Is there room for another photographer in the room?

Stanley teaching photography at University of Nations in Kona, Hawaii.  Youth With a Mission runs the school.  (photo by: Dennis Fahringer)

At the Art Institute of Pittsburgh campus alone, there were reportedly about 600 photography students pursuing a bachelor of arts or associates degree as of last summer, says Kathleen A. Bittel, the whistleblower whose testimony before a US Senate committee last fall helped trigger the federal lawsuit against EDMC.

[…] “Where are 600 photography graduates going to go? You cannot absorb that many in one city. How are they going to make money?”

http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/news/The-Art-Institutes--3531.shtml

I believe there is room for another photographer in our industry.  To be successful a person must have the total package.

What are some of the things you need to be a successful photographer?

1.     Need a portfolio of professional quality images

a.     Well composed

b.     Good Exposure

c.      In Focus

d.     Great Light

e.     “Decisive Moment”

2.     Business Acumen

a.     Knows their home budget needs

b.     Knows the “Cost-of-doing-business”

c.      Knows their market place

d.     Has a consistent marketing plan

3.     Inner Drive

4.     Continuous Improvement

a.     Looking to improve their portfolio

b.     Looking to improve their efficiency

c.      Looking to improve their marketing

While I have been working as a photographer in some capacity for 30 years, it was in 2002 I became a full-time freelancer.  This is where I was responsible for the business side of photography if I were to be successful.

I reached out to a very successful Ken Touchton.  He called almost daily those first few weeks giving advice and calling to see if I was following through. 

When I teach I give similar advice given to me.  What I have discovered is very few ever follow through.  One day I shared how frustrated I was with students not following through with Ken.  He then let me know I was one of the very few that ever listened to him.

I had a few other friends who lost their staff jobs and also reached out to Ken and me.  After a few weeks Ken stopped following up with most all of them.  They were not following through and so he stopped wasting his time if they were not going to take his advice.

Most all of those photographers continue to struggle today.

This year Greg Thompson, director of corporate communications for Chick-fil-A, was talking with his team about their role.  “When a ship misses the harbor it isn’t the harbor’s fault.”

This metaphor helped me see how so many photographers businesses were going under.  They were spending their time working on websites and portfolios.  They were creating a harbor and not a ship.   It is a common mistake of businesses.  The “Field of Dreams” concept doesn’t work for the photographer.  You just don’t take a photo and people line up to buy it. 

Is there room for another photographer in this industry? If you want to be paid to shoot for yourself then there is no room for you.  If you want to shoot for others and help them achieve their goals with your photos—then you can make it.