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Setting the Record Straight On A Big Misconception

March 13, 2017

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First, let me say that it is late and Henley isn’t sleeping super soundly tonight so I’m probably not going to proof read this again.  If you find a few typos, forgive me!  “Grace not perfection” and “Mom first then boss” and all that jazz 😉

Now let me start this post by defending it before it begins.  I am not writing this post will ill intentions.  I am simply writing this to be informative because there is a huge misconception happening out there and I want to set the record straight.  I am not writing this post to anyone in particular, but instead, I am writing it to everyone in general.

Now lets begin, shall we?  

The photography industry has seriously taken off in the last few years.  How could it not??  It seems like the perfect career from a social media perspective.  Wake up, change out of our pjs and into leggings, go snap a few pretty pictures, make a couple hundred dollars, and the day is done.

That is a massive misconception and any professional photographer will tell you that!  

How could you not think that, though??  Thats all that we really share on social media most of the time and if we are doing the behind the scenes nitty gritty work, we make a joyful post about it and move on!

With that in mind, I want to set the record straight and explain what I do on a daily basis!  Both for awareness and to just share a little behind the scenes truth!

Enjoy and know that I am not writing this to scare anyone into not pursuing their passion if photography is it!!  I just simply want to bring to light the hard work that we as photographers put in every day that doesnt get posted about enough within our perfectly styled instagram accounts. 

Wake up.  

Get up.  Make coffee.  Drink coffee.  Repeat as necessary.  Thats everyones day thought right?! 🙂

Emails.

Lots and lots and lots of emails.  Your inbox was cleared out yesterday? (Yeah right thats a joke, but lets pretend for the sake of the story…) Your inbox was cleared out yesterday?  Well you’ve probably got a couple dozen waiting for you today!  Inquiries and questions and contracts and more fun stuff awaiting your response!  

The good news is that I absolutely love to connect with people and talking (and talking and talking) so this really isn’t too bad!

The Officials.

Someone wants to book you for a session.  Sounds great, amazing in fact!  But thats not the end, its actually just the beginning!  Now you’ll be comparing schedules, setting dates, putting together a proposal, creating an invoice, sending a contract, wait for all of that to be returned, send out any client guides, and then decide on location and other session details… For each and every sweet, sweet client.

Facebook Messages.

Now I know that a lot of people in the creative industry dislike Facebook messages because they get lost so easily!  I personally have come to accept them, however, because that seems to be the way that folks in my area prefer to contact me.  My only reason for bringing this up is because now you have emails, website inquiries, and Facebook messages coming at ya today!  Get ready.

Editing.

Imagine that you just got home from a wedding (its probably 1 am).  Now imagine that you plug in your cards from that day, and suddenly your computer has 2000 more photos on it that are begging to be culled through, edited and sent to your client asap.  Now imagine that in order to get them to your client quickly, you’re spending your day sitting in front of a computer editing for 8 hours straight.  or 12.  or every waking moment of 48 hours.  That has happened too.  Editing is time consuming.  Sure you can hire someone to do it for you, but thats also expensive.

Marketing.

Enough said.  Gotta drum up business, right?!

Networking.

Super powerful, awesome to meet people, but also can be time consuming.  Even the simple instagram messages, personal visits, phone calls, or events can take up a good portion of your day!

Blogging.

Not everyone blogs and you certainly don’t have to.  If you do begin blogging, now you have a blog schedule with sessions to blog and topics to discuss and images to select to go with the blog!  Now go back to marketing to make sure that you’re directing people to your blog to read what you’ve put so much work into!

Website Updating.

Not everyone updates their websites regularly, but you really should be.  Take some time periodically to upload new images, make a few refreshers, and insure that your brand is still being represented accurately!  Update any pricing information and make sure that any promotions are being well advertised.

Webinars.

One other really amazing thing is that you get to learn from industry leaders from the comfort of your home in pjs.  The only downside is that the webinars will probably be at around 6-8 pm and you’ll be on till 10 pm or later.  Your day just got that much longer.

You’re Probably Working From Home.

If you begin working for yourself full time then you’re most likely working from home.  You’ve got your laptop on one knee and bouncing a baby on the other.  Or you’re stepping away from editing for a moment to toss more cloths in the dryer and start cooking dinner.  No big deal, just be ready to multitask like you’ve never done before.

Social Media.

I used to think that social media was just a “post whatever you want whenever you want” kind of thing.  Now that I own a business, I know that its much more than that.  Every image, every edit, ever word, every meaning of each post needs to have a purpose and be relevant to your brand.

. . . . . 

Now if that hasn’t scared you off, then let me say one last thing and then you go get your hands on your camera and let that passion burn even brighter!

Starting a business is not for the light hearted.  It takes serious commitment.  It takes late nights, long hours, and sacrifice to set yourself apart.  Dont be fooled into thinking that we all have perfect work life balance all of the time because of what you see on Instagram.  

We are all experiencing similar struggles in our businesses no matter what we post on social media.  We all have our seasons for hustle and growth and pushing hard with a lot of wins, paired with our seasons of feeling like failures, and we are all still CONSTANTLY growing and improving and reaching for the next star!

We’ve all worked really hard to get where we are (no matter where we are) in our businesses and we all deserve a really big hug and a really big pat on the back with a “you’re doing fine” smile.

Final Thought:

Please don’t compare yourself to others.  Please don’t let the creatives that you follow loose their humanity because you think that they have it easy from what you see on social media.  Please don’t let the hard times keep you from pursuing your passion and please always remember that the hustle is so worth it!

. . . . .

This Weeks Blog Schedule

Tuesday

Lindsay & Paul’s Engagement Session

Wednesday

Senior Spokesmodel Team Introduction and Gifting

Thursday

Carrie’s Senior Session

Friday

For Photographers: Finding Business Consistency During An Inconsistent Day

 

Florals by Love Blooms

Florals by Love Blooms

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I believe that getting to know my clients is the best way to deliver photographs that look and feel true to who you are.  You're not just hiring a vendor, you'll be working with someone that really cares!

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Senior portrait & milestone photog, wife, mom, fitness enthusiast, skincare fanatic, & iced chai lover with a heart for serving my clients well through their best days

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