(of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.I have been reading tons of blogs lately where professional photographers are bashing people just starting out in their photography businesses.
"They can't be a professional photographer! They just have a camera! And one lens! AND no business skills."Well, according to Google, if photography is your main occupation rather than pastime, and you're getting paid for it, that's it. You've reached professional status. Give yourself a hand!
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Here is something I want to tell you -- all of you who have ever tried so hard at something and had a wall of people telling you that you can't do it...
You can.
I did.
If I can do it, you sure as heck can too.
I started my photography business at the age of 20. I had a camera, one lens, and NO business skills. But I tried it. And tried it. And tried it. I worked hard at making people feel comfortable in front of my camera. I didn't listen to my parents when they told me I'd never make a living being a professional photographer. I didn't listen to the hundreds of pages of information I read on the Internet telling me the technical skills I'd need to master and the thousands of dollars I'd need to immediately invest in equipment.
I opened my heart and my eyes to the ever-evolving art of photography. I was flexible and brave. And the rest followed.
Here we are entering our third year of business in Kansas City! I run a professional photography studio out of my home where we focus on making women feel absolutely gorgeous and empowered.
http://www.stjoechannel.com/story/military-wives-women-pin-it-up-for-photo-shoot/d/story/kNss9A9yJUeIVt4fk_VBfw#!
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My advice to you newbies is: work with what you've got! And learn your equipment! By the way, the people making fun of you for your lack of knowledge -- at one point they also had no idea what they were doing. I think we forget that we all start somewhere. Everyone's starting point is completely different.
STOP IT.
1. Quit complaining about newbies stealing your clients.
"Well so and so is doing photos now because they're a 'professional', and they're doing blah-blah-blah and giving all the images on a DVD for NOTHING! How can I compete with that?"
YOU, my friend, need to think about this in a different way. You are not competing with a photographer in this price range! If a client leaves you to go to another photographer who is newer and cheaper than you, that's their loss. AND most likely, that photographer is not who you want to be competing with anyway.
This situation actually helps you weed out "good" clients from bad. They obviously weren't your top demographic!
2. Stop having the victim mentality.
Photographers enter the world of photography every day. Some of them stick around, improve, and get grrrrrrreat! Some never make it out of the gate. Either way, what they do really does not matter. Because they aren't you.
You're you.
You are in charge of YOUR business. You are your own brand. You are in charge of your decisions. Saying 'the photography market is saturated' and 'I'm never going to find work' is self-deprecating and self-defeating. Even worse is taking the step to make fun of new people coming in because you feel insecure about your business. In a way, that makes you a bully and a victim all at once.
3. Quit posting bad things about your clients on Facebook.
I would be quick to add to Google's definition of "professional" as one who
"does not dis you on the internet cuz my momma taught me better than that."
Destiny's Child. Bringin' It Back, ya'll.
Seriously, though. You cannot talk badly about your clients and at the same time complain about how unprofessional other photographers are.
My advice? Keep all the frustration off Facebook and your blog. And if you have an issue with your client, go talk to your client.
LOVE your clients. All of them. They are amazing, amazing people. It's your JOB (literally) to love them, even when it's hard.
You might disagree with me. You might say, "No, Hilary. My job is to photograph them. I don't have to put up with anything beyond that." Well, I'd say to you, sir: Nope, you are wrong. The most important things in your business are those gorgeous faces you photograph and the souls beneath them. Don't forget that. Don't forget to bring the love when you bring out your camera. Talking poorly of someone, even just posting something negative on as your status can feed a whole bunch of negativity. If you want positive and amazing clients, be a positively amazing person.
4. Be real.
If you are real with yourself, who you are, and what you want your business to look like, everything will fall into place. The minute you start comparing your business to someone else’s, you will be gearing up for failure. BY THE WAY, you are totally doing this every time you put a newbie down. You're comparing their "starting point" to your "middle!" Quit it!
5. Know what you need to work on.
The part of being real with yourself that's hard is knowing your weak areas. This could be anything from the art of photographing someone to the clerical end of owning a business. Maybe you don't understand lighting. Maybe you aren't good at hitting your sales goals for the month. Maybe you don't even know what your sales goals should be! Or your weakness could be as simple as not remembering your clients’ names! Whatever the case, find your weakness and improve.
But seriously...photogs...quit making fun of the newbies and quit blaming them for your problems.
STOP letting them annoy YOU.
And start enjoying your business a little more by "worrying about yourself."
Much, much, MUCH LOVE!
h i l a r y h o p e
