I've been doing coaching sessions for other photographers for a couple years now. I love the opportunity to spend time getting to know others in the industry and talking shop.
When I was growing up I thought I would be a teacher. I loved my math teachers in high school (crazy, huh?) so I went to college thinking I'd follow in their footsteps. I'm SO glad I didn't -- I think I would go psychotic trying to deal with classroom discipline issues -- but I LOVE that even though I'm a photographer, I still get to occasionally teach!
Usually these coaching sessions are conducted over the phone or Skype (love it!) but Diana Kay who works out of Dallas and Northern California made a special trip out to crazy-hot AZ this week to spend some one-on-one time with me. We did 4 hours worth of mentoring broken up into two days. We went to lunch, talked about and played with off-camera flash, and discussed pricing, album design and various other topics.
Two related issues that Diana and I discussed that seem really common to wedding photographers who own their own businesses are the problem of perfectionism and the need for outsourcing. When a photographer starts up their business, they typically do so because they love photography. They love taking photos. They take pride in their craft and spend endless hours perfecting it. All of us, even those who have been in the industry for years are continually working to improve. And because we're artists and most commonly perfectionists, we will never feel like we've "arrived." What all of this translates into for some is endless hours editing trying to make every photo perfect. I love what my friend and amazing photographer David Jay says about this. He says, "Perfectionism is selfish. The client doesn't want a perfect image, they want a good image fast. If you're trying to make your images perfect the only person you're doing it for is yourself." Wow. What a wake-up call.
The book The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It also has some helpful things to say about these topics. If you're a photographer or small business owner, definitely check it out. Reading it early on in my business helped me to realize that I need to give up some of my perfectionism and find ways to outsource all of the tasks that I don't personally have to do in order to free up my schedule to spend time working on my business -- growing it and making it more efficient and profitable. When a photographer first starts their business they pretty much wear a million hats. They're the photographer, editor, writer, accountant, book-keeper, album designer, networker, sales person, marketing director, graphic designer and shipping/receiving department all rolled into one. But in order to not completely burn out, continue to enjoy what you do, live a balanced life and grow your business, you have to at some point (hopefully sooner than later) take the step of outsourcing. You just can't do it all. So you have to let go. There's a number of ways to do it -- hire an accountant, an office assistant and/or send some of your work out to other companies (printing labs, album design companies, etc.) -- but you need to do it. It will always seem like a tough step to take. Because you're a perfectionist. Because you value control. Because you feel like you can't afford it financially. But trust me, it's SO important. And in the end, it's the right move to make financially.
So I spent some time today encouraging Diana in these things. We all need to hear it. I did too. And I thought I'd share it with you all because I suspect there are others out there who need to be reminded of this as well.
Thanks Diana for coming out to Arizona in June and spending some time with me. You're an absolute joy and I really had fun getting to know you. Can't wait to see where your business takes you!
When I was growing up I thought I would be a teacher. I loved my math teachers in high school (crazy, huh?) so I went to college thinking I'd follow in their footsteps. I'm SO glad I didn't -- I think I would go psychotic trying to deal with classroom discipline issues -- but I LOVE that even though I'm a photographer, I still get to occasionally teach!
Usually these coaching sessions are conducted over the phone or Skype (love it!) but Diana Kay who works out of Dallas and Northern California made a special trip out to crazy-hot AZ this week to spend some one-on-one time with me. We did 4 hours worth of mentoring broken up into two days. We went to lunch, talked about and played with off-camera flash, and discussed pricing, album design and various other topics.
Two related issues that Diana and I discussed that seem really common to wedding photographers who own their own businesses are the problem of perfectionism and the need for outsourcing. When a photographer starts up their business, they typically do so because they love photography. They love taking photos. They take pride in their craft and spend endless hours perfecting it. All of us, even those who have been in the industry for years are continually working to improve. And because we're artists and most commonly perfectionists, we will never feel like we've "arrived." What all of this translates into for some is endless hours editing trying to make every photo perfect. I love what my friend and amazing photographer David Jay says about this. He says, "Perfectionism is selfish. The client doesn't want a perfect image, they want a good image fast. If you're trying to make your images perfect the only person you're doing it for is yourself." Wow. What a wake-up call.
The book The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It also has some helpful things to say about these topics. If you're a photographer or small business owner, definitely check it out. Reading it early on in my business helped me to realize that I need to give up some of my perfectionism and find ways to outsource all of the tasks that I don't personally have to do in order to free up my schedule to spend time working on my business -- growing it and making it more efficient and profitable. When a photographer first starts their business they pretty much wear a million hats. They're the photographer, editor, writer, accountant, book-keeper, album designer, networker, sales person, marketing director, graphic designer and shipping/receiving department all rolled into one. But in order to not completely burn out, continue to enjoy what you do, live a balanced life and grow your business, you have to at some point (hopefully sooner than later) take the step of outsourcing. You just can't do it all. So you have to let go. There's a number of ways to do it -- hire an accountant, an office assistant and/or send some of your work out to other companies (printing labs, album design companies, etc.) -- but you need to do it. It will always seem like a tough step to take. Because you're a perfectionist. Because you value control. Because you feel like you can't afford it financially. But trust me, it's SO important. And in the end, it's the right move to make financially.
So I spent some time today encouraging Diana in these things. We all need to hear it. I did too. And I thought I'd share it with you all because I suspect there are others out there who need to be reminded of this as well.
Thanks Diana for coming out to Arizona in June and spending some time with me. You're an absolute joy and I really had fun getting to know you. Can't wait to see where your business takes you!
Comments
