The beauty of being a professional photographer is that you have the freedom to pursue what you love on your own terms. However, with that comes arguably its biggest drawback: the loss of guaranteed steady income and financial security. Every freelance photographer goes through lulls, and it is important to expect them and to know how to get through them. This great video essay features a professional photographer discussing the issue and offering some helpful advice.
Coming to you from Samuel Elkins, this excellent video essay discusses the issue of lulls as a professional photographer and how to weather them. No doubt, it is important to take a very pragmatic approach to this and budget for these times, but there is also the mental side of it. It can be easy to become anxious and discouraged by these lulls, and while it is important to be realistic about your abilities and chances of professional success, you also need to understand that professional work often ebbs and flows. In fact, this can be a great time to explore personal projects to build your portfolio and expand your creative palette so you're ready when the clients start to flow again. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Elkins.
More of this and less gear reviews please. I can totally relate to what hi's taking about. There are ups and downs, it is not a straight line, and no matter how much effort you put into it there will always be some slow periods. Sometimes it lasts a couple of months, sometimes it lasts an entire year.
Thing is...that covid crap really changed everything, and then the war and all that it brought with it.
Fingers crossed, take good care of your savings and keep yourself busy.
So many factors are affecting the photographic industry, e.g., technological improvements, artificial intelligence, social media, deteriorating economic conditions, market saturation, online image banks, etc. And sadly, most of these will make the industry more challenging to monetize as we move forward. I know people who used to make six figures selling stock images and are now barely getting by.
I can't imagine getting involved and expecting a livable wage; it is more supplemental income.