Common Mistakes Even Professional Photographers Make

The best photographers have to start somewhere. Only a few can climb the ladder without making any mistakes along the way.

The best thing you can do for yourself, on a professional and personal level, is to admit that you have made a mistake. To learn from its valuable lesson without forgetting the past. By giving up this fear of failure we are truly free to grow in new directions where our vision may flourish towards heights never seen before.

It's important to have a healthy fear of failure, but it is equally as important to be fearless when you're striving for success. We all know people who are too scared and refuse to try anything because they don't want their dreams crushed by reality or victory snatched away from them before they get there. Myself included. I'm pretty sure that we've all been in our own little worlds where we feel like nothing can threaten us whether good things happen or bad things happen - ultimately making mistakes along the way which allow us grow stronger with every trial life throws at us.

Those three powerful words: Fear of Failure On the flip side are 3 even more powerful words: Fear of Success. Those two fears inspire one another- potentially bringing out the best in us.

That said, what are the common mistakes even professional photographers make?

Doing what we're told and sticking with the status quo is never going to make us creative. If you want true bliss, it's time for a change--a big one. Step out of your comfort zone and open up yourself to new ideas that will help keep things fresh in business. Failure isn't an option here, but if something doesn't work right away then don’t fret: chances are thereʼs value in understanding why this happened so you can avoid future mistakes too.

The following is a list of common photographer mistakes that will help enlighten and hopefully prevent the occurrence of spectacular blunders for yourself.

1. Not Taking Risks By default, our human nature cringes at the very thought of stepping outside our comfort zone. We tend to gravitate toward what is safe and easier to control. However, the art of photography often requires new experimentation and a degree of risk, without which our work cannot evolve.

In todayʼs digital age, there is no downside to experimenting with photography, so shaking things up by changing a lens, getting down and dirty on the ground, seeking out unusual vantage points, being more spontaneous, heading to unfamiliar places or alternating settings and lighting are bound to add a fresh take on a traditionally “safe” approach.

2. Saying Yes to Everything

At the beginning, we may be tempted to say “Yes! Yes! Yes!” to everything. We will become such people-pleasers that weʼll commit to anything from booking a photo shoot under poor lighting conditions, offering discounts or working for free, agreeing to verbal contracts, and even allowing clients to control the final outcome.

While these may seem like great tactics to help get a business off the ground, properly evaluating the request and saying “no” is the best way to establish boundaries and offer top-quality work. By setting the right expectations, we can avoid unwanted situations and create a positive experience for both ourselves and the client.

3. Oversharing The digital age offers us unlimited “film”, so it may be tempting to share too many photos from a shoot. Failure to self-critique and narrow down a pre-selection of best-quality frames will only create an image overload and give the impression of amateur work. In my photography classes I talk a lot about the importance of self-editing. I strongly suggest to you today to become a pain in the butt self-editor of your own photographs.

Offering too many choices will only dilute the quality of our work. The same applies to the notorious portfolio. Our portfolio is a representation of our work. Clients should only see the very best of your best at all times.

4. Not Staying Fresh Keeping a website, blog or Instagram feed updated and relevant is the most important way to increase traffic and promote client engagement. Stale or dated content will give the impression that the business is no longer in operation. Website and blog content must be promoted and edited on a constant basis.

Preparing a detailed schedule will ensure the regular update of blogs and websites. Once the target audience has been determined, it is recommended to post content and share it on social media twice a week.

5. Failure to Network As you probably already know, a fruitful photography business will consist of roughly 20% photography and 80% marketing. Whoa! Did I just say that? I just revealed one of the dreary secrets about being a professional photographer that is not so glamourous. Suffice to say that networking is a critical component of any successful endeavour.

To stay afloat in a competitive market, it is advised to keep a rotating client base because contacts and referrals are indispensable. Networking is an easy and efficient way to connect with people and foster relationships with potential clients.

Establishing personal relationships with people by showing interest in their work and general well-being is mutually beneficial and an extremely cost effective strategy to grow a business.

6. Becoming a Gear Head The latest photography technology can be irresistible. With so many new gadgets hitting the market, we can easily become consumed by a desire to have them all. But accumulating the latest gear can be expensive and unnecessary, and it will rarely make anyone become a better photographer. There will be times when new equipment will be required as a means of obtaining more clients, but before making any purchase, it is crucial to carefully weigh its pros and cons. When in doubt, we must remember that the photograph makes the photographer, not the gear.

Most experienced photographers will admit to having made some of the above mistakes, so it may help to know youʼre not alone. If or when a mistake happens, choose to move past it and make improvements for the next time.

Self-critique is an important skill for all creative types to embrace – we simply donʼt know everything. So, letʼs banish the fear and get out there. After all, there are so many mistakes waiting to be discovered.