It is the dream of all entrepreneurs to be their own boss, and to make it on their own terms. So many photographers fall under this dream but the difference is they dream of creating their art and making a living from it, not creating a business that revolves around the art.
I would love to make a sappy, feel good post about how great it is to start a business and make my dreams come true but the truth is.
It. Is. Hard. Work.
It is not all sunshine and roses sadly.
You will not have overnight success.
So many photographers start out thinking they just have to take the right image and release it in the right place and it will launch their career. They are wrong. Social media has made us think that we can be overnight stars but the truth it those killing it on social media are working the algorithm and systems 24/7. If you are running a business, even a photography business you just won’t have the time to run a full scale social media launch for it. Because you will have a thousand things to do, people and places to photograph and there are only so many hours in a day.
So be prepared to work your ass off for what can sometimes feel like no progress. It isn’t easy, many times it isn’t fun but to have any success you have to work hard and not count on social media to launch your career.
You will get burnt out.
I wish I could say that if you have a business going and are doing what you love then you are there and made it. But the truth is now you have to be prepared for getting burnt out. It can come on slowly and everyone reactions differently but burnout sucks the joy out of the work and it can ruin the progress and all hard work of starting and running your business.
You will face Rejection.
You will face rejection from potential clients, and in contests and wherever else you share your work. Not everyone is going to love the work or style of the images you take. No matter how great a photographer you are it is impossible to make everyone happy all the time.
You will not have time for your hobbies as well as some events with friends and families.
The busier and more popular your business becomes the less time you will have for hobbies and spending time with those you love it is the sad truth. Many, many photographers view this as a sign of a successful business and for a long time I was the same. But the truth is you need to make time for hobbies and family. You need them to keep you grounded, creative, and the keep you burnout.
You will have inconsistent income and it will take a while to make a profit.
Photography isn’t a stable career. It comes with fluctuating income, up and down months and sometimes great lags that can cause you to want to give up. It isn’t an easy business and you have to plan ahead for the downs especially when you are in an up-cycle.
It will take far longer than you think to have a successful business.
It can take many, many years to have a successful business. It can take a lot of time for your business to take off. A lot of connections and networking. It can take many years burning the candle at both ends before it is even something you are doing full time.
Anything can happen to derail you along the way.
Then after you finally make it and it seems like everything is in your favor anything can come along to derail it. For me it was covid-19, shutdowns, then the climate of our economic systems and rising inflation. Photography is very much a luxury good. We want great photos but we can survive without them, and in a time when we are fighting to keep food on the table, roof over our heads a decline in disposable income is becoming rampant.
Anything can happen and I hope of all the buddying photography business owners out there this list doesn’t scare you off. Photography can be an amazing career, you will meet amazing people and create amazing images. But go in knowing there are downsides and sometimes you will have to fight tooth and nail to keep your business. Even if it means fighting yourself during creative slumps and periods of self doubt.