It should be known that my favorite type of photography involves action. When I photograph concerts, I’m looking for jumps and hair flops. When I’m photographing weddings, I’m looking for the most candid action I can find. The Olympics just finished and the entire time I watched, I thought of how jealous I am to not be able to photograph something of that magnitude. To make it a goal, I think my best solution would be to start networking. All I do is post my imagery on social media, but it hardly brings in new interest. I usually get the same amount of interest on social media as the previous post, and by the same people — often other photographers.
I have to find a way to get my work in front of more people. Unfortunately, I am not coming up with a solution for this at the moment. I get a ton of spam and robocalls that claim they can help my business, but I’m unweary of trying any of these channels. I’m stumped. I try to introduce myself to everybody I come across at each job. My business cards outside my studio are depleted from people interested (at least in the card). I have gotten some business from associates from previous jobs, but those business cards have been 100% fruitless. I got started in this business late in my life, and I’m finding it hard to make those new contacts.
I can’t let it discourage me. I need to let it motivate me. I need to stay focused on both the day to day photography and the more adventerous ones like this latest assignment from Kings Island. They needed marketing imagery to support their performance hiring and auditions.
I often tell clients that come in for portrait and headshot photography, it does not matter what they wear as long as it makes them feel comfortable. It will show in their facial features and create the best imagery possible. I realize, the same holds true for me. If I have it in the back of my mind that I should be doing some other photography rather than the assignment in front of me, I’m not going to get the best imagery possible either.
It affects everything going on now, and everything that could happen in the future. I didn’t realize how much of a people person I was going to have to be when I started this business on my own. And it goes deeper than that. I once did some album art for a band that really wanted to be noticed for their music, not their album artwork. Of course, I would like to be known for my photography rather than my disposition, but, the only way to get that chance is to be at my best at all times, no matter the assignment.
it takes a good deal of gratitude to do so. As I daydream about photographing downhill skiers or platform divers in action, I need to also consider, there are a lot of people who would kill to photograph what I get to photograph too. All this, while I’m currently posting photographs of my favorite type of photography.
The job went smoothly. I got to call the shots, come up with ideas, and try new things. If I missed a shot I wanted, we got to do it again. How lucky am I to have something to photograph and be able to direct people to my whim and get paid for it? They have complete faith in me, and they pass that faith around the ranks, even when the project owner has not met me before. And I really need to be thankful of that. It will show in my photographs and I’ll get the best imagery possible. And it might catch the eye of another potential client, or it might not. In any event, I will have enjoyed what I do.
