Success does not come from good photography.

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As always, I will be speaking from experience when I go into this subject today. It is not always what some people might think of when they read but starting from the beginning sets a good starting point and lets you know that I have gone through many of the issues most people are going through or will be going through in their photography journey. In my first years I spent an awful lot of time on trying to get my photography to up to standards or at least what I thought was the standard. This went on for years if I was guessing I’d say about three years of so. I will not say that this was a complete waste of my time because it was not. I will say that there are other things I could have been doing that would have really helped set me up for future success in the business.

This is the first miss step for many new photographers. Being able to self-promote is often time much more valuable overall for many reasons. I have met and collaborated with photographers who were much more financially successful but had a tough time taking a good photo. I was not at all surprised and to be honest and a bit annoyed because I knew I was better and cheaper, but they were simply better marketers and charged three times as much. What gives, I always thought to myself. They were simply more business oriented, or someone shared the same information I am here. I always hope that I am getting this information to people in the right part of their journey so they can experience success a lot soon in the journey.

This leads to my next miss step. You need to take the time to decide early on if photography is going to be a hobby of a business venture for you. This step is often time never considered or even thought about for many. This was the only real step I did get right from the beginning. I knew from the get-go that I wanted to earn an income from my photography, whatever that amount of money was going to be. It was a supplement to my day job. Having photography as a business absolutely changes how you should be conducting yourself. Teaching yourself to market should be on equal grounds as teaching yourself to be a good photographer. What good is being a good photographer if no one even know who you are or what you do. This is why I had a tough time in the beginning, good photographer but no clients.

  The last thing that can really make you stand out in a crowded market is communication. Communication is so vital to your success and often overlooked. I cannot tell you how many times I have picked up clients who were working with someone already but decided to switch to us because the communication was not good and clear. Clear is simple to understand if you say you’re going to do something just do it. If it is in your contract, then deliver on the promise. This is how everyone managed themselves but to my surprise I am the odd man out when it comes to communication. When you receive any kind of communication you should make it your priority to get back to them as soon as possible. Missing opportunities just because you cannot get back quickly is just not acceptable.

In closing the three ways you can be successful in photography without being good are, decide early if you are a hobbyist or an entrepreneur. Second start promoting yourself from day one and learn to promote along with learning your photography skills. Last, you need to communicate with people, do not leave people hanging about whether your available to help them with their needs. They have a need for a photographer, and you want the work, it is that simple.