Leaps of Faith for Photographers

You can't be the kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it.
You have to go down the chute.
Tina Fey

by Skip Cohen

In the last few months, I've talked with hundreds of photographers online, through emails, and IMs on Facebook, or live on the phone. If there's a common theme, it's centered around getting business back on track.

Many of you already had challenges in your business before the pandemic you needed to address, but you procrastinated and put those issues on the back burner. After all, there was nothing you could do to change the dynamics of the new normal.

Well, Covid-19 isn't going to disappear with one dramatic "grand sweeping gesture." Masks, hand-washing, physical distancing, and being smart about protecting yourself and your family is all part of the new normal. 
What's NOT part of the new normal is running your business the same old way. You need to adapt to the needs of your clients and, at the same time, respect the health parameters important to both them and you.

So, you're at the top of the waterslide, and it's time to leap into a new level of diversity for your business. You still need to fine-tune your skills, but there are still some strong imaging needed by your clients.

• Headshots: Whether online or in-person, the demand is still there and might be more popular than ever. Remember, every business is dealing with the transition of their website and blog becoming a more important focal point. Not heard about online headshots? Check out this past post about JP Elario. 
• Fine Art: While many of you think the market for fine art sales is down because of so many people with a reduction in income, remember Seth Godin's quote, "People do not buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories, and magic." People also don't always buy what they need but what they want. Everyone is spending more time at home looking at the same walls and art. It's your job to share great images and plant the seed of brightening their homes with new artwork.
• Aerial: I'm in the process right now of printing some new photos showing our house and its location near the ocean, all thanks to my buddy Jonny Yoshinaga. If you've got the skill set, start reaching out to people to capture unique drone images. 
• Engagement Sessions: With no big crowds and maintaining physical distancing, engagement sessions are still popular. But to get this part of the business, you've also got to show incredible work on your website. You've got to hook your target audience on the romance in your images, creativity, and your ability to capture their personalities, along with the love they have for each other.
• Your Archives: Too many of you are under-estimating the value of your archived images of past clients. Now's the perfect time to put together a special offer giving your clients a well-deserved trip down Memory Lane. But if you don't plant the seed for the idea, nothing is going to grow. Be creative and consider new products from you lab.
• Outdoor Prints: I've written many times before about Bay Photo's Performance EXT Metal Prints. I've had the print referenced in this past blog post outside for almost two years in the sun, heat, and rain of South Florida, and it's still stunning. Just about everyone has a porch or patio that needs some creative decorating, and you have the images!
• Education: Virtually all of you are capable of teaching your clients how to capture better images by utilizing online education. Become the expert in your community, and it doesn't matter what your audience is using for a camera - the principles behind composition, posing, and exposure don't change.
• Stock Photography: The commercial world still needs images, and Adobe stock is strong, especially for artists with short video clips and still images. Is it time to expand your revenue stream?
• Pet Photography: Before the pandemic, the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer was brides, babies, and pets. I could be wrong, but I'm assuming brides have moved into the third position, but pets have probably moved up on the list. Pet photography still requires physical distancing, but the demand is still there.
• Landscape and Wildlife: Both have very few issues regarding physical distancing. And the finished prints cross over into several bullet points above like stock photography and fine art.
• Diversity: It's the last bullet point, but it's the foundation for everything you're going to do to help your business survive to deal with the new norm. That means if your specialty has some specific limits created by Covid-19, like wedding and event photography, you need to expand your skill set.

Just because the new norm requires physical distancing and has prevented most photographers from getting out of the slow season, doesn't mean there aren't things you can do to rebuild your business. You know how to focus your camera. Now it's time to refocus your career.
 
Over the years, mostly on Twitter, I've shared a lot of great quotes. While I'd like to take credit for all of them, it's thanks to two authors, Kathryn & Ross Petras, who put together a book of motivational quotes in the clickable thumbnail on the right. Tina Fey's quote above is from their collection. But my all time favorite is, "Age Doesn't Matter Unless You're a Cheese."

Whether you like to share quotes online or not, this little book is loaded with inspiration!

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