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i am going to write today about something a friend once told me.
When you have children, give up on your dreams.
which i think is incredibly false. my children are a part of me yes, but my dreams will NEVER be given up upon JUST because i had children.
i dream of being a photographer. i want to try all sorts of stuff i never tried before. glamour, boudoir, fashion, runway, newborns, family, sporting events and so forth.
I've done a wedding. never doing that again. i give huge props to people who can do it. i would be a second photographer for one, but never a primary again. way too stressful.
i did do kids and families in studio while at the big box company, but want to learn more natural lighting, and setups with as little flash photography as possible.
i also want to try doing macro and landscape. i don';t think i got the eye for tiny photography or for landscape. i do know someone who shoots ants. his stuff is amazing and he should put together a collection of it for a gallery or something. i just can't look at it. i'm too squeamish about it.
so my kids can be part of my dream. If Anne Geddes can start from her incredibly humble beginnings, i can too. She is one of my photography heroes. and i really should go purchase her big coffee table book when i can. so amazing listening to where she started from.
i know i can get caught up in the little details. i would like a studio setup. i would love to have my living room be more versatile where i could move everything out or around and use it as a studio. i got a lot of natural light from one side, and enough room i could set up lights in there as well. one day. that is a $2000 dollar dream though~
so never give up your dreams. they might be put off for a little while. but never ever given up upon.
When you have children, give up on your dreams.
which i think is incredibly false. my children are a part of me yes, but my dreams will NEVER be given up upon JUST because i had children.
i dream of being a photographer. i want to try all sorts of stuff i never tried before. glamour, boudoir, fashion, runway, newborns, family, sporting events and so forth.
I've done a wedding. never doing that again. i give huge props to people who can do it. i would be a second photographer for one, but never a primary again. way too stressful.
i did do kids and families in studio while at the big box company, but want to learn more natural lighting, and setups with as little flash photography as possible.
i also want to try doing macro and landscape. i don';t think i got the eye for tiny photography or for landscape. i do know someone who shoots ants. his stuff is amazing and he should put together a collection of it for a gallery or something. i just can't look at it. i'm too squeamish about it.
so my kids can be part of my dream. If Anne Geddes can start from her incredibly humble beginnings, i can too. She is one of my photography heroes. and i really should go purchase her big coffee table book when i can. so amazing listening to where she started from.
i know i can get caught up in the little details. i would like a studio setup. i would love to have my living room be more versatile where i could move everything out or around and use it as a studio. i got a lot of natural light from one side, and enough room i could set up lights in there as well. one day. that is a $2000 dollar dream though~
so never give up your dreams. they might be put off for a little while. but never ever given up upon.
Re: Crash course
everyones answer is kijiji.. and " your pictures are good, i should hire you" and i never get hired. guess i am trying to figure out why.
How to figure out why you're not getting hired
Our friends and family love us, they are essential for our sanity and ego. They are not qualified to judge our art and work because they love us too much to be truly honest, and they do not have the knowledge and skills to describe what needs improvement like a pro can. Online review groups and forums ( ugh Flickr and the like) are just as bad for this. Enter a competition or 200, ask a photographer you know about their opinion. We can't think that we're ready to open a business just because our friends and family love us, cause that will burn us out and crack our dreams.
So, That's your first step to discovering why you are not getting hired.
Next:
Do you offer something unique in your geographic area?
Do you know your gear? ( ie: shoot on manual mode with consistent results and make the light work for you)
Do you know each of your target industries? ( can you name and identify the top photographers in that genre of photography? Do you know what worked and didn't work for them?)
Can you identify the pricing structure - it's different for every genre, wedding, babies, families, boudoir, commercial, editorial etc).
Do you know your target market like they are your best friend? Do you know where they shop, eat, socialize, play and connect?
Do you have gear that allows you to compete in the kind of market that is willing to pay for photography?
Do you have a consistent and identifiable style with your work?
Have you published, won an award, gone to school, or done something distinctive that you can use to market yourself as different than everyone else with a camera?
Do you know your competition?
Have you met, had coffee, and networked with your competition, offered to assist or sought mentoring from them?
Do you have a website, logo and brand comparable to the top photographers in your area? ( Facebook doesn't count. Your eventual target market doesn't use Facebook)
Have you partnered with another company to increase your market share?
Have you created a business card, price structure, bought insurance and registered your business?
Have you actively marketed your work with fliers, print ads, expos, second shooting, and other networking opportunities?
A "no" to any of those could be a reason for not having more clients. I can answer yes to every one of those, and I still have to work my ass off to bring in clients. They never just come to you, even when your name is Anne Geddes :-)