When you don’t have a camera in your hands, what is it you like doing? Are you a modern person who finds inspiration in sleek lines and symmetry or do you prefer vintage-inspired decor and an organic lifestyle? Your editing style should reflect who you are if you want your products to be genuinely inspired! If you choose a “style” based on what you feel is popular and will sell well, your work will risk missing that “wow” factor because your heart and soul won’t actually be in your product. Photography is an incredibly competitive industry and if you lack a ‘wow factor’ you may not remain in business.<\/p>\n
As for the business side of yourself, there’s no better way to learn about your own business values than by reflecting on your own previous experiences as a customer (both positive and negative). Spend some time thinking about situations in which you were offered amazing service and think about what made that service so great. Was it the speediness of it? The smile you were greeted with? The amazing quality and value of the product? Now think about times where you received sub-par service and what in particular made the service ‘bad’. Did you receive a low-quality product? Were people rude to you? Or did you simply receive a product that differed from your expectations?<\/p>\n
After reflecting, grab a piece of paper and start writing some answers to the following questions:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What are your core values? What matters to you not only as a photographer and artist, but as a business owner and service provider?<\/span><\/li>\n
- What are your passions? What excites you and gets those creative juices flowing when you pick up a camera?<\/li>\n
- What service(s) and\/or product(s) can you offer your clients that no one else can?<\/li>\n
- Identify your strengths as well as your weaknesses both as a photographer\/artist and as a business person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Putting answers down on paper will help you see common themes which will help establish your brand. Furthermore, acknowledging potential weaknesses helps you work with them and improve on them before they ever risk becoming an issue in either your performance or your service.<\/p>\n
2. Think about what you’re good at doing!<\/strong><\/p>\n
I already had you list your passions in the section above… but I also had you list your strengths and weaknesses. The reason I had you list both is because in order to be a successful photographer, you also must be good at the service you’re offering! Drive, ambition and stick-to-it-iveness is part of being successful and there’s no doubt about that – but talent is also mandatory.<\/p>\n
You may love babies from afar, but haven’t the slightest idea on how to hold them and sooth them. You sir or madame, should not be a baby photographer.<\/p>\n
You may adore weddings and fall in love with the intricacies, details and decor – but you may panic under the pressure and high speed of the day and lose more shots than you get. You sir or madame, should not be a wedding photographer.<\/p>\n
You might be gobsmacked by the breathtaking beauty and intensity of a model while posing for a high fashion shoot – but if you have no idea on how to use the lighting and edit the photos according to the high standards of fashion photography, then you sir or madame, should not be a fashion photographer.<\/p>\n
The point I’m trying to get at is that even if you LOVE something, there’s no point in offering that service to paying customers unless you’re also good at it. It sounds harsh, I know, especially since we were all taught to ‘follow our dreams’ – but following your dreams will not pay your mortgage and put food on the table. If you cannot offer a service that people want to pay for, you cannot run a sustainable business.<\/p>\n
3. Think of your target audience and reflect upon how your style fits in that audience<\/strong><\/p>\n
If your style is “grungy” with a “hard and edgy” twist, your target audience will not be newborn photography no matter how much you love babies! If your target audience is brides and grooms, a style that includes a timeless factor is crucial as very few couples opt for “overly trendy” wedding photos.<\/p>\n
Now, I’m not saying that being overly trendy is a bad thing in the wedding industry; it just means that you need to choose your means of advertising carefully and understand that it may be more difficult for you to find clients than a more timeless photographer will.<\/p>\n
![\"photography](\"https:\/\/www.ten2tenphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/janedoelogo_composite.jpg\")
![\"photography](\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201080%20305%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\")