Being a photographer is about talent. You must have the talent, patience, and ability to make images great. This takes practice, research, education, composition, and technological skills to accomplish. But that’s not enough.
You have to have the right mindset. The right mindset starts by making sure that you believe in yourself and that you are not limiting your own potential. There are two fatal lies or limiting beliefs that photographers tell themselves that are ruining their chances of success and prosperity.
Lie #1: You Don’t Deserve Success
When you are in the first phase of running your own business, you might start to believe that you don’t even deserve success. Maybe you made a few mistakes and are reeling from the problems it caused and also the embarrassment. It happens all the time.
One mistake is not going to break your business if you are responding quickly and with a level head. You have to make a pact with yourself that you will make mistakes and that mistakes are going to be lessons for your business. All photographers have made similar mistakes, and they still found success. This just goes to show that you do, in fact, deserve success because you are brave and courageous enough to start your own business in the first place.
Lie #2: My Prices Have to be the Lowest to Compete
This is one that too many young photographers fall into. They haven’t secured their style or niche and really want to find what type of photography they want to pursue. During these phases, it can be tempting to fight the competition by being the least expensive.
This is such a huge detriment to you and your business for tons of reasons. It makes you seem cheap from the start. You don’t want people in the community to take advantage of you if you have the skill, a good listening ear, and the lowest prices in town. If people are looking for the best quality, they understand that the best quality comes with a price. You have to become that quality photographer as time goes on but you can’t start with the lowest prices and then change them when you do realize your value.
Truth: You Can Find Your Value & Reach Your Potential
Calculate your costs, expenses, and time and figure out how many times or sessions you would need to shoot to make ends meet month to month and start at that rate. From there, it’s easier to grow and increase your prices as you gain experience.
Using prices and ratings on how much success you deserve are just two of the many lies that new photographers tell themselves. If you have adopted this mindset, you are opening yourself up for easy defeat and proving to everyone that you can’t make it. Instead, shift your mindset to a positive and growth-oriented mindset to prove to yourself that you do deserve success and that you can charge what you are worth.
Many photographers never make it. They start strong and fall into these limiting beliefs and fall apart. Be one of the few successes. Make yourself believe that you are worthy of success in photography and the world of business. It all starts with a mindset change that will project you into the positive future you deserve.