Very often it’s not the actual skill as a photographer that’s lacking, but rather the ability to ask and help someone solve a problem they have. In this video, Chris Do of Futur shares how you might be able to change your approach and thinking.
It’s not about you firstly, it’s about them and their problem that they need a solution for. We should stop adding all these props and crutches as barriers to accomplishing our dreams and goals.
If you’re doing portraiture and you want to shoot a portrait of a specific semi-famous person, try to make contact on Instagram or find their agent's details and give them a call. If you’re working on your architectural photography portfolio and know of a building you’d really like to photograph to build out your photography, do the research and see if you can do so.
It’s most often our insecurity and our decision to try to do something via digital communication rather than to pick up the phone or go knock on the door, walk into the offices of the people and introducing yourself.
Tell people what you want to do and it might not happen every time, but for every ten attempts, one should be successful. It’s then up to you to follow through and deliver quality work to yourself. Believe in yourself and embrace the power of self-confidence.
Chris wasn't saying to just go ask, but to ask in a way how you can serve them. To use one of your examples, portraits of a semi-famous person, make your pitch all about them, and what you can do for them, such as how you would like to capture their image, and how it could benefit them.