The Photographer’s Guide to Career Success

So you’ve got a great eye for capturing the perfect frames with your camera and you know that this is where you passion is. Photography is a perfect career choice for you. Then the next logical step for you to take would be to focus on turning this passion of yours into a career.

But there is one big challenge in this;

The numbers of photographers in the world are increasing by the day. Just take a look at these staggering figures from Statista’s survey on how many photographers in the US practice photography by age. With the wedding and event planning as well as social media, fashion and travel industries booming, almost anybody with a good camera and the talent to take a decent photograph seem to be starting their own photography businesses.

But, are they all successful?

Not really. So how do you make sure that your photography career is a success? Here are some helpful pointers from us that may be useful.

Know why you’re doing this

Why are you getting into photography? Why do you want to become a professional photographer? Is it just the money or is there another purpose to it? Do you know what your calling is? If you need direction you need to answer the big ‘why’ before anything else. Without the answer to your why, you will lack direction and in time you will also begin to lack the motivation. Before you start, think about your purpose in doing this and what you want the final outcome to be. You will automatically have the answers to what you should do. Take a look at this incredible and inspiring video to see what drives a successful photographer every day.

Studying is never a waste of time

Yes, you have the basic skills that you need to become a photographer. But if you want to change that into becoming a professional and successful photographer, you really need to think about getting the right guidance and education that you need to polish up your skills, and gain a better understanding of the art and the industry both. Now, there can be challenges to this such as programmes that take up years to complete or sky-rocketing costs of tuition fees that can really take all the enthusiasm out of the idea of vocational education.

What’s the solution?

Study smart.

Think about innovative methods of education that won’t break the bank or disrupt your schedule such as online learning. Find a reliable online education provider who is recognised and can provide you with a Photography Course Bundle for example, that would cover all the bases that you should be familiar with, in a short period of time and at a much lesser cost. Always focus on getting the right education that can help progress your career plans.

Specialize and pick your audience correctly

It is easier (at least in the beginning of your career), to focus and specialise in the right niche. This way you will also get a good idea about you’re the kind of unique talent that you can portray through your photography. This will be your ‘signature click’ and it will also be your biggest selling point. Once you have identified that niche, all you need to do is pitch your skills to the right audience.

Not sure what that’s about?

Let us clarify. Basically, if you think that Digital Photography is your skill, you can easily approach social media companies to pitch your services to. If you are a travel enthusiast and you have a great eye for capturing nature perfectly, you can either start your own travel photography business or work with a travel company. Interested in fashion and want your commercial photography to be featured on international magazine covers? Pitch your skills and portfolio to a modelling agent or fashion magazine.

This blog by Alex Vita has some seriously great tips on how you can define your audience and pitch to them correctly.

Be consistent

Customers hate inconsistent service providers.

It’s as simple as that.

Celebrated photographer Jay Maisel spoke about quality and consistency saying, “People are more interested in the quality of their pixels than they are in the quality of their picture. You can scheme your way to all the Facebook friends in the world, all the Twitter followers that there are, and to the top of the Google search rankings—but if you don’t have images that people want to see, and a vision behind the photos, then the social media and Internet trappings are meaningless.”

 If you want to be a successful professional photographer, you need to pay attention to your quality and standards and maintain them consistently. The excellent imagery that one client gets today cannot falter when it comes to the next customer. Consistency tells your customer that you are reliable.

You know when people talk about using just one brand no matter what?

That’s called brand loyalty, and that’s what you are looking to create. The difference here is that you are the brand. Give your customers exactly what they are looking for if not better. Under-promise but over-deliver, go the extra mile to make sure that your clients leave with a smile on their face and you will never run out of business.

These guidelines may seem obvious enough but you’d be surprised how many photographers lose business because they overlook them or simply get lazy with time. Stay true to your passion of photography and let the frames that you capture speak to you. Happy Photographing!!!