1. Be a people person.
The
first thing that I recommend for someone [wanting] to become a professional
photographer is to be a people person – even if you’re not a people person. No
matter what kind of photography you’re doing, whether it’s commercial, whether
you’re shooting product, whether you’re a wedding photographer, you’re
constantly dealing with people. And a lot of people [who] are hiring
photographers are not as expert about visuals as we are, so they might not be
able to tell the difference between a good image and a great image, but
they can tell the difference between somebody that they trust
or that they feel like cares about them as a client and as a person.
2. Know
who you are as an artist and what you offer that’s different or special.
And
that doesn’t mean that your images need to be groundbreaking. I mean, it’s
great if you’re a fantastic photographer, but you need to know what your style,
your vision is, and why the people that hire you, why would they hire you? And
they might hire you because you give them a fully catered experience, maybe
that’s it. Maybe you’re a portrait photographer where you do hair and makeup
and you have wonderful snacks and a beautiful environment. Maybe you pair up
with a massage therapist before the session… like, maybe they hire you because
of the experience. That’s not wrong if you’re a portrait photographer if those
are the type of people that are going to be hiring you. Or, maybe someone is
hiring you because you know how to create content that is very shareable online
for social media purposes. Or, maybe they’re hiring you because you know how to
create images that their potential clients look at and say “I want to be that
person – I need that product.”
I mean,
what is it that you offer that the people who would hire you want?
Because when you can clearly define that, you save them time having to figure
out why to hire you. You tell them “Here, this is what I’ve got that you need.”
Fundamentally, no matter how lovely people are, they don’t care about helping
you, they want to know what you have to offer them. That might be creating
beautiful family portraits, or it might be helping them establish the visuals for
their brand. So, you have to say what you have to offer.
3. Be
aware of new trends and technologies.
The
next tip would be, be aware of new trends and technology and be aware of how
you can utilize them for your style and your brand. I don’t think that you
should follow the trends of what’s cool in visuals if it doesn’t fit your
style. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying be aware of new technologies that
help you reach your potential clients, or new technology that helps you create
more compelling visuals. Maybe it’s VR technology or maybe it’s moving images.
4.
Think of yourself as a business.
The
next one is think of yourself as a business. I can’t stress this enough: every
single photographer is a business.
Fundamentally,
when you think of yourself as a business, it helps you take some of the
personal feeling out of it, in a good way, so that you feel more confident to
charge what you’re worth, because then you’re not like “oh, I need to help that
person with money.” No, you’re a business, you need to charge a certain
amount. So, it’s things like that… I think thinking of yourself as a
business helps you succeed as a business, which helps you succeed as a
photographer.
5. And
then last, but not least, don’t try to do it all yourself.
I
totally understand that when you first start your business, you are everything.
You are marketing, you do your retouching, you do the photography, you do the
client relations, and on. But as soon as you can afford to outsource things, do
it, because it allows you to focus time on your core strengths and what you
have to offer.
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