED focusing on how to make my business better for the next year, the right people started finding me. This is when I saw a real shift.

That mindset changed the way I shoot, the way I market, the way I price, and honestly the way I see myself as an artist.

So if your Black Friday didn’t deliver the way you hoped it would?

That’s not a failure.

That’s a clearing.

Your next clients are coming in cleaner, better aligned, and ready to pay you what you’re worth.

Why Slower Seasons Actually Make Photographers Better

Once you stop taking slow seasons personally, you start seeing what they actually are: a built-in reset every photographer goes through.

When you’re shooting nonstop, you’re in go mode. You’re delivering galleries, juggling timelines, editing late, and barely coming up for air. That pace doesn’t leave space to grow or to even think about where you want your business to go next.

But when things slow down?

That’s when you rebuild the parts of your business you never have time for.

Slow seasons are when photographers level up quietly. This is when you:

• refine your editing system

• clean up your client experience

• restructure your pricing

• refresh your portfolio

• get clarity on your style

• create strong marketing content

• actually rest enough to feel creative again

You also finally do the little things that have been sitting on your mental to-do list for months. Like fixing the website page you’ve avoided or organizing your workflow so editing feels easier.

Every photographer experiences this cycle, no matter their level.

What sets people apart isn’t who stays booked the most, it’s how they use the quiet.

Some spiral.

Some pause and rebuild.

Some come back better.

You get to choose which one you’re stepping into for 2026.

And here’s why that choice matters: slow season is the perfect time to step back, reset, and adjust the parts of your business that are ready for an upgrade. If your sale flopped, take it as a signal to revisit your pricing with fresh eyes, not as a sign that you failed.

Why Your Prices Matter More Than Your Discounts

Discounts don’t build a business. Your pricing does.

A discount gets attention, but your pricing tells a story. It tells clients how much intention, skill, and time you pour into your craft. And the clients who are meant for you won’t need a sale to understand that.

If your Black Friday was quiet, it doesn’t mean your prices are “too high.” Shift your mindset, start telling yourself it means your work is attracting a different kind of client… one who books because they love your style, not because there was a coupon attached.

Those are the clients who stay.

Those are the clients who refer.

Those are the clients who build your momentum.

Try This Today:

Write down the clients you want to call in for 2026. How they treat you, how they value your time, what kind of energy they bring.

This becomes your new standard. Save this for later.

If this blog felt like a hug and a wake-up call at the same time, you’re not alone.