Three and a half years after becoming a professional photographer, I have come to realize a few things.  Many recent conversations with friends (and of course Ron), have inspired me to share what I know now, things that I hope will help guide my business forward, and keep me in the right frame of mind.  I believe there are a lot of people still starting up photography businesses (probably more than ever), and while I can’t say that every hobby photographer should turn pro, I can say that for those of you who choose to give it a shot, there are a few things I’d like you to know.  Not because I’m the expert (far from it), or because I’ve been doing this for so long (3.5 years is nothing)… but because I believe those first few years are the toughest, and I’m just getting out of that stage.  Maybe if I had known a few of these things, I would have been better prepared for some of the bumps in the road.  So, here is what I would say to myself back then, if I could…

You probably aren’t going to get rich doing this.  You won’t make much money, even after a few years!  Yet, it’s nice to help contribute to the household income, doing something that is fun and flexible, and allows you to be at home with the kids.  You’re lucky that your family’s bills are not hinged on you making a certain amount, as that is not the case for many of the friends you will meet.  Everyone loves a little extra cash.  You can help pay off some debt, buy a cute dress… in reality most of your money goes toward cost of goods sold, taxes, new cameras, lenses, software, etc. to keep this business afloat.  A (very very) little is left over at the end of the year, that will be just enough to convince you to keep at it!  I know a handful of photographers who make excellent money, who we might even label as “rich” from their photography business.  Most of us won’t be in that elite group, but that will still not deter you from doing what you love, so just accept the fact that this business chose you, and give it your best.  Oh, and don’t undervalue yourself.  Do some math and figure out what your time is really worth, or you might find you are working for less than minimum wage (ahem… guilty here)!

Don’t waste energy comparing yourself to other photographers.  It doesn’t matter how many weddings So-and-So booked this year.  20, 30, more… wow.  In 2012, you will have less than 10.  This is less than in years past, but you’ll be okay with that.  If that changes, great.  If not, more free weekends for camping, or just hanging out at home with your family!  Even better!  I have read the quote “Comparison is the thief of joy” (Theodore Roosevelt) many times, and it is slowly sinking in… I wish I could tell you to fight the urge to compare and compete!  You admire a lot of photographers, they inspire you and impress you with their business success and sheer talent, they seem to have it all together, and they never seem stressed out!  However, you need to remember that you don’t see all the photos that they deleted.  You don’t see their moments of overwhelming frustration or exhaustion, venting on the couch, or wisely deleting tweets before publishing them.  You see the happy glowing status updates and blog highlights, and think you’re not “as-good-as”… and you will keep this up until you’re at a breaking point.  Well, it’s just not true.  Someone will be comparing him or herself to you before you know it.  I’m telling you, just keep doing what you are doing… it is working, you will see.  You will spend too long worrying about how to be as good as other photographers.  The fact is, you have amazing clients who are choosing you over and over, so what does that tell you?  Maybe you are good too!?   If, instead, you were to compare your work now to your work when you first started out, you should feel pretty great!  You keep getting better, and it has nothing to do with the photographers you placed on a pedestal.

Measure your success in meaningful ways.  It really doesn’t matter if you have 12 fans, 200 fans, 5,000+ fans on Facebook!  I know you care… “ooh, I reached 100 fans!”  However, you will soon realize that validation doesn’t come in the form of “likes”, it comes from a heartfelt note from a client, or a trusted friend reminding you that you are great when you feel down.  It comes from accomplishing something you are proud of, regardless of what others think about it, and from having clients who return again and again because of a positive experience.   You will still find yourself stalking a blog post to see how many times people have clicked the “like” button, or commented on a photo on Facebook.  I still have to work at this.  Even though social media attempts to quantify how “good” something is, it is a false measurement.  Increased exposure and positive feedback are important (and free advertising is always great!).  Drumming up more likes, comments, fans, pins, etc., solely for the sake of the numbers, however, isn’t going to make you better at your job, it isn’t going to make people love you more, or even attract the best market to your business!

You will form amazing friendships.  Being a photographer, like any profession, has its unique perks and difficulties (that’s another blog post entirely), and who better to understand these things than other photographers?  Better yet, photographers who might have similar lifestyles or even personal challenges.  You will form some incredible friendships with people (who have totally different personalities and life situations) who are strong where you are weak, who you don’t have to be competitive with, whom you can trust that what they say is what they mean, whose success you celebrate, not resent. I know when you were younger, you really didn’t have a lot of female friends because you felt more like “one of the guys”.  You didn’t trust girls because you got burned too many times, and the guys you knew were simply more honest and real.  You felt emotionally safer with them.  However, there are women you will get to know who are real, honest, supportive, funny, smart, and absolutely indispensable to your success.  You won’t believe what incredible people will become a part of your life!  Dear Self, just starting out, you think it is you against the world.  Oh, no no, you are not alone.  Many other people are going through the same things, and you will find real good friends if you remain true to who you really are!  You will get together and laugh, and cry, and eat too many brownies (these amazing things that you can’t always do when you are with the guys)…

If I knew then what I know now… it would have helped me through these first three years, but I don’t think I would be exactly where I am today.  I am thankful, in spite of the ups and downs.  So, here’s to the lessons learned, friendships and achievements, and doing what you love!  And, since no blog post would be truly complete without at least one photo, I went out in the gusty wind saw this blanket of pretty purple…