Although rare, we all have the thought of quitting photography at one point or another. Despite being young, I have been told to quit several times already, all before even starting. In this article, I want to highlight some valuable reasons why and when you should consider quitting photography.
There is no good time to start a photography business, but there are certainly some more challenging times.
Google Photos is pushing the boundaries of image editing, testing a new feature that uses generative AI to transform photos in a groundbreaking way. Last week, I talked about Google Photos's revolutionary changes to their search feature, and today, we're going to explore the editing features themselves. Named the "Magic Editor," this innovative tool promises to offer a level of manipulation that allows users to make drastic changes to their photos seamlessly.
One of the most common reactions to failure is saying that you will try harder next time. It’s an easy, quite popular way of dealing with failure at one thing or another. However, simply trying harder and expecting a different result is hardly a great way to progress. Here’s why it doesn’t work, and here is what does.
Every professional wants to book more clients, of course, but how to actually go about doing so is not always obvious. If that is something you would like to accomplish, but you are unsure of how to approach it, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer that shares three useful tips that will put you on the right track.
Professional photography is a challenging career choice, taking a wide range of skills and tough skin. If that is something you are considering, check out this fantastic video essay that features an experienced professional photographer discussing what it takes to be a professional and the chances of finding success.
Have you ever fantasized about transforming a corner of your home into a professional photography haven? Are you eager to cut costs, minimize stress, and craft remarkable images for your clients, all from the comfort of your own space? If so, this article is for you. As a seasoned headshot and portrait photographer, I've recently transitioned from a sprawling industrial studio in Richmond, Virginia to my cozy, basement-based studio in Atlanta, and I couldn't be more delighted.
Doing photography professionally does not only require you to be good at taking pictures. There are additional competencies that one must have to be able to provide what your clients need and one of the most important ones is communication.
I've been a full-time photographer for almost 15 years now, and I remember the pain of swapping my part-time hobby to be my full-time career. Katelyn James looks at how, when, and why you'd want to do this and lists the three key steps to consider if you decide to go full-time.
There are several different ways to make money as a photographer, and the more you can diversify your income streams, the more you can ensure financial security. If you are working on improving your photography business, check out this helpful video tutorial that shows you several different ways you can use your photography business to make money.
Today, let’s discuss some of the biggest changes currently happening in the market and how those changes will affect our lives and our businesses as professional photographers.
Google Photos is in the process of testing an enhanced search feature that allows users to perform complex queries, making it simpler and more efficient to find and manage photos within the platform. By catering to detailed and specific queries, users can locate their desired images with greater ease, thereby improving their overall experience.
One of the hardest, cringiest things any photographer can do is go back and look at the images they created early in their career. In this video, Lee Morris and I revisit some of our best and worst images taken prior to launching Fstoppers.com. How bad are these photos? Let's find out!
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, and while it has some people rolling their eyes at the invasion of AI, it has a lot of potential as a business tool, and it is well worth taking the time to at least consider if it is something you should incorporate into your workflow. If you have not checked it out yet, this awesome video will show you five different ways you can use it to improve your photography business.
Becoming a full-time photographer can be a really exciting time, but it can be tremendously difficult to know when it is the right time to take the risk and step into the world of running your own business. If you find yourself considering that move, check out this helpful video that features an experience wedding photographer sharing three things to carefully consider before you make the jump to professional photography.
Where you invest your money as a professional photographer is one of the most important decisions you can make, and as such, it is something worth of careful consideration to ensure you are not wasting your money on unneeded gimmicks. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced pro sharing what he invests in to ensure he can do his job easily and deliver the best possible images.
Social media is a necessary evil for a lot of photographers, as it is the place where many potential clients will see your work and first contact you. However, with so many platforms and the need for continued, consistent posting, you might wonder where your time and efforts are best spent. This great video features a filmmaker discussing the results from a two-week experiment of posting to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
Today, we will talk about one of the most necessary and the most dangerous ingredients in a creative career.
Prints will always be in style: no matter how good digital displays are, people love tactile manifestations of images for a variety of applications: homes, offices, and more. So, how do you go about selling prints in 2023? This excellent video tutorial will give you a wide range of useful advice.
When going freelance in any profession, you will get faced with rejection after rejection. Not getting enough love on social media, emails not being replied to, and inquiries not leading to bookings are frustrating parts of running a self-employed photography business. “Don’t take it personally,” they say. But how?
Without a doubt, social media has revolutionized the experience, dissemination, and even creation of photographs. Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter have leveled the playing field in a lot of ways, allowing photographers to instantly share their work with hundreds or thousands of followers. Combined with the availability of high-quality cameras in smartphones and social media algorithms, the number of images disseminated to the world has absolutely exploded. Despite this democratization of the craft, has social media actually diminished the value of photography?
What if I told you there is a social media platform on which you can earn money whenever somebody likes your content? And it's not owned by a big corporation but is governed by its community. In this article, I share my experience with such a platform that has been around for several years already.
Shutterfest stands out as my favorite photography conference to attend each year! As I write this, I am wrapping up day three of the affair. I always look forward to the various workshops, lectures, and unique experiences available throughout this fun-filled event like no other.
How many times have you had a promising conversation started with a potential client, only for them to simply stop responding to you, never completing a booking? It is a very frustrating but also very common experience. This helpful video tutorial shares some useful advice and techniques to decrease that ghosting rate and land more clients.
It can be challenging for many photographers to get qualified leads, but there are steps you can take today to enhance your online exposure and lead generation.
A few brief words on why it sometimes pays to have more hands in the kitchen when cooking up a creative project.
In this article, I share my experience with a new NFT marketplace called Fantasea.io. There's not much information available about it online. The domain has been registered just a little over a month ago, and the homepage currently feels like a work in progress. Because more and more photographers seem to get contacted to sell NFTs on this site, it's important to determine if it's legit.
It’s time to spring-clean your photography website! Don’t leave it until you've finally shot that new body of work you’ve been meaning to shoot. There are several things you can do to your website to freshen it up without shooting new images first.
Collaborating with models for trade shoots, often referred to as TFP (Time for Print), provides a wealth of benefits to both parties involved. In this type of collaboration, neither party charges for their services, but both receive valuable assets in the form of high-quality images that can be used to build their respective portfolios.
Your portfolio is your calling card and is the place where most potential customers will make the decision to pursue hiring you or not. As such, your portfolio deserves a lot of careful consideration. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing five tips to help you improve the quality of your portrait portfolio.
On the never-ending camera buyer’s merry-go-round? Here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.
As a photographer, understanding your place in the market is essential to the success of your business. Whether you are just starting out or are an established photographer, it's important to have a clear understanding of your competition, your preferred target audience, and demand for the photography services you offer.
Being a professional photographer can be extremely demanding and can easily lead to burnout and/or a loss of passion for the craft. And yet, many professionals persevere into that dangerous territory out of the need to constantly churn out fresh material. It does not always have to be that way, though. This interesting video features a seasoned professional discussing how he stepped away from his camera for a couple of months but still moved his business forward.
LinkedIn is not just a platform for jobseekers; it is a powerful networking and marketing channel for entrepreneurs, such as photographers. If you ever serve other businesses with your photography, then LinkedIn is a great place online to find and connect with the right people in your niche. As they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
You can be proficient with a camera and lighting and have a strong creative voice, but to find success as a professional photographer takes strong business skills as well. If that is something you are new to and you would like to improve, check out this great video tutorial that will give you some helpful advice for the process of booking new clients to help you increase your chances of landing the job.
Let’s chat a bit. Have you ever stopped to think why you chose photography over all other avenues of artistic expression?
One of the challenging things about running a photography business is that, unlike a regular job, we have to give ourselves all the structure to stay on track and to be productive. If that is something you struggle with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five useful hacks to make you a more productive photographer.
No doubt, you need to be good with a camera and have a strong creative voice to find success as a professional photographer, but there is a lot more to that life than simply taking images for money. If you aspire to be a professional photographer, check out this great video that will show you the ins and outs of a typical photographer's day and everything it takes to keep a business running.
Price lists can be dangerous, but they can also be great. How do you know if you should reveal your hand and have one displayed on your website?
Like it or not, social media is one of the primary means of disseminating your work and communicating with potential clients nowadays. As such, it is important for photographers to know how to effectively engage with it and leverage it for finding customers and advancing their careers. This great video presentation features a photographer who is highly successful on various social media platforms sharing some of what made her successful and offering some helpful advice so you can do the same.
In last week’s article, I discussed three mistakes to avoid when building a career as a photographer or filmmaker. Today, let’s look into three broader concepts that you might want to lean into.
When you have gained a lot of confidence in your ability with a camera and have built out a nice portfolio, you might start thinking about going professional. However, even though it absolutely takes those aforementioned items, they are not enough on their own. It takes a good amount of business savvy to create a reasonable income from photography. This helpful video tutorial will show you five essential items that will make your business life a little easier.
What does it really take to get by in an industry where any Tom, Dick, and Harry has it in them to harvest likes on images like basking sharks devouring krill? Who’s doing it better? Well, everyone, right? What’s happening, day to day, week to week in the life of an active professional photographer? Well, I’m laying it all on the line. Telling it like it is. Here’s a desperately honest account of what happens in an average week for me, an honestly average photographer.
Artificial intelligence is everywhere, from editing photos to writing text, to generating "photos" out of thin air. This technology is going to revolutionize every facet of the world, and photographers need to be ahead of the curve or risk being left behind permanently.
Very few people jump right in to running a photography business full-time. The vast majority start out slowly, doing photography on the side while they maintain their primary income from another job. That can be a particularly stressful time, but as this excellent video essay details, with the right mindset, you can become more intentional and focused and achieve your goals sooner.