Photography content has been the most highly requested and anticipated content for the blog. That makes me incredibly happy because it’s one of my favorite things to read up about in my free time. Today, I’m sharing my journey with photography. A lot of people have asked how I got so good at it so quickly. First, OMG thank you. Photography is a mini passion of mine. I freaking love it. To know that people out there think I’m good at it. HOLY COW. But, to answer their question simply? I indulged in every. single. free. resource about improving photography that exists. It’s not something that’s gonna come easily and it’s not something that you learn overnight. It’s all about practice which is why it makes a fantastic hobby.
This post will be three parts: 1) How I Got Started, 2) What I Used to Improve, and 3) How I Continue to Challenge Myself and Grow My Business. This is a huge undertaking for me, but I’ll try to keep it under 1,000 words. Will probably get to 2,000 though!? Grab a snack and get your notebook ready. Let’s talk about photography.
How I Got Started
I touched on this a little bit when I was on Abigail and Caitlyn’s Podcast, Girls Talk. You can listen to my episode from 12/16 here. I started to really enjoy photography when I started getting serious about making this blog more than an online diary. A lot of blog posts about stepping up your blogging game mention that photography is crucial. It’s 125% true. People are enticed by high-quality imagery on blogs. It’s a fact and I’ve noticed more growth since I started taking pictures with my DSLR in January 2017.
October 2017
Now, let’s not get it twisted. The quality of my photography improved because I got a better camera, but my camera didn’t improve my photography. What I mean is that just because you get a DSLR, doesn’t mean that you’ll have good pictures. The biggest mistake I think you can make is not learning how to actually use all the functionalities of your camera. I read pretty much everything about digital cameras, lenses, and blog photography. I learned how to shoot in manual and bought a new lens eventually.
Why Portrait and Lifestyle Photography?
It wasn’t until the spring of my junior year of college that I realized I really loved taking photos of people. And the passion for portrait photography emerged. In the fall of 2017, I remember I did a photoshoot with my friends Maddy and Liv [which I think is a Disney show title LOL], but it was so much fun and I got to be so creative. I felt so good after that shoot. If y’all could have seen the giddy smile on my face while editing those pictures. You would have died.
October 2017
Making Money in Photography
I would say I’m a super amateur portrait and lifestyle photographer and I’m really more of a hobbyist! But, I did recognize how nice contracting out my photography services would be for a little extra cash. So, I put my hat in the ring of Chapel Hill photographers to start booking graduation clients last spring. I booked over 20 people that season and it was my first go at it. I had never done graduation photos before and I was probably in way over my head at points [I did several groups of more than 4 people]. But, I proved to myself that you can be your own worst enemy. Believe in your talents and take a shot at it.
That clear “brag on myself” moment is just to say that if you can take a good picture and if you understand what your camera can do for you. Anything is possible.
October 2017
Resources I Used to Elevate My Photography
I always get to these points in my advice posts and really smack myself for not bookmarking or writing down the resources that I used. But, I’ll try and link and recall some of my favorite places to get good advice.
Social Media
The thing that everyone loves to hate on is also the perfect place to start improving your photography. The hardest part for me was finding an editing and shooting style that I felt matched my eye. Did I want to go light and bright, saturated, film-esque, highly editorial, or lifestyle? I had to follow a ton of photographers with all different types of styles to figure out what I liked and what I could make my own. My top recommendations are finding photographers all over the world on Instagram and follow them. A lot of them make their own resources where they teach you their own tricks. So, I make sure to follow along on Instagram stories.
You’re also going to want to scour Pinterest for advice articles and there are plenty of them. I’d recommend finding posts on these topics. It can be kind of hard to sort through the bad posts where they’re trying to sell ebooks or that are just simply click-bait. Hopefully, these posts are helpful for you:
Manual Settings 101
Booking Clients
Editing in Post
Consistency in Editing
Mobile Presets and Editing
Photography Contracts
RAW vs JPEG
Composition and General Shooting Tips
Navigating Tough Client Situations
Youtube
Youtube crushes it in the photography department. I mean you can learn exactly how top photographers do what they do. From editing to real-time shooting videos, you can learn pretty much how to nail a session from top to bottom. This platform was instrumental in building my knowledge on pretty much everything. My favorites to watch are Jessica Whitaker and Jessica Kobeissi. I also think this video about how to start learning about photography is excellent from CupofTJ.
January 2018 | @camrynglackin
Online Photography Communities
Facebook may have been overrun by our parents, but it’s still a hotbed for photography communities that can actually be really helpful. My favorite and the only one I actively look at is Build + Bloom. The group is run by Jessica Whitaker and there is always a discussion of the more controversial photography topics and is a great place to get critiques on your work. I really just scroll through to stay up to date on what’s going on in the industry. But, you can also use it to network with other photographers in your area!
I also think sites like skillshare are great for finding easy to follow videos on photography topics. I also think their graphic design and other creative tutorials are fabulous. You can sign up for a free trial to see if you love it too!
April 2018
How I Continue to Challenge Myself and Grow My Business
After a pretty successful first run in the graduation market, I decided to continue to market myself as a portrait and lifestyle photographer. I had a couple of great clients in Chapel Hill and started to pick up a lot of family portrait and headshot work. If you’re curious about the stuff I’ve been working on, you can head to my photography website. When you’re living in a big city, everything becomes challenging for amateur photographers. My biggest challenge right now is staying calm and collected in an environment that is go go go. I’m really trying to train my eye to focus on my photo.
June 2018
For those of you who don’t live in a crazy environment like New York City, I highly recommend choosing collaborations that allow you to expand creatively. You’ll need to find models or influencers in your area that won’t need a lot of direction. You’ll be able to focus on the photography and less on coaching them through every shot. I also find that collaborations and meet-ups with other photographers have expanded my knowledge of the industry. I’m even planning on doing a collab with some other NYC photographers on a Photographers Shoot The Same Model challenge when it gets warmer.
I also highly recommend that you invest in a well-designed website or portfolio. This is where people will be able to further dive into your work and the range here can help you book clients. I’ve also noticed an increasing number of clients coming from Instagram. You’ll need a compelling feed to capture new clients straight from the Direct Messages panel.
September 2018 | @michelledufflocq
December 2018 | @rebecatru
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Hopefully, this was helpful for all of you aspiring photographers and/or bloggers that are looking to step up your photography game in 2019. I’m hoping to bring more photography content to the blog this year and need your help coming up with specific topic posts. What do you struggle most with when it comes to photography? Inspiration, execution, editing? What can I do to help? Also, what are some resources you’ve found and love?! I’d love to see them and learn more.
keep on keepin’ on,
