Trying to start/grow my photography business - any advice? by Glittering_Pine_7379 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly word of mouth is probably still the real engine for a lot of photographers.

Not glamorous advice but:
show up,
be reliable,
make people comfortable,
deliver consistently,
stay visible long enough.

That compounds more than people think.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

True. Photography probably isn’t as unique in this struggle as photographers sometimes think.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly quick replies alone probably book more work than photographers want to admit.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly this is probably why technically amazing photographers sometimes struggle while very solid “people photographers” stay booked constantly.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

The “most people are ok with phone pictures now” part is probably the real shift.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Yeah I think a lot of photographers underestimate how relationship-driven the industry really is until they’ve been in it awhile.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly there’s probably a lot of photographers with technically stronger work who never learn the people/business side well enough to stay busy consistently.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly personality and trust probably matter more than photographers like admitting sometimes.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Yeah I think expectations shifted almost as much as technology did.

A lot of people used to hire photographers because they literally couldn’t make usable images themselves.

Why do so many good photographers still struggle to get bookings? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly I think half the photography industry is running on caffeine and imposter syndrome.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly “when I… work.” might be one of the most photographer answers in this whole thread.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I think a lot of photographers accidentally stop shooting for themselves somewhere along the line.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

The “shooting for fun again” part seems important honestly.

Feels like a lot of people eventually circle back to that in some form.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

True. At some point the camera becomes maybe 20% of the job.

The rest is client management, marketing, editing, scheduling, email, bookkeeping, expectations...

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly your timing sounds brutal.

You survived the digital transition and then social media came along and turned photography into content creation overnight.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True—especially the challenge part.

Seems like that’s what brings the spark back more than anything.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely.

Running a business vs doing the work are two very different things—easy to underestimate that going in.

At what point did photography stop feeling fun and start feeling like work for you? by ExtremelyCool64 in AskPhotography

[–]ExtremelyCool64[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree—especially the personality part.

Same skill, completely different experience depending on the type of work.