Oh, the day I first registered my business on Facebook. On that day, I had no idea what I was doing. And the truth of it is, I had no right to pretend I did. I was still an infant in the world of photography. I was still crossing my fingers, hoping, that my clients would compensate me for my work since I didn’t have the nerve to charge them. And yet, I thought that the next step in my career was to post it to the entire world that I was open for business. What resulted from my brave attempt to market online was shooting my first wedding in a foreign country with a piece of paper in my pocket that was used as my cheat sheet for aperture, shutter speed & iso settings (that a friend willingly taught me over Skype). Admittedly, I was not prepared to be undergoing such an important day for someone without understanding the complexity of what my services were. Three years later, I cringe at the thought of my naivety and premature zeal. It is common in the world of professional photography to jump in too soon and too fast and as a result, be burnt out. So, I have combined my top eight lessons that I have learned in my beginning years as a photographer.

 

Disclaimer: Please do not read this and think that I know it all or that your experience will be like mine. Each person’s career develops differently, but perhaps a few of you who have asked me questions will also learn from this.

 

1. Don’t Expect to Make Money Immediately.

Fortunately, my first year of business, I was living abroad and working a full-time job. It is a rarity for a photographer to financially survive on his/her work alone the first year of business. There is the minority, but I am speaking to the majority of us that don’t pick up a camera and make $50,000 right away. It may take a couple years to go full-time in photography. This doesn’t mean you are not on the right track or that you fail as a photographer. This just means that hard work doesn’t always pay off immediately.

 

2. Shoot, shoot, shoot anyone, everyone, everywhere, even if it is for free.

Aside from financial concerns, the first year is one of the most grueling years for a photographer. It is the year that you either throw in the towel or commit to the longevity of your career. It is the year that you realize that everyone and their beautiful mother also consider themselves “photographers”. It is the year that people will not (and honestly should not) pay you the market price for your work. My first year I had over forty sessions while living in Asia. The majority of these I did for free or based off of tips. This is the sacrifice it took to grow a solid portfolio. Don’t be afraid to shoot for free. Or on tips alone. Ask the faces you want to have in your portfolio to model for you and buy them lunch as compensation. Additionally, ask many photographers that you respect if you can assist or second shoot for free. This is one of the best ways you can build your portfolio. Learn from someone who is better than you, and figure out if this is truly a field for you. Like any small business there are start-up costs, and these come in the form of humbly shooting anything and everything so you can build your art.

 

3. Ask those who know more than you.

Email photographers that you respect and who are successful and ask them to honestly assess your work. Some may never email you back (hey, it’s the photography world!), but maybe one kind soul will. The point is this – your family and friends most likely will not tell you

the truth. Or worse, they may not have the eye to tell you specifically where your weaknesses are. If you want to grow, you will check your pride at the door and ask a successful colleague.

 

4. Understand your equipment.

You have heard this a thousand times. But it is true. If you are shooting automatic and using a jpeg format for a wedding, most

likely you do not understand or even value your camera. Your camera is designed to capture the world as best as technology has allowed us to thus far. To only use a portion of that to capture your clients will, in the end, not lead to a long-term career, but rather, dead-end in a business that never prospered because you never put forth the energy into learning. I get frustrated and complain to my

husband almost weekly about how I see “photographers” edit in iPhoto and call it art. Whether or not your client notices, your work is as limited as your knowledge.

 

5. Specialize in something.

I had a friend (the same one who taught me manual over Skype) tell me to choose a specialty in photography. Like most

beginning photographers, I shot everything under the sun: maternity, weddings, boudoir, school events, business head shots, Korean food dishes etc. However, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to truly improve if I tried to be a jack of all trades. It took me two years, but I finally chose to focus my effort on engagement, couples and weddings. I was worried that my business would slow down, that my bank account would shrink and most importantly, my blog wouldn’t be updated as frequently. This lasted for about a month. Then, people began to respect that I was specialized. And the more I rejected inquiries outside of the couples realm, the more interest I had from couple clients. I have never looked back.

 

6. Chose your quality of service.

Only a couple months ago, I was in Vegas heading to a workshop, when I was sitting next to a beautiful young woman photographer from Minnesota. She was highly experienced in the photography world (her work is stunning!). Luckily, I was able to hear her talk (for an hour) about all that she had learned over her years. I was taking mental notes like crazy! One of the coolest things she asked me was if I wanted to give my clients a Wal-Mart experience or Louis Vuitton experience. A Wal-Mart experience is where they receive the basic normal service that you can have at any Wal-Mart store, in any state across the country. A client feels like one of the millions of people in and out of the store. Nothing special about them except their money. On the other hand, you can give the Louis Vuitton service where your client’s names are graven on the bags and your quality is above all your competitors. This being said, you must think business-like from the get-go. Even with giving free sessions, have a contract. State the boundaries for your business and give the quality service that stands out in this saturated business world.

 

7. Your value is not in your work.

This is by far the hardest for me to digest. I have spent so many days feeling like a failure or an imposter of art, like someone who does not deserve to photograph anyone because my work is not as great as (fill in the blank). It is an on-going battle for me to not find my value in my work. It does not define me. It is not my identity. But so many days I try to find solace in it. And it always fails me. Your work is not who you are. It is only what you do. For me, my value comes from Christ alone, and not my clients. But how many days do I forget this truth? So many. In order to truly not run yourself mad, you must step back from your work and reevaluate it. It does not complete you. It does not define you. And honestly, like everything else in this world, it will let you down.

 

8. Don’t compromise.

This is a very complex statement. So I will narrow it down as best as I can in layman’s terms. Don’t copy other’s work. Don’t invest in something that you are morally in disagreement with. Don’t allow your competitive heart to become bitter. Don’t let your name be associated with lack of values. Don’t compromise your integrity for the sake of booking more clients or getting another “like” on your Facebook page. As I mentioned above, this list is not exhaustive. It doesn’t serve as a top 8 things to make your business boom. It is only my simplified list as to how I have been able to maintain a business that I am proud of and that does not define me, but keeps my passion alive to find God’s Glory in my ability to capture His creation with a piece of plastic and glass (and metals?). Your beginning years will differ from mine, but I hope this simple list will help some experience the beauty of the photography world. Now, go update your Facebook page.