You want to turn pro. You have the gear. You can light, you can evoke moods, and even create sets. You’ve built up a wealth of knowledge in your chosen field… A generalist doesn’t work in pro photography. Even if you’re good at a range of photography, it’s better to be known for one thing and then maybe have a second but separate niche. But this isn’t the secret.
Often the start of business begins with word of mouth through friends. This helps you get established and gives you the basis of your real work portfolio. You always need to do personal work that reflects the work that you want to get paid for and be known for. Set aside time every month for those projects to truly turn your hobby into work. But this isn’t the secret.
As part of your work, you need to market. If you’re not marketing, you’re not in business. You have to balance work with finding more work. You can outsource this marketing once it’s bringing back more work than it costs, but you’re still involved. The photographers we perceive as famous are that way because they market heavily. But this isn’t the secret.
Pricing, quoting, invoicing and (unfortunately) chasing payments are part of your daily life as a pro photographer. Sometimes, you’ll even opt into lower-paying jobs for consistent work with prompt payment. Sometimes, you won’t work for ages between big jobs, and you’ll need to learn to balance your income over time. But this isn’t the secret.
So what is the secret? The secret is you. If you’re approachable, generous and helpful, you’ll always get return clients. You don’t even have to be the greatest photographer to be a pro. You just need good people skills. Being prompt and courteous in communication and over-delivering will keep those clients and increase recommendations.
Time and time again, clients will choose someone who’s easy to work with over the people with the most talent but are awkward to work with. So when you’re nailing that composition, nail your social skills too. That is the secret.
