If you have decided to start a photography business, it can come as a shock to your friends and family. Especially if you give up a steady day job to become a freelancer. It can be hard to convince them that this is your calling and something you want to do probably for the rest of your life. If you’re struggling with this right now, this video from Chris Hau will help you go through it and convince your parents, family, and friends that photography is a real career you want and should pursue.
These are five lies every photographer hears
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When you decide to pursue a career in photography, you’ll get a lot of reactions and advice: and not all of them will be positive and useful. photographers Evan Ranft and Chris House have talked about the things everyone told them before starting a photography career that actually have nothing to do with a real photography career. Evan discusses five of these lies in this video. Do they seem familiar to you?
What is decisive in a photographer’s career?
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Some people think that talent is the decisive factor, but if you look closer…
If you have been in the business long enough, you already know that there are four basic factors that determine success in a photography career:
- technical skills
- creativity
- experience
- opportunities
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in photography?
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No matter what you do, I’m sure you learn from your job and your hobbies. About yourself, about the world and about the people around you. Ted Forbes addresses this topic in this video that can really get you thinking. He shares the most important lesson he’s learned as a photographer. And I’d love to hear if you agree with him.
If you want to start a career in photography you need to be realistic with your expectations
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Sean Tucker wasn’t always a photographer. He started off as a priest. But things weren’t going quite the way he hoped, and at 30 found himself looking for a new career. It’s a scary place to find yourself in. Completely changing the course of your life. But when a friend pointed out that this was a point where he could choose to do whatever he wanted to do, things took a turn for the better.
There’s two reasons I wanted to share this video. The first is that it’s shot in the Lake District in Cumbria. One of England’s most beautiful areas, and one I frequently visit to photograph people on location (I only live 20 minutes away, so it’s handy). The other, and more important one, is for you to hear Sean’s story and what he’s learned in his journey so far. He’s had the same doubts and fears, faced the same challenges, and hit the same walls that many of us have had or will have in the future.
Should we let our photographic failures rule us?
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This week I wanted to touch on the subject of failure. Mistakes and times when everything just seems to go wrong. Is it possible to avoid them? Is it possible to stay positive and move forwards? Are they useful?
I managed to make a few mistakes last year that I wanted to share with you guys to show you that we all mess up and from that, lessons can be learned.
- Misjudged my network
- Forgot gear for a shoot
- Failed to establish a clear goal for a shoot
The first one was a devastating blow to my frame of mind. In essence, I’d fallen into a place where I was connected with a few people who had very different goals and expectancy than myself.
It ended in mass confusion, a lot of hurt and losing both business and personal connections for potentially a lifetime. This was one of those times where I felt like the journey itself was completely outside of my control and I was simply in it for the ride.
How and when to ask for photography advice
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‘Please I need your help fast.’ Gosh, that’s a fairly desperate title for an email. Normally I’d delete that sort of missive as being a scam, but as it came through the Photocritic helpdesk the chances were that a student might’ve been a little overwrought.
It turns out that the email wasn’t from a student, although the sender could probably benefit from signing up for the school. And without wishing to belittle the sender, if you can wade through the hyperbole of desperation, it’s probably worth unpicking. I think there’s a great deal woven into the letter that people wanting to seek advice can learn from it.
I’ve redacted the sender’s name, but otherwise this is the email as I received it:
Peter Hurley’s keys to the car of success.
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Last week I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Peter Hurley for the better part of an hour in order to try and scratch a little deeper into his life, find out what drove him, what keep his motors running, his passion and drive seemingly endless.
Who’s Killing Freelance as a Viable Career in the Creative Industry?
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In my recent article “Who’s Killing the Photography Industry?”, I made the argument that photographers who choose not to charge licensing fees for the commercial use of their work are destroying the viability of photography as a sustainable career.
In the discussion that followed, I was very surprised that many readers viewed licensing as some sort of cash grab at best, with many voicing the sentiment that licensing is a relic that is no longer relevant to the reality of today’s creative industry.
I couldn’t disagree more – so in this article, I am going to expand a little on the value of licensing, and on a wider scale, look at who’s killing freelance as a viable career in the creative industry.
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