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More brain candy and tactical information, for you to grow your photography business.

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QUICK TIPS

1. Where is the photography industry heading?

By headcount, just about every photographer is in the business of shooting, distributing, marketing and selling copies of their original creative images to the masses.

Photographers aren’t going to go away – they have no choice but to create more. But the infrastructure around monetizing images (that used to have a marginal cost but no longer does) is in for a radical shift, though.

Photography projects of the future will be cheaper to shoot, faster to market and more focused on creating free media that earns enough attention to pay for itself with limited patronage. It’s a struggle.

But, overlooked in all the complaining, is a rise in the willingness of some image consumers (editorial clients, businesses, picky brides, niche experts) to move up the chain and engage in limited or bespoke ways.

To differentiate their work (publications, business branding, personal or commercial projects), they need more specialized and higher-quality images.

The photography market is “saturated” for them too. When looking for new images, some photo buyers are thinking: “Too much fluff. I need something different. I need something special.”

That’s your opportunity as a photographer ❗

Is this enough to replace the money that’s not being spent on mass? Of course not. But no one said it was fair.

2. Are you an artist or a business owner?

You need to be both, and that’s the problem.

The business owner has an astute business sense: doing the math, investing in things (gear, software, websites, etc.) and then accurately testing and measuring things. Understanding the industry and knowing how to bring in sales.

This type of work is critical to have a successful photography business, but it only works if the artist has done its job as well.

The artist retreats in its own inner world and creates something out of thin air. A good artist creates stories and inspires viewers. A great artist challenges preconceptions and creates a movement. Things that the business owner is not good at, of course.

You need both hats (that of the business owner and that of the artist). But you can only wear one hat at a time (they’re not gloves!).