Photographers and Burnout – NOT ME
Ever heard of photographer’s burnout?
While there are many successful photographers who are able to run their businesses with ease, there are just as many (and arguably more) photographers who set out to take great pictures and return with a jaded view of their art, clients, and photography business. The fun is so hard to find amidst the piles and piles of paperwork, money talk, and marketing …and don’t forget the ultimate challenge of pleasing every single customer on the face of the earth!
The starving artist’s voice rings out in our heads “WE MUST SHOOT WEDDINGS IF WE WANT TO EARN MONEY TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS” and we dive in head first, thinking how hard can it be, right? Shoot 3 million photos of bride, go home, burn 2.9million to disc, give to happy bride. Then the cold, hard, business world slaps us in the face as our friends and family believe they now have an on-call makeup artist to whisk away their wrinkles and convince friends they have not aged since 12.
How exactly DO I make living in this industry?
The reality is, most of us could make money doing photography, and love it. We just need to get past the standard “wedding/family/baby photo hazing” that is somehow entrenched the minds of new and aspiring photographers. In fact, I would hazard a guess that many experienced photographers are still there. Maybe it’s me. I’m really bad at marketing, that’s got to be it! Perhaps if I took pictures like Jasmine Star, then I would succeed. I’m just not experienced enough. I should take what I can get and do free work until I’m better. Maybe I just need more customers, so I’ll do a Groupon and that’ll bring ‘em in! Balancing work and family life is a sham, we photographers need to beat the streets to get ahead.
Do these thoughts resonate with you?
Perhaps not these, but the general sense that you are not really taking the kind of photographs you envisioned, and your business is a little stuck. Some of you may have even reached the point where you hate your work, but you continue because you have invested so much time and money into this.
It is time to get to the bottom of who you really are, and to see a practical ways in which you can be who you are within the framework of photography. I don’t care how much you love your job in this particular moment. There will come a day when you either make your own way, or you burn out. Join us to find out how to make your own way.
Anita Chapman from Perfect Moments Photography has a wealth of knowledge to share from her experiences as a successful wedding photographer, including the steps it took for her to build and change her business while being a mother to two boys. Tamara Okoti (Beyond Exposure) ,who went through a photographer’s burnout, will share important lessons learned in the art vs. business world, and will help photographers learn how to better manage their sanity while building a business they love. Lastly, Nicole Christen, an expert in digital media strategy at Nicole Christen Media, will share valuable insights to help photographers effectively manage this facet of business. This might sound easy, but are our online efforts actually engaging clients and drawing more potential clients our way? Find out what’s working for you and what is not in Shooting for Success!
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