My Blog

I get a LOT of emails from photographers just starting out… and from people who love photography but are thinking of making it a career choice… and from people who just want to talk shop; people who want advice; people who want to be pointed in the right direction.
I love that people seek out answers… and that people are doing things they are passionate about. I love it. I’ll cheer them on… you chase your dream, you dream chaser, you! And I do my very very best to answer questions. I know how it feels to be there. I emailed approximately 3,256,895 photographers when I was setting up my business and not a single one gave me the time of day… and that was after I had already spent time second shooting. I had a better grasp than most starting out… but lets be honest, I had no clue what I was doing. I wish that I could sit down with every single person and give them the low down, down and dirty, full-blown run down on everything…

True Fact: Wanna talk shop? I do not know that much about “shop”.

I suck at running my business. That’s something I do know. Don’t get me wrong… it’s not like I don’t bring in income… or that I feel like I’m not successful… And I don’t regret anything. I have done what has been the right thing for me… gotten a LOT of crap for it at times… but I am the ONLY person who can know what is right for me. (As you are for you.)

I get too invested. I work too much. I automatically turn clients into friends. I’m not very strict even when things are in my contract. I stay longer than I’m supposed to… show up before I have to… and give away a lot. I hire and pay second shooters out of my own money even when that option wasn’t chosen by my clients because I don’t want to miss anything and bust my butt to get photos delivered quickly. I try my darndest to please everyone all the time. I overdo it because I don’t have a studio… because I have a long album wait time… because I have to balance my schedule with kids requesting drinks and school bus schedules and therapy schedules and basic shananigans of a very precocious five year old and just about the most active three year old you’ll ever meet. I can’t sit down for more than 10 minutes at a time without getting up for something.

I love the photographer side too much… and the whole business owner side not enough.

So… here are a few things I wish someone would have told me when I was starting my business.

Life Lessons in Running a Photography Business 101

1. You Cannot Please Everyone.
It doesn’t matter how hard you work, how well you think you’ve done, how far beyond the call you went… its just not possible. Try not to be too crushed when someone isn’t happy. Photography is an art and not a Math. There is no definite end result. Just when you think “I BLEW this one out of the water” this little fact will creep back in… along the lines somewhere, someone isn’t going to be happy. Just be prepared.

2. Unlike most things in life… Other Photographers are equally as harsh of a critic as you are of yourself. Sometimes… Mostly… harsher.
Listen to the ones who want to help you… give you pointers. Ask for help. Swallow your pride. Listen to critiques. Ignore the rude people, haters, and people who are just mean for mean’s sake. If this is something you want to do… work your little hiney off for it. Everyone starts somewhere… You’re going to grow and improve and flourish… it doesn’t come automatically. Know that in the beginning. This is a tough industry… build up some thick skin if you want to survive. Make sure you keep yourself in a position where you stay your own worst critic. Always strive to improve.

3. You’re going to hate your processing in a year. And probably all of the photos you’ve taken.
Don’t over do it. You’ll wind up hating it.
When you have one of those “man, I suck” days (which I have had a lot of lately)… just go back and look at work from when you very first picked up a camera. If you can see how far you’ve come… imagine how far you can go.

4. Clients forget you have a life beyond your business… because you are a business.
You’ll get emails asking where photos are three hours or the day after the session. It will happen. Explain your processing time up front… be as specific in terms of receiving things as possible. It’ll be rocky sometimes… but you’ll find your stride and workflow. I’m still getting mine downpat. Sometimes you have to remind people you are not Target… You are a personal, custom photography business… and with the personalized service, comes a person with a life. (Or attempting to have a life anyway.)

5. Weddings are not for the faint at heart. Do not jump into them headfirst.
It’s not as “easy” as it looks. Every time you turn around your settings need to be completely different. You have to shoot in dark churches with no flash, rooms with 4 different kinds of lights in it, at outdoor ceremonies with shadows running across the bride and groom’s faces from their canopy, at the beach where sand is going to get into every crevasse of your bag somehow, and sometimes at ceremonies where you don’t get to actually shoot at all. Not every wedding looks like something out of a bridal magazine, but you have to find a way to make it look like it was. Your images from the entire day need to flow together even if you’re in completely different conditions throughout the day. Sometimes you have to squeeze three pages of typed out family formals into 15 minutes. You have to compete with guests with iphones for the best spot when the couple is going to cut the cake… and try to figure out a way to shoot the kiss correctly when you were told no flash but twenty people in the audience are setting flashes off with their point and shoots at the exact same 8.27 second moment.

6. Get an Accountant now.
Save yourself the headache. They’ll help you write off their own fees.

7. Learn to say NO.
Say it with me… “no”. Making money is nice… but its not worth it all the time. Don’t budge on prices. You don’t HAVE to do favors. Don’t let people convince you its just “one or two photos” or guilt trip you into things. no. no. no. no. no. Don’t bend for anyone. Don’t change your processing or posing or pricing for someone just because they ask. If they’re asking that… they don’t really want YOU. Pass them onto a different photographer who will be better suited for them. One more for good measure… “NO”.

8. If you don’t enjoy shooting it… GUESS WHAT? You don’t have to!
I didn’t enjoy shooting children or babies or families… so I stopped. I LOVE shooting weddings and couples…
To each their own. If you love shooting everything and can handle it… more power to you. Don’t be afraid to only take on what you want to though!
If you don’t like it, your work will reflect it…

9. Figure out your ideal client.
Market to them. Instead of trying to attract everyone at the same time… Attract the people that are going to want what you actually WANT to shoot and do. If you can imagine your client browsing a used book stores and hanging out at coffee shops… that’s where you advertise. If your client wants a glamorous wedding at a huge elegant venue… make your brand glamorous and elegant. If you want to shoot lifestyle family portraits in the home… figure out how to attract parents that don’t want just a traditional posed session. Apply that idea to who your very perfect client is and what you’re shooting. Once you start trying to attract your ideal clients… you’ll get them.
My final piece to that is when my new branding comes out in a few weeks. I’m finally wrapping up my ideal client marketing… and I finally hit the nail on the head. I mean, I would totally book myself…

10. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE.
Just because other people do certain things doesn’t mean you have to. You can only be you. You can’t fake your “eye”. If you don’t like flash portraits at sunset… you don’t have to do them. If you love them… rock that shhhizzzz out. Do it up. You can admire and appreciate other peoples’ work without having to do what they do.
Don’t let yourself get lost in trying to compete with other people. Compete with yourself.
Be inspired but don’t base YOU on someone else. You can’t be and won’t ever be someone else.

11. Learn the basics of photography… and not just your Manual camera settings.
Not so much lessons… but things I have found myself emailing over and over again… so here you go… Know what it means to actually hit focus and be able to tell when you haven’t. Don’t rely on your camera for correct color balance… just because you put it on auto doesn’t mean your camera gets it right. PRACTICE ALL THE TIME. Take photos of everything. Everywhere. Photography IS an art… so yes, its subjective… but there are still plenty of things that you should know in order to operate your camera correctly to get the most out of it. If you’re still learning your camera settings… maybe you should take a step back and practice. Take that camera off of auto… and off of P. Watch youtube videos… pick up photography textbooks. Read blogs. Take a class… attend a workshop. Do everything you can to learn everything. Your photography will thank you for it. Don’t ever under any circumstance ever ever use a pop up flash. Bounce your flash. You don’t need the best most expensive gear ever to take good photos… but if you’re trying to charge on a professional level, you should have more than just a kit lens, and if you’re shooting weddings you’re going to need gear that can handle low light situations. You can rent things online from places like borrowlenses.com or lensrentals.com until you can afford them.

12. Your goals CAN change… but don’t base your business off of something you’re not sure you’re going to want down the line.
I branded myself before I knew what I was doing… If I would have taken the time and thought everything out, it would have been so much easier in the long run. Don’t rush into things.
IF YOU DO… you can change things. You never have to settle for things you’re not happy with. It’ll be a little more work than if you had just started out on the right foot… but things can always change. Fret not… it just takes a little elbow grease.

13. Charge for your time, but charge what you’re worth.
I’m not going to elaborate too much on this one… because its a constant fight with myself all of the time. Don’t price yourself over your abilities… but don’t sell yourself short. It’s a hard line to walk. Just be conscious of it… and be prepared to fight for your reasoning behind it.

14. Look into back button focus…
If your camera has it, I suggest it. Its life changing.

15. Remember that you (hopefully) started photography because it was something you enjoy.
I would like to assume that everyone jumps into photography because it is something they are passionate about and LOVE doing. If its not… or if it was a get rich quick scheme… you, my friend, are in the WRONG industry.
Don’t forget that you started out loving photography… make sure it stays fun. If it doesn’t… its time for a change. And when the ball gets rolling, don’t forget to shoot just for you sometimes.

And now… since I promised… i will leave you with a little song that has been stuck in my head since one of my brides, who I also get to call a very awesome friend, posted it…