Being a Professional Photographer Sucks, Study Concludes

Being a Professional Photographer Sucks, Study Concludes

photo: Adobe Stock

By Chuck Vosburgh

This was a real headline. A survey ranked professional photographer in the 25 worst jobs in the US.

If professional photography sucks it’s your own fault.

Yes, you read that right, but keep reading... It doesn’t have to suck. In fact, it can be awesome! The reasons professional photography was rated among the worst is because of low average income and a decreasing number of opportunities. Welcome to just about every career field out there! It’s true, most career fields are in a state of change and photography is no different. So, what do you do?

The real reason it sucks

Full disclosure: I wrote a course on sales skills for photographers. A link is at the end of the article. Photography is one of the few professions that lack any real training in business and sales. Sure, there are lots of resources showing how one individual did well, but chances are you don’t match that person’s business enough to get the same results. Compounding the problem is that most creative people consider themselves “bad salespeople”.

How to make it not suck

Know your value. There will always be people cheaper. What are you really selling? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not photography. In the case of portraits, you’re selling prestige, a legacy, a feeling of belonging. What re those things worth? A lot! In the case of commercial photography, you’re selling the customer’s ability to make a quicker buying decision and making them more likely to choose your client’s product or service. That’s worth a lot more than a photo. Can people tell instantly that you will show up, get the job done, be pleasant to work with and make sure everyone is smiling? That is much more important than how talented you are to prospective customers. Your ability to do a good job is assumed so get past how talented you are and down to what is really important to the person writing the check. You should be able to look the prospect in the eye, say your price with confidence and then shut-up. If you can train yourself to do that you’re income will multiply.

Learn basic sales skills. The good news is that sales is 90% listening and if you listen and ask follow-up questions the prospect will tell you exactly what they need and if you can provide it, how to help them decide to hire you. If you haven’t read the classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, get it now. It can be life changing.

There are a lot of people who have a fulfilling, propsperous photography career and there’s no reason you can’t too!

Chuck Vosburgh has more than 30 years of experience as a commercial photographer and author of How to Sell Photography Without Becoming a Salesman. Learn more at http://vosburghphoto.com Chuck can be reached at Chuck@ChuckVosburgh.com or 727.743.1740