Here's What Every Stuck Photographer has in Common
The "stuck" photographer often get in their own way by repeating one bad cycle!
I’m frustrated because I recently had an encounter with someone who reached out for help over Instagram DM. The photographer was frustrated because no one was booking her. She was “getting ghosted”. She has the work, the experience but business isn’t working out for her but why? The photographer asked me via DM why no one is booking her services?
Is this something you can relate to in part or even in whole? If so, keep reading my friend.
1. Stop Offering Free Shoots Unless Strategically Necessary
She’s tired of it: She is offering free test shoots and I said that is something you should stop immediately! If the plan you’re working with isn’t working with you, you need to stop and re-evaluate.
Then she told me that another photographer had advised her do the “collab” shoots and that it’s the only way to book jobs.
I still told her to stop shooting for free, and that she had done enough. To that, she answered that she knew she should stop - but another photographer told her to keep doing it.
Ma’am then why are you asking me for advice when you’re listening to someone who isn’t full-time in their career?
2. Evaluate the Source of Advice
I explained why she should stop the collab type of shoots, and focus on what she needed for her own portfolio. That would fall under the category of “test shoots” and it’s a different beast for photographers.
Instead of hearing me, she defended her unprofitable method by saying another one of her friends encouraged her to continue doing them. This would be a different freind from the awful advice in the section above. The new friend wasn’t even a full-time photographer themselves, yet.
I have two questions:
Then why are you asking me for advice when you’re listening to everyone else?
Why are you surrounding yourself with such bad advice?!
Be Finicky with Friends
Are they successful in the way you want to be? Have they been able to repeat success over & over, year after year? If not, then they are unqualified to coach you. Keep it moving! It's easy to fall into the trap of seeking endless advice from unqualified people.
Who you surround yourself with could define your success levels and i’d like for you see wild success! For example, here’s something you might be seeing the photography space.
Right now every other photographer has a course, a mentorship, or a monthly subscription course. Some are very qualified to teach! Some were charging only $200 a shoot 4 months ago and barely unwrapping your first Godox box. And now they’re teaching other photographers how to run their business? OK…
Everyone has an opinion and you should ask yourself a few questions before you take their advice to heart. The same rules would also apply to me! If you don’t respect my career then I would keep searching for a better photography mentor.
When I say you should evaluate the source, you should do the following:
Ask yourself, are they fulltime with their own business? If no, they don’t have the experience to teach you.
Ask yourself, are they able to repeat their own success over and over? If no, then plug your ears. If yes, keep listening.
Ask yourself, are they increasing their rates over the year? If no, then you don’t have to listen to them.
Have done what you want to do? If no, then you’re listening to the wrong source. Let me give you an example here.
I want to address point number 4 (above).
You want to make sure that the person you listen to has already done what you wish to do. If you’re a wedding photographer, only take advice from photographers who have had a successful full-time business in the wedding industry. If you’re a concert photographer then only listen to people who have gone full-time in that realm.
It does not mean the other photographer is bad at what they do, but they are not the best person to listen to. Would you want advice on your Mazda from a VW mechanic? They’d be familiar with your Mazda but they wouldn’t be the most qualified. You deserve the most qualified.
3. Beware of Misleading Shortcuts from Unqualified Peers
I told her that there are free shoots and test shoots, and there is a difference.
You won’t believe it, but she got more advice from a different photographer. The next photographer instructed her to shoot a local celebrity to boost bookings. While networking and high-profile projects can help, they are not a magic solution to underlying business challenges. She still wondered why people won’t book her service and by now I’m starting to question my own sanity for engaging in this conversation.
For every solution, she responds back with “a friend told me to do that…”
OK then whyyyy are you asking me for help?!
4. Commit to a Single Educational Path Initially
I realized during our conversation that she was more interested in garnering sympathy than actually following through with advice. That was my lesson to learn. I was genuinely upset at myself for entertaining it that much in the first place. I should have recognized she wasn’t looking for help, she was looking for sympathy or attention.
This is a common trap: collecting bits of advice from various sources without committing to a consistent learning path. This is how you get trapped and lose motivation.
It's like asking four different teachers for help with different parts of the same math problem. It’s not going to work out for ya!
This is super common on Youtube and here’s why. By nature Youtube encourages creators to keep you on the profile. If the youtuber you watch answers all of your questions, you won’t be on youtube anymore and they won’t get ad revenue. So the game is to teach you a small amount and mostly fool you. Then at the end of the video the goal is get you to watch another video and that does a few things:
1. It earns them watch time which helps the channel grow
2. It wastes your time and you end up getting frustrated
3. Youtube rewards those type of creators for keeping people on Youtube, so they give them more watch time. It’s more about helping their channel vs your career.
See the pattern? PLEASE commit to one teacher and grow from there.
Don’t fall for the trap.
5. Choose One Mentor and Stick With Them
Find a mentor or a learning method and stick with it. Ensure that the mentor has a proven track record and a career path you admire. Learn their methods thoroughly until you are stable in your own business. This focused approach prevents confusion and mixed results that often come from "bouncing around."
6. Expand Your Learning After Establishing a Foundation
Once you have a solid foundation and a good grasp of one successful method, then consider integrating other techniques or teachings. Diversification should come after you have a stable base. Make money from your base and really master that. Jumping all over to learn a little here and a little there won’t be of service to anyone.
This is your future. Focus on it. People like me are here. I have FREE resources like this blog or my Youtube channel. I have a free Instagarm channel.
I have paid courses which will also help you, substantially. My goal is that you win and you can do that the free method or a faster/direct paid method.
Conclusion:
Seeking advice is a vital part of growing as a photographer, but how and from whom you choose to take advice can significantly impact your success. Stick to one method at a time, vet your sources, and commit to changes rather than just collecting tips. This approach will save you time, enhance your skills more effectively, and help you avoid the pitfalls of contradictory strategies.
Wonderfully put 👏👏👏👏