Q:

I want to go into photography, but it seems like everyone is a photographer these days! I want it to be my main business, so it needs to bring in decent income from early on. How do I stand out in such a crazy saturated market?

A:

Oh boy have I been there! I’m going to keep my advice simple and direct because I feel like there’s information overload these days about secret tricks and magical pills that help you become a millionaire overnight (spoiler alert: it’s all BS!).

I believe it comes down to two main things:

• niching yourself and
• being patient

First, let’s talk about your niche.

The word “niche” usually makes people think that you need to specialize in something totally obscure and applicable to about 20 people in your city (anyone interested in photos of dancing elephants from Norway taken on expired film and edited with homemade chemicals in my midcentury-modern basement darkroom?). In reality, niching yourself can be as simple as letting your personality shine. It really comes down to clarity on

• WHAT you offer,
• HOW you offer it, and
• WHY you’re different than the photographer next to you.

For example, maybe you do property photos for local brick-and-mortar businesses in your area. Beyond that, what could set you apart and create a niche for you could be the fact that you incorporate product vignettes and staff headshots. Often, your professionalism and your client process (with fun perks or surprises!) are what end up setting you apart from the crowd. Once you have your differentiators clear, then you communicate those to people at every possible moment! Show a behind-the-scenes pic of you taking staff headshots on your IG stories. Talk about your clients using the product vignette photos for their website e-commerce. Let people know what it is you offer that’s different, how it looks and feels for your clients, and why it’s the bees knees.

Next is patience.

While you may see these fabulous feeds of photographers who live a fun lifestyle full of awesome clients and vacations on a Wednesday, know that it takes YEARS to get there. What is usually not seen on feeds is the 2 years of slow work and struggle before they found their branding voice. Or the long and lonely days of editing for a corporate client that wasn’t exciting but paid the bills. Or the variety of clients that they took on during the first couple of years before they were at a point where they could choose only the most ideal clients to work with. It takes time, consistency, and lots of patience with yourself. The first year or two may require that you take on projects that aren’t super fun but build your expertise and keep the lights on. Or maybe you keep an office job for the first year as you hustle to build your brand in your off-hours. No matter what sacrifices you make early on, do keep your eyes on the prize - use any extra time you can for creating a brand and connections with your ideal clients. Eventually, the ideal clients will be enough to sustain your business and you can let go of the “bill-paying” work as your business grows.

xo
Natalia