I never intended to be a professional photographer, nor do I even intend to be a part-time photographer. However, I’m about to hit 10 years of monetizing my camera, and I’ve taken the time to write down some key lessons and experiences.
From the first moment I realized that I had a passion for photography, I told myself and others that I didn’t want to be a professional photographer. My two reasons – and they’re pretty logical – were that I didn’t want to lose my love for the craft by making it work and the industry was oversaturated. However, when I finished my Master’s degree (not in photography), I was applying for jobs, and although they were great on paper, I was scared to get accepted. When I was offered the job, I immediately knew I had to take a different path, and so I devoted myself entirely to photography.
It was the right decision, or at least, the right one, and I have no regrets about pursuing photography. However, I made countless mistakes and learned many more lessons. So here are five of the first-hand lessons I’ve learned that I consider the most important.
1. Working every hour in the sun is not a sign of success
For the first three years of my full-time job, I worked unconscionably long hours each week. There are months when I work 90 hours a week continuously. It sounds horrible, I don’t hate it, even though I know it’s unhealthy. I feel like that’s the amount of work I need to do to make a new business in a saturated and desirable industry successful, or even make a living. It’s not the worst sentiment, but there’s something lurking underneath that is troubling and pervasive in so many industries these days.
I wore the hours I worked as a badge of honor, a way to show how determined and busy I was, but that was silly. It’s not a healthy, balanced lifestyle, it becomes more stressful and isolated over time, and that’s not a sign of success. When I got really caught up in the work for the first few years, it was low-paying jobs with lots of numbers. This is a false economy and big error on my part. Instead, I should raise the price and attract less customers, use the extra time to find more customers, pay well. Don’t fall into this trap.
2. Network connection is required
If there’s one thing I can’t achieve in business, it’s networking events. While I fully understand their value and I have colleagues who have gone with them and have achieved results, I just couldn’t do it on my own. The idea of a network for the sake of a network feels contrived. However, the network itself is crucial to any business as far as I can tell. Interacting with as many people as possible will simply lead to more opportunities.
A professor of psychology at my old university, Richard Wiseman, wrote a book called The Luck Factor, in which he shares a lot of the evidence he discovered while investigating the things lucky and unlucky people. It was a great read, and there are a lot of interesting findings, but a niche one here. People who consider themselves lucky (and they’re usually lucky by most standards) tend to talk to more people they don’t know. This leads to more opportunities, although that should be obvious. Yes, they are also better than the unlucky at spotting opportunities, but by talking to anyone and everyone – not really networking – you can find more opportunities by his way.
3. Accept work outside of your comfort zone
Being outside your comfort zone is – waiting – uncomfortable. So we tend to avoid it. If a job comes in (or even just an opportunity if you’re not in the photography business) and you feel it’s on a higher level than your experience, you have to embrace it. I’ve forced myself to take many shots and trips out of my comfort zone over the years, and I can say for sure, I’ve never regretted a single one. In fact, it was the things outside of my comfort zone that I was most proud to have learned the most. Please, when the opportunity comes, take it; Failing is better than not trying.
4. Keep a Record of Everything
This will be a bit dry, I’m afraid. Keep a record of every invoice, every payment, every expense, every receipt, and as much detail as you can handle. Businesses – especially busy ones – can be harmed by improper account and record keeping. I’ve been stuck a few times for things that can wreak havoc if I’m not careful.
For example, I once evaluated a lens (before Fstoppers) for about $5,000. I signed a couple of huge deals and did some review. The return address, to the manufacturer’s UK headquarters, is 30 minutes from my house, so to avoid paying a small courier fee, I delivered it in person. I was informed and handed it over to a man who came to see me and we chatted briefly. I asked for his card, he went and got it for me. Why? Well, part networking, but part letting me know who I gave the lens to.
A month later this manufacturer contacted me to say I have not returned it, they are charging me. When I explained that I had returned it manually, they informed me that it was not in their inventory and had never been checked again. I gave them the name and details of the person I gave it to, and it turned out to be intact. his desk. Honestly, I should have had a proper receipt. I could have been billed an outrageous amount if I hadn’t taken and kept that man’s business card!
5. Underpromising, Overdelivering
I’ve heard this advice a lot and it just isn’t, especially the way I operate. I naturally promised too, then delivered. Once I felt more comfortable working in the industry, I was brave enough to charge less than I intended to offer, and then I over-delivered. In my experience, it’s without a doubt the better route, even if you’re just doing a little extra work instead of going all the way above it.
Veterans of the photography business, have the lessons you learned over the years proven important?
