Hi, there!
If you missed Part 1 of our Open Letter to a Newbie Baby Photographer, go start there and then continue reading here with Part 2.
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Remember how we were talking about all of the things I wish I’d known when I started my photography business? The list goes on and on, and now that I’m five years in I realize that there are so many things that will help YOU in your journey as a baby photographer. Read on for the remaining 6 tips for newbie baby photographers!
It’s okay to fail.
You know the quote, “What if I fail? Oh, but my darling, but what if you fly?” Remember that. It’s okay to fail, and it’s going to happen. You’re going to have a session that doesn’t go well. You’re going to have a client that doesn’t like their images. You’re going to have a computer malfunction and lose everything. It’s going to happen. But you know what else is going to happen? You’re going to keep moving forward. You’re going to keep learning and growing. You’re going to shower your clients in love and fix everything for them so that they can’t stop singing your praises. You’re going to fly.
Find your tribe.
I have a handful of amazing photographer friends, and we love to bounce ideas off of each other, ask for advice, share a difficult situation for some insight, and brainstorm our marketing ideas together. For my first many years in business, I did’t have any “colleagues” in the photography business that I could reach out to for help. Don’t be afraid to connect with others, share ideas, and ask for help. You never know who you’ll meet and what you’ll learn from each other!
Focus on YOU before you focus on everyone else.
When you’re admiring other photographer’s pages, saving your favorite posts on Facebook, pinning inspiration on Pinterest, it’s easy to lose track of yourself and your style. It becomes a game of comparison when you always feel like you’re not good enough, not hustling enough, not busy enough, not talented enough. Stop for a minute and realize that YOU ARE ENOUGH. Focus on you, your business, your style, your clients. Shoot what you love, style your sessions a way that makes your heart happy, pamper your clients and treat every single one like your absolute favorite client in the world. Doing this is going to get you so much further than wasting hours on Pinterest and Facebook, and it’s also going to make you feel a million times better about yourself, your work, and this crazy dream you’re chasing.
Learn your numbers.
Don’t just pick some random number and decide to do all of your sessions for that price (which, by the way, if you’re doing sessions for anything in the double-digits, you are waaaayyyy too low!). Figure out how many sessions you can take on each month, how many hours you’ll spend at the session, driving to and from the session, editing the session, creating a gallery or prepping for an ordering session, ordering their products, and delivering their images.
Figure out your cost of goods (prints, boxes, ribbon, labels, postage, gallery hosting software, business cards, thank you cards — just to name a few!). Figure out the cost of childcare you’ll need to pay for to shoot & edit your session. Figure out the cost of your gear that you’re saving up for, because how are you ever going to save up for it if every penny you make goes into all of the things I already mentioned here? Insurance, taxes, software, new equipment, props, heat for your newborn sessions 12 months a year, business apps, website hosting. The list never ends. There is so much more that goes into this than just the photos themselves, so know your numbers and price yourself appropriately so that you’re still paying yourself at the end of the day.
Become business-savvy.
Running a successful photography business is about so much more than just pictures. You need to invest in quality education related to the business side of things. Marketing. SEO. Sales. Building a brand. Reaching your ideal client. I am going to share soooooo many more blog posts on these topics because I have photographers ask me about them all the time and I know that these are topics that everyone could use a little help with, but just remember that this is a huge part of creating a successful business and you need to step away from the camera & Lightroom sometimes to focus on other areas of your business in order to be successful.
Finally, learn how to say “no.”
I know, it feels like such a dirty word. We want to be people pleasers so we say yes to everything and everyone. But when you’re running a business, you need to learn when to say no so that you can say yes to other things that truly set your heart on fire. No to a session that you have no interest in specializing in, no to a location that is not going to allow you to create your best work, no to a prop that really doesn’t fit with your style. No to taking on a session that cuts into your valuable time with your family, no to “just one more set-up, I promise he’ll finally smile for the next one”. No to giving away all of the digital images at a bargain price just so they can go print them at Walmart (where they’ll turn out with orange skin and harsh shadows, no fault of your editing).
Because when you say no to these things, you can say yes to growing your business. To finding a niche to specialize in and becoming really good at it. To developing a style and a brand that people seek you out for, an experience that they value, artwork that they can’t stop talking about. When you say no to these things, you’re saying “no” to failing and “yes” to flying.
What if I fail?
Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?
I see you over there. And you know what? I’ve got your back. You can do this. Keep chasing your dream, keep asking and learning and creating and growing. Keep at it, because this is the stuff your dreams are made of. You’re doing just fine.
With love (and a nice little kick in the pants if that’s what you needed in your business today!),
Nicole Starr
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