I never set out to own, operate, and run a photography business. I never really set out to be a photographer. Yet that is what has happened in life. I have loved the journey even though there have been many, not very fun moments. Even though I had no idea how to start a business let alone make it successful in the beginning.
After five years in business, I have learned a few things that may help make someone else’s journey easier.
The most important lesson I have learned as a photographer and business owner is not to give up when it gets tough. This is especially true following 2020. It was so hard not to throw in the towel at the start of the pandemic or even last year.
Starting this year I have undergone so many emotions regarding my business. I am exhausted fighting to keep it successful. I am wanting to scale back even as I want so badly to grow like I would have if the pandemic in 2020 never happened. I wish I could sit here and write do this and you too will survive but it really isn’t that simple the world is changing and the universal truth is photography is a luxury good.
I have told myself from the day I started that clients, people, do not need photography they want it. And for the most part, you can create a business from want but in a time when the cost of everything is rising and there is a work revolution need is winning out far more frequently. It has not been easy to make it since 2020, especially in a luxury good service. I can not lie being a photographer is hard during the good years and it is exhausting and stressful during the bad years.
It isn’t for the faint of heart.
I assure you I have more to offer than the bleak rumblings of the struggle for survival after all I have turned a profit every year, some years only doing a handful of events so I have learned a lot to make it as well. The truth is you will work hard, you will work a lot, and you will work even when those closest to you think you are doing nothing or wasting your time.
Success for making it came when I started treating my business as a brand. Exposure One Studios came about after years of calling myself TB Photography. I wanted to do more than photography, I wanted something to have as an umbrella for expansion and so in 2016 I transitioned the business and rebranded. That move could have been bad everyone knew me under the old name and with the change, I increased prices and offerings.
I expanded rapidly in 2016 with the rebrand. I added the graphic work and I increased my travel time on the rodeo road. I was setting myself up to be noticed, I was growing as a photographer, and I was making a brand that people would know just by looking at the images. Not to mention networking which is the bread and butter of any business.
The secret to business is having a solid plan, taking new opportunities, and never undervalue yourself. I can’t give you secrets for winning clients or selling packages because every photographer is different. I can say the worst thing to do is discount your time and your work because clients will start to think that is your value. I can also say to underpromise and over-deliver as often as you possibly can.
The true secret to success is believing in yourself and having the strength of character to weather the storm during the rough times. Be true to yourself and your vision and best of luck on your business venture.