photography education myths hot takes and what I recommend instead

I have heard and been taught so many things in the last 18 years of having a photography business. Some have been highly beneficial and game changers, and some have been straight up manipulative or completely out of touch with reality. But watch out—that phrase alone will be called out by some as a “limiting mindset”, just FYI. Here are a handful of hot takes on things I have either been taught, have had said to me, or have first-handedly seen spoken in photography circles, or to other photographers. It only takes reading a couple Reddit threads to see what a problem some of these pieces of “advice” can be. Before I get into my opinons, let me tell you what I recommend when looking into photography education.

Photography Education Recommendations

1 | DO Invest In Yourself—With Care

Investing in yourself and your business is a good idea, and there are going to be some times that you are going to consider your finances, and make some adjustments because you know you have a growth opportunity with a particular coach, mentor, or group. That being said, nobody has any special secret that you couldn’t figure out on your own. The main thing you are looking for is someone that can help you avoid some pitfalls, and reach your goals faster, and also help you with specific things you are struggling to figure out, or aren’t sure how to do and your brainstorming isn’t getting you very far.

2 | UTILIZE FREE + AFFORDABLE RESOURCES

Look on google, check some reddit threads. You may have really great success by reaching out to someone local that you trust to see if they offer one-on-one mentoring or if they recommend someone. Also, youtube is incredible. Youtube and google offer more than you need to know to get started and to be successful. I learned from a handful of library books and the guy at the camera store. There are some education and mentoring opportunities that can help refine your process, or get to a certain point quicker, in ways that CAN save you money in the long run, and help you make money, but don’t be fooled into thinking you are not able to do this without them.

PHOTOGRAPHY EDUCATION MYTHS

1 | You’re Undercutting the Market If You Are Charging Too Little

Ok. Literally. This needs to be thought through. And, if I’ve heard a statement that is actually coming from a scarcity mindset, it’s this one. This statement makes it sound like there is actually not room for everyone. And that by someone else getting something, that means there is less for you. That may actually be the case, especially if you are in a small town, but that is something that you have got to figure out, and is not the fault of the person that is charging less than you are. There is a place for Walmart and Dollar Tree, and there is a place for Anthropologie. They each serve a certain type of person, for certain types of scenarios. Some people shot at one or the other, some people shop at both, and these two companies have a brand and reputation that they are building with a reputation to serve their clients in a way that is consistent with their brand.

Now I am not going to trash on Walmart, but we don’t go there for high quality items per se. We go there because it suits our budget, or we don’t actually care if the quality of certain products is good at all (think paper cups). Maybe the product we get there is “good enough,” and “does the job,”. Do you think Walmart accepts money from people that want these things? YES. Do you think Anthropologie wants people that come to their store to not expect to get much for quality? Heck no! Do you think they feel threatened by Walmart’s “affordable” dress options. Again—no. Is there a price cap on what Anthropologie can charge for things? I’m sure. That’s what market research is for. That people said, do you think Anthropologie is upset with Walmart for “undercutting” the market? I highly doubt it.

Another point—when someone first starts out at any job, especially an entry level job, they do not get paid very much. Part of that reason is that they don’t have experience, and they really aren’t very good. They shouldn’t get paid or be charging what the seasoned photographer of 20 years does. Not that they can’t of course—I’m all for someone being an overnight success—but the point I’m making is that when you start out, your skills are minimal, and the longer you work, the more your skills improve. Not only that, but you develop EXPERIENCE, which offers its own value in itself.

All of that put together, I just feel like it makes sense to charge less when you are newer, and to start charging more as you grow. You starting out new is how you enter the job market. Photographer or not.

photography myth number one what i would do instead

2 | Never Do Free Work

First of all. Any statement that starts with never. So you are saying that in 100% of circumstances, for 100% of the population that this is applicable? There is absolutely a time and a place for free work. And you can use that to your discretion. I’ve done free work when I was just starting out and needed to learn how to use my camera. Or when I wanted to shift my photography style and wanted creative control to execute a vision of the type of work I was really wanting to do more of, and be paid to do. I’ve done free sessions when it was in a place I really wanted to add to my portfolio or use for SEO purposes, and saved me all kinds of time on setting up a styled shoot, potentially needing to provide outfits, transportation, whatever. I call it an investment shoot—especially if it is for something like formals for a couple where it would cost you to get florals, a dress/tux, or even if you traded photos with other vendors, you still have to get that stuff picked up, returned in the best condition possible, etc. This way I spend money on gas, a couple hours to shoot and edit, and then I optimize that shiz for the internet and continue to book sessions in those locations. This builds credibility in you as well as people see that you have shot in some of those locations.

My best advice when doing free work, is to utilize it as much as possible. If you are choosing who to photography, see if you can find someone that has a “micro” influencer following. The type that doesn’t necessarily look like they might pay for followers, and actually have an active following. Offer photos in exchange for three reels on their IG, and 6 instagram stories of their favorites, or even a review (I think that’s kosher with google, you may want to double check). You can totally make this work for you so that it is a win for everyone. Starting a photography is a building process.

photography education myth hot take what i would do instead

3 | You Need To Be A Six-Figure Photographer

photo education myth graphic that you need to be a six figure photographer

I can’t tell you how much this belief alone has impacted me. In general, it was somewhat of a driver of my determination to really create a thriving photography business. It was a fuel, a goal, something I really wanted. Or at least thought I did. Who doesn’t want to make six figures a year? It is actually a goal I am still working towards, and am in a coaching group with a coach that I trust, have worked with in the past and saw a return on my investement. I’m not saying you can’t have that as a goal. I am saying, if someone has that in their marketing, your alert system should send some signals. You don’t need to immediately disregard them, but it should cause a bit of hesitation and skepticism. If what they have to offer proves to hold value, then it will hold up to your skepticism.

What I didn’t realize when I was in the middle of such a crucial growth period was how much it actually did not matter if I made six figures. How much it did not equate to success. And how much it is used as A SALES GIMMICK. I can’t fault people for using it, and I do think that it can serve a particular purpose, especially if you are wanting to credential yourself as an educator. If you are trying to show someone that you were able to make that income on photography alone, and would like to help show them how, then great. The unfortunate thing is that a lof of people only started making six figures once they introduced education into their business, and it isn’t a very honest marketing line. A question you can ask before giving your freaking hard earned money over to someone with big promises—absoulutely.

I have never made six figures in a year as a photographer. I have also never made six figures in a year as a nurse (my other life). Not even on both incomes together. That does not mean that my income has not significantly impacted my life for the better. It has been a way for me to work and enhance my life, just like any other job. The cheat code is that it doesn’t actually feel like a job.

photography education hot take to run a profitable business instead of six figure business

4 | “Invest” In A…(Fill In The Blank)

photo education myth that you should invest in everything right away

The word investment is thrown around VERY casually. It’s almost used in a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of way, and it ends up being what is referred to in the business world as sunk costs. Something you put money into hoping it would work out, with money you will never get back. This can create another problem of the emotional need to get something out of it because you wasted money on it. Yes, invest in a camera, and a good quality lens. But you don’t need to go all in all at once. I have been using everything the free way until my business grew to a point of needing to spend a little money on systems that did invoicing for me, or my contracts, or that run my email list, deliver photo galleries through, etc. Almost all of these have a free option. You do not need to be spending $80 a month on Honeybook right now when you are only booking a couple clients a month. I wouldn’t go with Honeybook anyway, for personal preferences, again, because there are other programs I like better, and they are more cost effective. Some platforms aren’t always the prettiest, but not everything has to be aesthetic.

photo education tip to take your time before adding additional expenses

5 | Charge Your Worth

photography education myth that you should charge your worth

Your worth is actually limitless. There is no number you can put on this. There is no number you can put on the value of your photographs. But people have budgets. Does that mean you can’t charge more than you are? Absolutely not. And you shouldn’t be hesitating to charge a higher amount that you know overall what your surrounding market pays for your types of services, or charge even more than that because you don’t think you deserve to be paid that, or you aren’t “good enough”, you feel like an imposter, etc. You just need to let that idea go. It is not helpful to you. Being realistic and doing market research is different than not thinking you deserve that amount of money.

There are a couple flaws with this line that I’ve heard a bajillion times. Number one, you literally can charge whatever you want. What you charge will impact your bookings, which will affect what your bank account looks like. You will need to do certain types of marketing to consistently book at higher price ranges. Or maybe you are charging a very high amount because you only want to shoot here and there, and you are wanting a very specific type of work, etc. Some people are great at business and charge a lot, AND they stay crazy busy with bookings. Second flaw in this idea is that you can actually charge yourself right out of your market. Ask me how I know this. :) Just because you put a certain price tag on something does not mean that people will pay that. Or that as many people will pay it as you would like. You might actually find that you would prefer doing 10 $100 sessions, over doing ZERO $1000 sessions.

I know I know I know. Limiting mindset. Ask me how I know this is an argument in response…. Again, being realistic and sensible is not the same as shutting down the idea of amazing possibilities. Some select few people can throw caution to the wind and say to hell with it, and it actually does work for them. I don’t know that that’s the advice you are going to get from financial advisors of highly successful long-term companies. It’s ok to reason through these types of things, and create a strategy, and remind yourself to not let fear hold you back from designing the business that you are really excited about.

photography tip to charge a profitable amount instead of just charging whatever you want

6 | Invest In Yourself (without care, see above)

photography education myth graphic to invest in yourself without care

I’m going to put this next part in all caps because it is important: DO NOT “INVEST” ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY INTO ANYTHING UNLESS YOU ARE OK WITH THE CHANCE THAT YOU MAY NEVER GET IT BACK. If you would significantly struggle without that money, think twice, thrice, and then some. Investments should not be made with the entirety of our savings account. Your quality of life should not suffer because of the money you now have to live without. You’d be shocked to hear some of the stories used to absolutely manipulate people into spending their last dollar on something that ended up biting them hard in the ass. Remember? “Limiting mindset”????? Dude, if someone ever tries to use that as a way to convince you that what they have to offer you is valuable, freaking run the opposite direction. There is a place for confronting where your mindset may be limiting you, or holding you back, but don’t let that push you into an uncomfortable position of making a financial commitment when your gut knows better.

Are you noticing a pattern here? You will hear almost all of these types of things from someone whose bank account will benefit from your purchase. I’m no financial advisor, but it doesn’t always have to be a stretch, major or minor, to be able to give you some type of return on your investment. THE ABSOLUTE BEST INVESTMENTS I HAVE MADE FOR MY BUSINESS HAVE NOT BEEN HIGH TICKET ITEMS. I am particularly talking in the realm of education, mentoring, and coaching groups. I’ve spent some high amounts of money on things at times when I actually could not afford them. I was certain that it was going to have this huge turnaround and pay me back ten fold. That is what I view an investment as. There are some things I spent lots of money on that I not only didn’t make that money back as a result of it, but any money I did make, ALL went into said “investments”.

I was able to free myself up from some financial obligations that I had committed to (signed a contract), and took a few hundred dollars to actually invest into a couple of things I knew would actually help, and they have been the things that have far exceeded the high ticket investments. Make a list of things that would be useful for you to learn, and set out to learn as much as you can on youtube, and then reach out to a few people that you look up to or that are experts in those couple of things.