I've spent the last few years doing pretty much nothing but improving my craft. I've always been a lover of technique more than of marketing; however I understand that both are crucial, and I'm finally at the point where I think it's time to shift gears. I'll continue learning and improving my madskills, of course, but now that I've graduated from college, and I'm booking more magazine and wedding jobs than ever, I have the time and money to start contacting art buyers. How do you know when it's time? Well, I've done a lot of research into photo representatives and photographers who are getting work, and it seems like a few of them have lower-level work than mine, but they've invested in branding and in advertising their work. There are still many many photographers out there with stronger work than mine; however I feel I've broken the threshold where my work is marketable. And if it's marketable, well, I should market it. Once you can enter the market, and get hired with larger and larger budgets, you have room to rent or buy gear you might not otherwise use, reserve locations you might otherwise not be allowed to shoot, and hire talent that better fits your vision. There are CGI artists you can partner with, and retouchers you can hire, and studios you can afford to rent, all of which is difficult when you're only shooting portfolio work, etc. And all of these things raise the quality of your finished product. So while I still have things to learn, I'd like to start taking advantage of the kind of budgets which will take my work up a step, which should result in more jobs with larger budgets. I'm referring to commercial work, of course, but even for you wedding photographers, it works the same way. When you start out, and you charge $500 for a wedding for clients who think that's outrageously expensive, you'll shoot in a bare-bones church basketball gym with fluorescent lights and no windows for a bride in a used $300 dress with metal folding chairs and bed-sheets for table-cloths. All of these things will make your photos look dark and cheap, and you'll continue shooting those kinds of weddings. So you either spend your life-savings on upgrading your branding and marketing to get the higher-priced clients, or you save your dimes until someday you can afford it, but in the meantime you're shooting ugly photos for 3 years. It's a really difficult time in your progress, but once you've done the work, and shot some models in bridal gowns, and made some partnerships with some wedding venues, etc., it all comes together and finally you get the clients you want, and the beautiful photos that naturally follow. And those photos perpetuate themselves by attracting more of the same or better clients. Don't dispair. Don't give up. Keep shooting and showing your work. Do all you can on your own and hire experts when you can afford to. It can seem slow, and feel like you're going nowhere. I feel the same way every day. That's why I keep a list of all my publications and awards on my website. Not just so clients can trust me, but also so I can go remind myself that I've done a lot in 3 years, and even in the last 6 months. But all those 9 magazines I've been published in in the last 6 months are because of the prior 3 years of thankless shooting and practicing and studying and failing. It's all part of the process. I intend to continue getting published and hired, and improving and failing. And I trust that all of that will result in success with bigger jobs, more well-known clients and the growth of my brand. And that's my goal. Just keep looking up.
