14 TRAITS OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHERS
Selina Maitreya has been a photographer’s rep, a consultant, and a friend of the photography industry for over 50 years.
Selina Maitreya was one of the first photo representatives in the business, and became one of the most celebrated photographer consultants as well.
She has worked with literally hundreds of photographers helping them change their work from bland to wow.
She has written two books.
Portfolios That Sell, and How to Succeed in Commercial Photography: Insights from a Leading Consultant.
Portfolios That Sell is very hard to find, but “How to Succeed in Commercial Photography: Insights from a Leading Consultant” is available on Amazon.
This is a conversation we had on April 16, 2024.
I hope you enjoy it.
https://youtu.be/7u5zM3uLIK8?si=1HsWG6ZofLmhr7DO
They Show Up
/ Are talented
/ Understand all of the technical aspects of Photo
/ Continually work to refine and define their style and visual approach to their area of focus
/ Are aware of style shifts and changes over time and work trends into their work as appropriate.
/ Build a body of work not just a collection of assorted images
/ Have a well-developed marketing plan that they pay attention to consistently with 3–5 direct and indirect sales and marketing options
/ Are consistent in their /shooting marketing and servicing responsibilities
/ They continually provide excellent service which includes: researching client’s front end, invoicing promptly, and following up after shoots to make sure everything went well for the client.
/ Instead of saying “I can’t do that”, they follow the Abe Lincoln approach of “ tell me what we need to do and let us find a way”
/ They build community
/ They seek, and accept, and pay for support
/ They don’t let no’s and or rejections impede their progress
/ They give their business the time it needs to succeed 3–5 years
/ They are patient.
How do you measure up? Can you get to 70% of these at a given time? If so, you are on the right track.
Keep making art.
Hi, I’m Don Giannatti, a photographer and mentor for up-and-coming photographers. You can find me on my website, Don Giannatti, and at my Substack site, where I also publish for creative people. All subscribers to my Substack have access to a free, long-form workshop on the business of commercial and professional photography.
