As a professional commercial photographer, most of my purchases are made as investments. Sadly, not all of them have been, but the general ethos is that I have to invest in my photography to stay relevant in my career choice.
One of the lesser exciting elements of being a professional photographer is having to make really sensible investments in order to better our photography. On top of that, we have to also be constantly looking at our ROI (return on investment), but more on that in a later video.
Commercial food photography is a very competitive field, as are all niches within photography, and in order to stay at the top of your game and to remain relevant in your niche, you have to constantly improve your craft. There comes a point where what you offer in terms of deliverables and price becomes second seat to the actual quality of your work and perhaps even gets pushed to the back seat in relation to your style.
In this video, I look at the investments that I have made over the years into my craft and talk about those that have made an actual difference, how they made that difference, and what I would do differently in the future.
Photography is an ever-evolving art form and profession, so I think it is always a good idea from time to time to have a look back and to assess what is and what isn't working for you. It is amazing how much time we place into the sunken cost fallacy of continuing to do things because we have already invested too much time or money into them already, so it is worth being aware.
What are the best investments you have made in your photography to date?
