Ten things I wish I had Known Before Starting a Career In Photography

Instead, I just threw myself into it like a salmon jumping into a river…

Shooting fashion in Chicago. Having a lot of fun with shadows.

1. How much sacrifice was needed?
I knew that starting into business was a time-consuming endeavor, but I did not realize what and how much of the other parts of my life were to be sacrificed. I would still do it again, but knowing in advance would have allowed me to prepare for it.

2. That the camaraderie of other photographers was as elusive as a rainbow unicorn.
At least in my town. It was very difficult to find other photographers to be friends with, or bounce ideas off, or even to chat about the business. The personal competitiveness of photographers was (is) very high.

3. I wish I had understood that business drives gear purchases, not the other way around.
I discovered this on my own after having spent tens of thousands of dollars on stuff I ‘really needed’ to do jobs I didn’t have. Get the jobs first, then invest in the gear.

One of my early shots for Motorola. The super-secret project was a phone you could take with you. I wonder if this idea ever caught on. I had to sign an NDA for this shoot. You are seeing the prototype for the first portable phone.

4. Not everyone who wants to be your friend really wants to be your friend.
As a photographer who shot a lot of models and beauty work, I would have a lot of interested ‘buds’ who simply wanted to hang out at the studio, help when they could, and meet the models. This rarely ended well, and I became more selective in my assistants and ‘buds’.

5. The struggle for new clients never ceases.
It is an undying quest every single day. Resting on one’s laurels means letting someone else into the fray, and that means playing catch up. Not that competition is bad, or even fierce, but there are a lot of people working at getting the same clients you are. And that is a bit unnerving when you take some time off.

A choir conductor for Press and Advertising for a professional choir.

6. The difference between a stack of photographs and a ‘body of work’.
I was so enamored with photography that I took photographs of everything… landscapes and people and fashion and still life and architecture… and I ended up with a lot of photographs with disparate styles and disparate points of view. It took a while for me to understand that I had a personal vision, and that vision should be what is on display through a body of work that enhanced it.

7. I wished I had realized how important networking was.
I spent too much time in the studio and the darkroom and not enough time developing networks of people that could have been a lifesaver down the line. Not having a deep network of clients and associates meant playing catchup down the line and added more stress to some stressful times.

8. How to say no.
I really had a hard time with no. And that means taking jobs that end up being terrible, or stressful, or losing money/sleep/patience. There were times when NO was the only real answer to give, but I would not say it. I wanted to always please the client… and that can be a good thing, but letting people take advantage is a personal pain point that eventually leads to doubt and fears.

The client wanted a photo showing their employees playing a video game on a big screen in the lunch room. These ‘real people’ did a great job of acting for me.

9. I wish I had learned to listen to my gut more often when dealing with clients and models and suppliers and vendors.
Much to my naive surprise, not all of them were looking out for my best interests. Who could have known that? LOL. The gut would be saying ‘there is something wrong here’ and the mind would be saying… ‘no, it will be fine…’ It rarely was. Now the gut feelings lead — and I listen.

10. That the heart of being a successful photographer is being a successful marketer.
Learning to love the marketing, and ‘blowing one's own horn’ so to speak was a hard lesson. Becoming noticed takes a lot of work, and if it is done in a fake, cheesy way, it can hurt the business in the long run. And it can hurt the creativity you aspire to. Market the true you, your true work.

Oh, and one more…

I wish I had disciplined myself into some sort of filing system for all the tens of thousands of photographs I took.

I really wish to God I had done that.

Seriously.

(Yes, I have all of this under control now. And because I have experienced them and dealt with them successfully, I now work with photographers who are emerging into the business. My goal is to prevent them from making the same mistakes.)

I am a photographer, designer, and photo editor. You can find me at my self-named website or at Project 52 Pro System where I teach commercial photography online. This is our tenth year of teaching, and it is the most unique online class you will find anywhere.

You can find my books on Amazon, and I have taught two classes at CREATIVELIVE.