Photography, Popular

5 tips I wish I got sooner as a photographer

18 Februar

If you are a young aspiring photographer and ready to take over the world with your unique vision then this article is for you.

Capturing moments through the lens of a camera is a magical art form that allows you to freeze time and create memories that last a lifetime. As a young photographer, you have the unique opportunity to hone your skills and explore your creative vision. However, mastering the craft of photography requires more than just lenses and Lightroom. Whether you’re a budding hobbyist or an aspiring professional, it’s essential to learn the fundamentals and develop good habits from the start. In this article, I will share five quick tips for young photographers to help you understand what else is relevant to you far away from all the camera gear and technical skills. So, let’s dive in!

Get out there and show what you do.

And I know what you think. You think: eww I don’t want another person to tell me I should invest more time in social media. No. I’m not going to tell you this. What I want you to do is talk about what you do. Tell your grandma. Tell your friend. Tell your coworkers. The chances are high that it’s not them who book you. But they will tell other people when they talk about an occasion. They remember you and boom. You likely get a call from them offering you a wedding or a business shoot. Extra tip: don’t tell them that you’re just a photographer. Tell them that you are a photographer for sustainable fashion brands or boho weddings. You guessed it. Have your elevator pitch ready at every time.

Collaborate in any way with other artists and photographers.

It was never easier to meet like-minded people. You have Instagram, Facebook, even Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Use it and have fun. Just never lose the spark of creating. Creating what helps the community and what you care for is what keeps us going. And I know well that time for a passion is always rare if you don’t have photography as your main job. But if you just schedule a creating session with others once every one or two months, you’re going to feed on this for a long time.

Collaborating on a fashion shoot as an assistant.

Behind the scenes of one of my free fashion shoots as a collaboration.

Helping my network out.

Network.

I think you’re hearing this a lot. But I can not stress this enough. Networking is what gets you jobs and opportunities. Think about it. You also would book an Assistant you know and already met rather than someone you just found on Instagram. Who is not making stories and just posts once in a while. So you’re going to benefit from a living network of creators, photographers, videographers, art directors, and so on.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Charge accordingly.

If you are new to the business then charging for your service is hard to start with. But it gets even more complicated when you need to charge accordingly and not take on the job for just a 100€ day rate. A day rate this low (even if you think that you are not worth more just yet #impostersydrom) makes the industry go down the river. What happens is that the company’s hiring photographers argue: “OK. If you don’t want to do it for this money then we will find someone else…” And most photographers are not confident enough to reject this offer. So be confident or learn to handle this situation with a benefit for you. And this is the hard reality. Especially in the E-Commerce industry. This is the industry a lot of artists make their money. Even if they hate it. What helps (especially in the beginning) is to ask other photographers for help when preparing an offer. Or seek the information you need in advance. Just ask. Most people nowadays are open when talking about money. Because they know about the pain and the overall problem.

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"If you don’t want to do it for this money then we will find someone else…” And most photographers are not confident enough to reject this offer.

Invest in your knowledge.

This one should be a no-brainer. But it also gets overlooked easily. Arguments like: “Why spend money when I could just open YouTube?“ or „There are enough Instagram channels or medium articles I can look at.“ But the thing is: There is so much more information available. Don‘t get me wrong. YouTube is my main source of information usually. But just when I need a fast solution to a problem I have. Think about it a second. Would you make a free Instagram channel and share all your information on there? Or would you just put out little pieces of information and offer a course to make a decent living while sharing your knowledge and helping others to thrive? Easy answer I think. Not everything out there is valuable tho. There are many people to spread misleading information and just want to make money. Research and ask others who may have done the course before for a review and if they would recommend it.

Conclusion

The best way to learn is to do. So start today and get to be known as a photographer. I hope this article helps you and gives you a little push in the right direction.

If you struggle to get motivated or use daily affirmations, check my other blog posts out.