I love building up the photography community, and really have a passion for bettering our industry. However, there is always room for improvement and I definitely want to point out 5 things photographers should stop doing right meow! (yes you, the kick awesome photographer who’s reading this today!)

5 Things Photographers Should Stop Doing

Playing the “Better Than” Game

I want you to take a step back from where you are right now, and think about where you started out in your photographic journey. I’m betting that you’ve picked up a few tricks and your work has improved a bit since then, yes no?
When we first being our business, it’s very easy to look at other photographers and think that they’re better than you at “x, y, z”, and if you only had the camera they used your work would be better. Or if you only had gorgeous clients like they did, your portfolio would be more awesome. Or if you always had creamy, warm light like they did, then you would sell more prints… It’s human nature to compare yourself to industry giants, but don’t get so caught up in feeling like someone else is “better than” you that it holds you back from reaching your full potential!

Give Clients A Million Photos

In today’s society, we are of the mindset that more = better. However, I’m a big believer in the idea of quality over quantity; and this is especially true for photography. Most clients want to know how many pictures they will receive after their session/wedding/etc, and I always tell them “you’ll get all the good ones.”
When I started out I remember giving clients 80, 90, 100+ images… from a 1 hour session! Eek! I know we all want great pictures, but you’re just making it harder for yourself and your clients if you give them an exorbitant number of images to look at.
For me, I always have a number I try and shoot for (pun intended 😉 ) when it comes to client images, but I’m not going to delete a great picture just because I’m trying to stay under a certain number. Make sense?

Badmouthing Other Photographers

Whew! This one is a hot button!!! Having been in the photography industry for almost 7 years, I’ve seen a lot of drama go on behind the scenes: “this person is using too much flash, this person over saturates their images, this person is charging too little/too much, this person is too mean, this person is too open… (I could keep going!).

Photographers: lets get it together!!! 

The only way we are going to raise up the industry, is if we start helping each other and stop talking badly about other people. It’s like Thumper’s mom said in Bambi: “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.”

And for those of us who have been in the game for a while: lets try and be nicer to those starting out. Yes, they may not be doing it right, but new photographers don’t need our criticism or nastiness, they need a helping hand!

Putting Things Off

Why aren’t you getting your images finished faster? Or responding back to that client inquiry more quickly? Or scheduling out your social media posts?
It’s very easy to be “busy”, but it’s much harder to be productive and actually accomplish everything you need to do!
Get off your bum and get stuff done!
I’m a big fan of making lists because it’s a visual reminder of what I need to do; plus it’s very satisfying to cross things off when you’ve completed a task 🙂 There will always be more to do, but if you want to get things done make a plan and set a time to accomplish those things! Break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks so you’re not trying to finish everything at once.

Taking on Jobs that Don’t Make You Happy

This is (unfortunately) really only something you learn after you’ve been doing photography for a while, but stop taking on jobs/clients/sessions that don’t make your heart happy. I absolutely LOVE my job and the fact that I get to work with so many amazing people, but if I started doing lots of landscape work or only photographed pets, it wouldn’t have nearly the same effect and I’d probably start to dread going to work.
Not that there’s anything wrong with photographing those things, but it’s not what inspires me and makes my little photographers heart happy! It’s worth the time to do a little soul searching and find out where your true passions lie, and then invest your energy in that area of photography. Not only will you be a happier button pusher, often your pictures will come out better!

Take Your Business to the Next Level!

Now that you know 5 things photographers should stop doing, it’s time to learn about things you SHOULD be doing! If you are in need of business mentoring, I would love to help you out in your photographic journey! Fresh Look Photography offers private mentoring to help with any aspect of running your business, and we’d love to chat with you! Feel free to drop a comment below or click the { Contact Me } button and we will get rocking and rolling!