Use Fierce Competition to Your Advantage and Improve Your Photography
It’s been said the photography, or more directly, the photographer market has become oversaturated and it’s impossible to make money and transition into a career as a professional photographer. It’s an understandable belief.
Most people in the western world (including children) have access to a camera whether it be a DSLR, the camera in their phones or tablets, or even a simple toy digital camera (my son had one when he was three years old). It’s estimated that there were over a trillion photographs taken in 2015.
Think about that: a trillion. That’s four commas. It’s tough to imagine a number that large.
Now, obviously not all of those trillion images were masterpieces, far from it. However, only a few years ago what was completely out of reach for the majority of photographers is now a potential reality for them today. The improvements to technology in the past year or so have enabled photographers to create images at resolutions that were unattainable not too long ago. Canon released their EOS 5DS that takes 50 megapixel images for under $4000.
To get a comparable resolution before that, you’d need to have purchased a Hasselblad or Phase One medium format camera which would have ran closer to $40,000. While it true that this is not an “apples to apples” comparison, the point is the quality of cameras and the images they produce is going up while the prices drop. This means higher quality cameras in the hands of more people. And this is where the profession begins to become a bit crowded.
There is a perception that the fancier the camera, the better the photographer. And this belief also makes sense. Camera manufacturers do their best to find talented people to endorse their products. The public associates the quality of that photographer’s work with the camera thinking, “If I just got that model, I could make great photographs too!” But there’s no crime in this. Every company from tennis shoe makers to guitar companies to fast food restaurants engages in this practice. For example, David LaChapelle is endorsed by Phase One.
He’s taken some amazing images with his Phase One and he has publicly praised the XF system. But is it the only camera brand he’s ever used? Very doubtful. The truth is, he’s a master at his craft and the Phase One XF system is a very complimentary tool for him. If Phase One didn’t exist, he’d use a different camera system and he’d still be able to create amazing photographs with it. This is not to say that the Phase One XF system isn’t incredible because it is but all great photography, in the words of Ansel Adams,
Magic happens in the twelve inches behind the viewfinder ~ Ansel Adams
The point here is that Phase One could sell a camera to every single person in America (including the children) today and there likely wouldn’t be many more masterpieces created than were in 2015.
Since camera quality has gotten so good, anyone can be a competent photographer, right? There is no shortage of complaints and grousing about how the DSLR has killed the wedding photography and portrait photography business.
What about glamour and boudoir? Forget about it. The hobbyists, “mom-ographers”, and high school kids have taken over the industry offering cheap and sometimes free work for exposure, experience, or just for fun. It’s estimated that we see 250 to 3000 images every day. Out of the close to 3 billion uploaded every day, how can you possibly stand out from the crowd to the point where someone will pay you instead of taking the cheap or free option?
And this is where competition is your friend.
New York City is arguably one of the best cities in the world. They are home to (also arguably) some of the very best restaurants in the world. Why is this? There are 24,000 restaurants in New York City. The competition is fierce. If you have a passion for food and the restaurant business and want to open an eatery there, you’d better be very good. Not only must your food be good, it must be outstanding in order to survive. To stand out in a market so saturated, your food and the way it was delivered to the customer, must be at an outstanding level if you want to keep the doors open another day.
Because if it’s average, the customer has 23,999 other options from which to choose.
Most restaurants don’t make it: 90% close within a year of opening and 80% close within five years.
But those that stay open know something the others don’t. If they aren’t better than everyone else, if they don’t push themselves to improve the quality of their product, streamline their operations, create a great team around them, and market themselves in such a way to attract new customers and retain old ones, they’re dead in the water.
Photography isn’t food and one could say it’s not necessary for survival (but judging by all the selfies out there that could be debatable) and there are very few restaurants that will provide a free product. But there is a direct parallel in the two examples. All restaurants have access to the same things. Most get their raw products from the same place. They all use similar equipment. But these are simply ingredients and tools.
Just like in photography. Most photographers have access to very good equipment that is in a very affordable range. This just means that the cost of getting into business, the initial investment, is lower. But if your final product is the same as everyone else’s who can afford the same camera, you may be one of the 90% of photography businesses that go under.
Taking wedding photography as an example, there have been articles by high profile magazines that suggest skimping on the wedding photographer. This has, to be kind, raised an eyebrow or two in the photography community. But, if your eyebrow is raised (or more),
it’s important to really evaluate what you bring to the table for a potential client. Are you trolling craigslist looking for potential leads? Are you worried about the person with the entry-level DSLR offering to do a wedding for $500? If so, you need to ask yourself why.
And you really need to evaluate your work, your vision, your portfolio, and your marketing efforts. When studying the person’s work who is offering the cheap/free options, you need to ask yourself,
Am I producing a higher quality product?” and “Am I providing a higher quality experience?” If the honest answer is “no” then you need to focus on how to improve in those two areas.
STC attendee Adam King is a good example of doing it right. He’s a photographer from Orlando, Florida that has found success within the wedding photography industry. If you throw a rock in Orlando, you’re likely to hit a photographer. The market is completely oversaturated there. But is it oversaturated with truly great photographers? The answer is really a matter of opinion but Adam’s success serves as an example of excelling with marketing efforts. And his real strength is in the quality of his final product.
He has a vision with each and every one of his clients and delivers beyond their expectations. On top of this, he consistently pushes himself to improve his photography. He’s not only tied down to Orlando. He gets booked for destination weddings too and as well he should as he provides a quality that can’t be matched by the other photographers in that area and many others. Oh, yes, and he’s not undercutting to get jobs. He doesn’t have to. His results are your bar. If your results aren’t like his it’s likely your marketing and product are below the standard he’s established so you’d better catch up.
With all the advancements in technology, we all have an even playing field. It’s up to the individual photographer that wishes to turn their passion into a career to make the choice to elevate themselves from a hobbyist to a professional photographer to an iconic artist. Let the competition be your guide. Measure your work against the work of your peers and discover where you can improve, rise above, and make your passion your profession.
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