Signs You Are Treating Your Photography as a Hobby and Not a Business

Often, the most difficult thing I see for individuals in our industry is making that scary leap from being an amateur photographer to a legitimate professional.   When you do make that leap  it is quite visible as your actions become very different than those who treat their business more casually.   Below is a list of behaviors I have noticed over the years from those who treat their business more like a hobby.   
1.   You do not charge enough to sustain yourself full-time.
2.  You often photograph friends and aquaintances for free or at no profit.
3.  You think of yourself as a photographer first and a business owner second.
4.  You do not have firm scheduled work hours with strong boundaries that clearly separate your business and personal life.  
5.  You do not respect your copyright neither control the quality of your final images by giving your customers images on a CD.
6.  Your net take home pay is not at least 1/3 of your gross income.
7.  You are not 100% aware of your margins.
8.  You justify why you can’t really make it as a legitimate business (this usually involves blaming cheap photographers, the economy, how things are different in your area or the changing industry) instead of making it happen.
9.  You focus on how many clients you see, not how much money you make.
10.  You talk more about your average order than you average margin.
11.  You do not have a command of your P/T Ratio (see my last article on that subject here:  http://www.milliondollarphotographer.com/the-one-thing-that-is-keepi.html)
12.  You Spend more money on photography equipment than on education.
13.  When you do take classes they are usually about how to take better pictures.  You rarely invest in how to run your business smarter.
14.  You do not have a studio or office to see clients nor do you have a goal to have one.
15.  You do not pay yourself or take a salary
16.  You hang out mainly with other photographers instead of other business owners.
17.  You spend time in photography forums with other photographers who love photography but are casual about their business.   
18.  You spend the money you make from photography, instead of investing it back into the business.
19.  You delay taking actions on your business until you feel inspired (remember, Pro’s do it with a headache)

CELEBRITY FANS CHALLENGE PICTURES

 If you missed Celebrity Fans Challenge,then you missed an hilarious, entertaining,unforgettable show.

It was entertaining enough with fabulous duels by Peter Okoye, MI, YCEE, Akpororo, Dr. Sid, Simi,Kaffy the queen herself, Sound Sultan, Vector, Ruggedman, Funnybone, 9ice, Gbenga Adeyinka, Sanyeri and many others; and fabulous musical performances by Koker, DJ Spinall, and more.

Why Some Photographers Fail – Even if They Are Good

If you have never failed at anything, please raise your hand.
No hands up, right? We’ve all been there, again and again, over and over – it’s unavoidable.
Everyday new aspiring photographers dream about going pro and build a successful career – and everyday someone fails at doing so!
Let´s face it, as a photographer there´s so much to do – so many skills to master! Camera settings, lighting, gear, blogging, newsletters, branding, sales, costumer service, editing, promoting, answering emails, planning upcoming shoots and the list just goes on…
When I first started out, I´ll admit it was a bit overwhelming at times. I almost gave up on my dream more than once.
I remember wondering;

“why is it that some photographers build HUGE success and some fails big time – even if they are both equally good?”

With a background in psychology and coaching I was curious, I began investigating it as a case and used my own business as a test.
The journey can be described like this; trail and error, failing, then success, then more failing, then more success – truly the road to success is never just straight! Trust me. But if you know what to avoid and which steps will take you in the right direction, you are well on your way.
Here´s a few reasons for why some photographers fail to succeed with their dream:
Reason No 1:  Not promoting yourself or promoting yourself the wrong way
The truth is the people who survive in photography are those who are just as good at advertising and promotion than they are at photography. So it might be  good to learn how to think like a marketer.
If you don´t like the idea of being a sleazy salesperson or spam the world wide web with “please like my Facebook page”, I have great news for you! You don´t need to do that. Not at all! All you have to do is to be yourself – authentic and real.
Authentic branding is the best way to promote yourself. Because when people see the real you, they can relate to you which builds trust.
People are alway curious about the artist, your personal story, your ideas, your creative processes, your style, your thoughts and your turning points in life.
When you share not only your photographic work, but also share information about who you are as a person, you automatically build your brand.
As a photographer YOU are your brand. The easiest way to be as authentic as possible is to always speak from your heart and photograph with your heart. Make your wonderful personality your trademark.
Reason No 2: Worrying too much about what everyone else is doing
I think this is a big one for photographers; comparing your work and your business to someone else’s. You need to stop spending time worrying about what everyone else is doing and focus on doing your own thing.

Give your undivided attention to your own work and make the competition irrelevant!

In stead of creating images that you think will be popular, or creating images that is similar to your competition – focus on creating what YOU love, focus on creating images you´ll love to buy yourself.
When you find your own personal authentic photography style, it will be much easier for you to separate yourself from the crowd and attract the right clients for you.
I believe that purpose is the key to success – when you understand the deeper meaning of why you take the pictures you do, you can begin to create niche-marketing and brand yourself to your perfect audience.
Take me for example; my purpose is to evoke confidence and power in women – it´s my niche, it´s the core of my business. So no matter if I take pictures, write a blog post, teach a workshop or interact with clients, this subject is always on the top of my mind. It´s my driving force behind everything I do.
So forget about trying to fit in, forget about the competition – don´t worry about what everyone else is doing. Do your own thing – find your own purpose and drive behind your photography.
Reason No 3: Not knowing what you are worth – charging to little
The direct road to business failure: not knowing what you are worth. You need integrity and standards to place a value on your creativity. Many photographers who don’t know the value of their creativity tend to lower their prices out of fear of not being booked.
But the truth is, that the price is never the real reason for why clients don´t book you. Clients will pay whatever you ask, for something they really want.
So instead of lowering your fees, figure out what your ideal costumer truly wants. Think about how you can go that extra mile to give your clients an awesome experience – one they´ll cherish forever and tell all their friends about.
Your pricing will say a lot about you; how you value your time, your artwork and skills. Make sure you are happy and proud of the fee you charge.
Reason No 4: Feeling overwhelmed + failing to take action
If your thoughts or emotions are focused on feeling “behind” or “overwhelmed” or “not good enough” for any reason, it will drain your motivation and energy to boost your beautiful photography career.
YOU have the power to chose what you’ll focus on, what actions you’ll take and what thoughts you’ll empower, believe in and ultimately, make real. If you’re beating yourself up or getting lost in a pattern of stress or overwhelm, I’m challenging you right now to choose differently.
Direct your your attention, your love and your gifts in a way that serves you, and supports your dream. Commit to a goal, make a plan and follow it every day. The key it to keep it real – don´t try to do everything at once.
Spend some time every day to reach out to potential clients, promote yourself and network. Don´t hide behind that camera all day – no one will discover you if you don´t show your pretty face to the outside world
Take a small step everyday. Set aside time to get it done–and trust me, you´ll harvest the rewards!

Consumer Reports Doesn’t Understand Why Wedding Photography Costs More

Weddings are expensive” is a pretty popular topic for articles on the internet, and now Consumer Reports is getting in on the action by “revealing” that wedding photography costs more than other kinds of photography. The premise of the article lies heavily on the fact that it’s simply a markup that gets applied as soon as the word “wedding” is uttered, but there’s more to it than that when it comes to photography, so let’s clear a few things up.
The first, and most obvious point to be made is that wedding photography is different than other types of photography. In the study, Consumer Reports queried several vendors with two different scenarios. Here’s the example from the article: “Some photographers inflated their pricing when the affair was a wedding. For instance, photography for a Saturday night wedding in mid-October cost $300 per hour at [photographer's name removed]. For a 50th anniversary party of the same size at the same time with an almost identical package of services, though, the charge was $150 per hour.”
It may seem fair to compare the two events because, hey, they’re happening on the same night and they last the same number of hours. But, the two are very different animals.
Weddings require work that happens before the big day, including scouting and helping the couple to plan the festivities to maximize time usage (something briefly mentioned in the article). Weddings typically require lots of gear to cover every aspect of an event, including formal portraits. Weddings have schedules that change on a dime, and tons of other logistics to figure out. And most importantly, weddings often require more people on the team to make everything happen. I like to work with a second shooter and sometimes even an assistant or two for weddings. And all of this often happens across several venues. And let’s not even get into the type of editing that wedding photos require.
An anniversary party, however, is typically much simpler. I can show up with a single camera and a couple flashes and make the whole thing work for basic formals and lots of great coverage. I certainly might bring an assistant, but wouldn’t likely need a second shooter unless a specific request called for it. And the editing is all pretty straight forward since it’s basically just one long wedding reception. This isn't the case for all photographers, but it's also probably not information that's readily offered to random clients unless they specifically ask.
That’s not to say that there isn’t some wiggle room for people who want a great photographer but can’t afford the best possible packages. It can’t hurt to ask if there are any options for making things more affordable, unless the client is slinging offensive low-balls.
Don’t get me wrong, there is likely at least a little bit of a markup on wedding photography as a whole. But, even if you can’t link that markup to a specific line item on the invoice, it’s still worth considering that developing wedding photography skills is a very long and specialized process. Wedding photography is also typically more stressful than other types of photography, even if it is really, really fun.
You wouldn't fault a mechanic for charging more to work on a Ferrari than on a cheap family sedan. The stakes are higher and the skills more specialized.
Ultimately, I think it’s unfair to imply that every photographer is simply trying to screw people as soon as they find out they’re in the market for a wedding. And anyone who gets the bright idea to try and book a photographer for a “party” that’s actually a wedding in order to save a few bucks should certainly reconsider.