Advice for New Photographers

Looking back over the past 15 years, it’s easy to laugh at some of the things we did when we were just starting out. We fumbled our way through posing, editing, obtaining business licenses, awkward client meetings, while devouring every online tutorial we could get our hands on.

They say that hindsight is 20/20, and that is absolutely true. There are things you cannot know as you begin, but there is a LOT that we’ve learned that we wish we could jump back to tell our younger selves as we were just starting out.

If you are just starting out as a photographer, this post is for you. Here is what we wish we knew when we were in your shoes!

1. Value Yourself

When we started out, we equated low prices with humility and accessibility. And while we were certainly still learning our craft, we undervalued ourselves for far too long. Pricing isn’t just about what your time is worth – it’s about sustainability. You can’t serve your clients well if you’re completely burnt out and broke.

Giving of your time is noble and we have also done this as a way to serve others. But you don’t need to take every opportunity that comes your way. The promise of being given “photo credit” or “a great opportunity for exposure” also doesn’t put food in your kids’ bellies! So if you need this permission, here it is: you are allowed to grow and to in turn, charge accordingly for that!

2. Be uniquely you

It so easy to see established photographers and want to replicate their style, their poses, their business model. While inspiration is a great thing, it is also vitally important that you don’t attempt to be “Unnamed-Famous-Photographer” 2.0, but rather to just be you. Uniquely and perfectly you. Pose the way that makes sense for you. Edit the way that resonates with your heart. Price your photography in a way that makes sense for your business. And be consistent through it all. As you develop that consistency, that is how you establish your clientele.

3. Your people are out there!

There will always be clients who want the cheapest price, the fastest turnaround, the most posed photos, but those might not be what you offer. And that’s OKAY! As mentioned above, the more you show up as your true self, the more likely you are to attract the clients who value your heart as much as your work.

After we had been in business for a few years, an exercise we found valuable was going through the shoots or weddings that were our most favourite, and figuring out what they had in common. It helped us to narrow our focus on the kinds of things “our people” loved (that we did too!) instead of casting a wide net to try to attract anyone and everyone. Don’t be afraid to get specific or let people see your specific brand of weirdo, that’s how your people find you!

4. The gear does NOT make the photographer

We’ve owned multiple camera bodies, lenses and various software over the years, but none of it ever mattered as much as our ability and desire to see and connect with people. Learn to use what you have well. Upgrade when it makes sense to do so, not just when you feel behind. You don’t necessarily need the newest, shiniest, biggest, or best. (This is also a sure fire way to put your business in a desperate spot if you then need to take any and all sessions inquired about to pay for the lens you HAD to have…)

You can create some pretty spectacular images with a crop sensor and a kit lens, if you have the technical skill to back it up. Focus on mastering your craft before you invest in more gear, because there will ALWAYS be something bigger, better or newer than what you’ve got in your bag.

5. Despite opinions to the contrary, you DON’T have to do it all

In our early photography days, we basically said yes to every single thing anyone inquired about. Product photography? Yes! Headshots? Sure! Real estate? I mean, we can probably give it a shot! We thought we needed to prove ourselves and to be everything to everyone who was looking for a photographer. In a way, this can be helpful to try out an array of various fields, and narrow down which you would like to focus on.

But we found that we learned quickly that saying yes to so much meant that we couldn’t focus solely on what we did best, or what we found brought us the most joy. And sometimes that does take a little bit of trial and error! Find what lights you up and pursue it with intention. And it’s not only okay, but actually really good & healthy, to say “no thanks!” to the rest!

6. Build systems sooner than later

We cannot stress this enough: create workflows, create form email templates, back up your images properly, use contracts (even if you know the people, or they’re ‘friends of friends’). You DO NOT need to come up with a personalized email to every single person who inquires, and there are likely similar things that you are conveying in every response. Use technology in the ways it can afford you some help- work smarter, not harder. YES, it will take time to do set these up, and they may appear to be one of the ‘less fun’ things to do in a photography business, but they will make a huge impact!

The sooner you have reliable and consistent systems in place that support the success of your business, the more time, and freedom, you’ll have to create, scale your business, AND build in time to allow yourself to rest.

7. Community over competition

We’ve gained so much from connecting with other photographers in our local community. Whether it’s sharing tips, referrals, learning from one another, or simply cheering each other on, there is so much value in getting to know the other photographers in the community around you.

With photography being a primarly self employed endeavour, you don’t have the benefit of a ‘water cooler’ or getting to know co-workers on a regular basis. It can be lonely and challenging. Espcially if you’re navigating a new season; there are things you may be looking for guidance on from someone further down the road than you are.

We would encourage you not to isolate yourself out of fear or insecurity. Remember, every single one of these same people started out somewhere! Reach out, join the social media photography groups, ask questions, go to workshops, attend conferences, email another photographer and make the coffee date to get to know them as a person. You will 100% be better off for it. And then as you are able to, build back into the same community that you are part of.

We have been so incredibly blessed by many of the relationships we have made with other Regina photographers over the years. Some have become good friends, and people we connect with completely outside of the realm of photography. And these gifts only came as a result of choosing to put fear aside and take the dive headfirst into supporting the success of the overall community, not just focusing our own.

8. There’s more than enough work for everyone

It may feel like there are too many photographers and that you are in direct competition with every single one of them. And yes, there is an element of competition to photography, and the market can be fairly saturated with photographers at varying price points. However, not everyone out there shoots what you shoot, or how you shoot it.

Even with weddings- there are more than enough weddings to go around! The wedding season in Saskatchewan can be fairly short, mainly May to September/October, so there can be a sense of urgency or disappointment when someone else is booking a wedding, and you aren’t. But remember, not every client is going to reasonate well with you, or is going to be your ideal client. We don’t have to shoot everyone who inquires, nor do we actually want to shoot everyone who inquires! And to build off of point 7 above, we can also recognize when we might not be the best fit for an inquiry, but we know that we can recommend this other photographer because they would be so great at that!

There is an incredible freedom in finding and staying in your own lane. Finding enjoyment in where you are at and the clients you have the opportunity to best serve brings so much more contentment and peace of mind than focusing on everything you don’t have.

9. You don’t have to be perfect to be impactful

There are times you will mess up. You are human, so this is just a fact.

You will forget to adjust a setting. Your flash may misfire during an important moment. You will second guess your edits after the gallery has been delivered to the client. Years down the road, you will look back at your old work and cringe a little bit at the quality of photos that people paid you to take. Trust us, we have done this, too!

That’s all part of the process. Give yourself grace. Every mistake is an opportunity to grow and to take a step forward, if you choose to learn from it.

Photography skills aside, you will also have off days a human. You will experience hard days as a parent, a spouse, and then still need to go out to that wedding, family session, etc. Life does not guarantee us an easy path, but we would encourage you to be authentic in your journey. Sometimes that means putting on the stoic and strong persona to push through, but sometimes that can mean putting down your camera and giving someone a hug because they really need it.

We shared about our experience with this in our blog about shooting our first wedding after Courtney’s dad suddenly passed away. Aspects of that day were not technically perfect from a photography standpoint, but we served in the best way we knew how at that time. And our clients met us with love as we served, even from a place of brokenness.

With absolute certainty, we can say you’re not going to get it right 100% of the time. Stay humble. Never stop learning from your mistakes. And extending yourself bucket loads of grace as you go.

10. Rest and Refresh

Creativity is born out of rest. And conversely, nothing can stifle creativity quicker than running on empty, but still feeling like you’ve got to keep producing.

As creatives, we know that there is an innate hustle when you’re starting something new, and working for every opportunity you can get. But don’t kill yourself in the process! Don’t overdo it. Take some nights and weekends off. Learn to breathe.

This has taken us a long time to learn, but just because you are technically available, doesn’t mean you have to say yes. We started booking nights off in our calendar to dedicate to our family, where technically yes, we could shoot, but we needed instead to choose to dedicate the space for time and margin together. Prioritize those you love, because time flies so quickly and waits for no one.

Take time for your own self-care, whatever that looks like for you. Maybe a bath, or a night on the couch with a book. Possibly a night of board games with friends or a walk through the park with your dog. But I’ll take a bold leap and say self-care does not equal answering emails at all hours of the night, so PUT YOUR LAPTOP DOOOOOOWN… You also don’t need to be available to everyone all 24 hours of the day!

We’ve all heard that “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” and know that this is completely true. And when you try to do so, you’re not going to be giving your client (or yourself) the best of what you have to offer. In fact, they may end up getting those gross, scraggly bits at the bottom of a dry well…

Take regular time to refresh and rest so that you can come back feeling energetic, creative and ready to serve your people from a place of health and fullness.

11. Your why matters most

As we’ve all seen with the rise of social media, it is easy to get caught up in trends, likes, or what everyone else is doing. But if you don’t know why you’re picking up the camera, it can be very easy to lose your way. When that happens, you may find yourself on other photographer’s pages, picking apart your work against theirs, and you will fall quickly into the comparison trap. And comparison is the thief of joy.

Defining your why helps to keep your focus in the right place. Maybe your why is to create beauty, to tell stories, to preserve legacies, to serve families. Having a clear understanding of your why helps keep you focused on why you do what you do. Keep coming back to that why and let it be your anchor in the storms of self-doubt.

We wish someone had told us that in the era of “10 easy steps to help your photography business…fill in the blank” that success WILL NOT come overnight. It is okay to grow slowly and intentionally. The best part of photography isn’t just the final show stopper image you deliver, it is the people you meet, the moments you’re invited into and entrusted to capture.

So if you are new to photography, welcome! Despite what you may be feeling, or what you may have even been told, there’s room at the table for you. Pull up a seat. You don’t need to (and you won’t) have it all figured out. (But as we’ve shared, no one does in the beginning!)

But keep showing up, keep learning, keep serving people well. And most importantly, keep being uniquely you.

Cheering you on,

Cam & Courtney