How To Work With People You Love and Make More Money

Are you a new photographer wondering how to work with people you love and make more money? 

I used to think I knew my stuff, and that I was doing all the right things. At the same time, I was not really getting where I wanted. And maybe not even knowing where I was headed.

I just knew I wanted to be a wedding photographer. And by all accounts I was. But it took a while before things really started going my way.

Here are 4 mistakes I made in the early days, why they messed things up for me – and if you can relate to this stick around till the end I’ll tell you what I did in order to fix them.

1. (In the beginning) I said yes to everything and everyone.

I was struggling to find the right clients. I guess I didn’t even know there was such a thing, I thought clients were all the same (and I had no idea that saying “no” was something I should even consider).

So I ended up working with those who didn’t appreciate me, didn’t want to pay my worth, and whose vision didn’t mesh well with my own. Which as a creative means so much. This, in turn, led to even more of the wrong clients, because you get more of what you already do and show.

| Read also: How to find your ideal client

2. My prices were too low.

It took a long time before I could make a living from photography. I was basing my prices on my competitors, and a feeling of what I thought I should charge. I lowered my prices and felt bad every time someone asked what the price was because I kept hearing how expensive photography was- even though I wasn’t making a profit at all.

Basically, I was paying to be able to shoot peoples wedding in the beginning. I was lacking confidence and felt that’s what I had to do to get clients. In addition, I had no way of knowing that those I was comparing my prices to knew how to price correctly, and regardless their numbers are theirs, and I have my expenses and income needs to consider.

I know I often got picked because of my price, not because of the images I created or the level of my customer service, or anything else, which meant that I sometimes got clients who were unappreciative and really wanted something else. The quality of clients really does improve when you start charging your worth. Trust me on that.

| Read also: How to price your work

3. I thought branding = logo

And of course, I made my logo (and website) myself. The copy I used was generic and so were the images to be honest. There was no personality, style or any kind of uniqueness involved. I was afraid to stand out and thought there was a certain way I should do things and rules to follow.

4. I had no idea how to market my business

My marketing efforts were limited to ads in related blogs and of course posting on Facebook. I had no idea of whether it was working, where my clients came from and what I could be doing instead. There was no plan, strategy or goal. I didn’t take marketing seriously.

Download the guide below to learn how to fix these problems.