Why you should not become a full-time photographer
Becoming a full-time photographer is a dream for many.
The same was true for me.
I wanted to travel around the world and capture the moments I witnessed.
I knew doing photography full-time could let me do that.
And that's true.
But I wasn't aware of the downsides.
I had heard some warnings from professionals. But I ignored them.
I thought those downsides wouldn't apply to me.
But then slowly after I started my business in May 2021, I saw what they meant.
In today's letter, my goal is to bring you awareness of whether you want to do this - or any other passion - full-time.
I'll talk about the benefits. But more importantly, the downsides you must be aware of.
And I'll also present an alternative way to make your full-time living. This is something that most photographers don't take advantage of.
Why many want to go full-time
"Going full-time means much more time spent photographing.
You can focus on that, travel a lot and enjoy life."
While that is a part of it, it certainly isn't entirely accurate.
Let's tackle the photographing part 1st.
Photographing and creative freedom
So yes, you might have extra time to photograph before you were full-time.
But - what is it that you're photographing?
It is rare one will get to photograph more of what they actually want to photograph.
You might start to take product photos to make a living.
You might shoot weddings. Or other events.
That might not be your piece of cake, imagining you're a nature or street photographer.
But you must make your living some way, right?
You'll start to put your passion aside.
And soon, you're mostly - if not entirely - taking photos you don't want to take.
Does that sound fun?
To me, it doesn't at least.
This is what I'm seeing happen to more and more.
I don't think many entirely stop taking photos they want to take.
But at times, the stress of making an income might do that.
And there's more:
The photos you take might not be controlled by you.
Someone else might tell you what to do. What they wish for. You might not get to use your creativity to make the best photos.
You just must deliver what the client wants.
But hey, that could be what you love.
But I started to take photos for myself. Not for anyone else.
But I ignored this fact in September of 2022.
I wanted to land a client job for my "yearly Lapland fall photography trip".
And I did. I was so excited to get to work with this company.
I had a moodboard (where they gave me examples of what they were looking for.)
I felt confident I could achieve that all. As it was similar to my style of photography.
But... when I arrived in Lapland... something was different.
I noticed I was mostly focusing on what photos I take for the client. INSTEAD for myself - which was the main reason for the trip.
The compositions I took were mostly influenced by the moodboard. For most compositions, I thought "Would the client like this?"
Now, I think at times focusing on the client makes sense, absolutely. Especially if:
1) They have paid for your trip
2) They have paid you well - or will pay you - for the work.
(This is a good side IF you can land deals like this.)
But this deal was neither of them.
I paid for my trip with my dad. And the company paid me peanuts.
(But partially, that was my fault. As I quoted low.)
Did I get many photos the client likes?
Definitely. They were happy.
Did I get many photos I liked?
No. I got 0. Literally.
After that, I realized I didn't want to take photos for clients on my photography trips. Unless they have paid me well for my work.
“It’s not going to feel like work”
is something I hear quite a lot. And what I thought too. But I was wrong.
Photography starts as a passion for most of us.
We love capturing something. Whatever the reason behind that is.
But when you start to do this as work, it'll start to feel more like work.
But that is if you again take photos you don't want.
If you can make a living taking photos you want, then it'll not feel as much as work.
BUT it'll still feel less like a passion now.
Be aware of that.
Most of your time will NOT be spent photographing
This is what most people don't realize when they see full-time photographers.
And I didn't realize it perfectly either.
But luckily, I had watched videos on the business of photography from people I looked (and still look) up to. Such as Thomas Heaton and Brendan Van Son.
They were talking about how most of their time is spent NOT photographing. Instead, they're:
1) spending time getting clients
2) talking with clients
3) doing paperwork
And so on.
I personally was ready for that. Business sounded interesting to me.
But I wanted to let you know, that most of your time will definitely not be spent photographing.
Right now, I don't go photograph every week.
Last year, there were weeks I didn't go photograph a single time.
Now, why was that?
Because I felt taking photos would not help my business take off.
And that's the difficult thing.
Sure, you must have some photos or other footage to post on social media - if you want to make a living that way.
But that doesn't require you to go shoot a lot.
What's most important is understanding how the platforms work.
That's a bigger ROI (return on investment) for your business.
Now, this year I want to change this.
I was 1 month in Norway. But did I go shoot there daily either? Nah. I was working there too.
But now I want to go shoot more and more. But I must build my business around that.
And you should too - if that's something you want.
An alternative way to make a full-time living
This way you get to be more in control.
This way you get to keep your creative freedom.
This way, you get to shoot where you want, when you want, and what you want.
What is this "magical" way of making one's living?
Teaching. Sharing your knowledge.
Now, you might have jumped from your chair when reading that.
"I'm not an expert... I can't teach. I have nothing to teach..."
Wrong.
Everyone has something to teach.
Think about it. You FOR SURE know something someone else doesn't.
For example, let's say you're great in maths. You'd immediately have 1 potential student... me!
You don't need to be an expert. As long as you're not a complete beginner at something, you can teach others. AND charge for that.
Of course, getting sales requires other skill sets. Such as sales, marketing, psychology (to understand people's behaviour...) and so on.
Those skills don't come overnight. But definitely can be learned.
Someone who's not a complete beginner can charge $100 for an hour. Don't charge less.
Sure, you can start for free if you want to - and get some good reviews in.
But I'd say latest after 3-5 free students, start charging.
Over time, you can raise the price.
That's what I'm doing with my own coaching programs.
I share as much as possible of what I know. The more I learn, and the more happy students I have, the pricier it is for one to enroll and work with me.
You don't need to start charging a ton of money for an hour.
Start and raise the price over time.
Other ways than coaching
Of course, you might not like teaching live.
It feels like my piece of cake. But it's not for everyone.
If this is the case for you, you can always make your money through:
presets
LUTs
ebooks
guides or
pre-recorded courses
And probably many other ways that didn't now come to my mind.
Once you have a business, you get to decide how to build that - and what will it be about.
So build it around something you mostly enjoy. That way, you have the best chance of succeeding.
But what can you do to make much more sales - and make your business much more sustainable?
Building a personal brand
Are you a feature page?
I want you to ask that question.
I'd argue you're just like one IF you don't have any soul to your account.
If there is nothing personal, it's not a personal brand.
We don't want you're another feature page with no soul.
So focus on putting something about yourself out there too.
This doesn't mean sharing everything about yourself.
You don't know everything about me. Because I've chosen to not share certain things, at least yet.
And you can do the same thing.
But now - how do you make more sales through this?
Let me ask you a question.
Would you buy something rather from a feature page with no soul? Or a photographer you look up to with whom you share something in common?
I bet you'd say the latter.
We humans like humans.
We want to surround ourselves with others like us.
And we trust humans more than a random feature page on Instagram.
By sharing something personal, you'll create a connection with people.
Not only does it feel amazing to start to build a community around yourself with similar people - but these people will want to buy from you as well.
(Read more about online networking and connecting with people here.)
Everything will be easier.
Why do I share stories about my past - and my other interests?
It is because:
1) I get to inspire and hopefully uplift many others
2) I get to surround myself with supportive people - and who can relate to me
3) I get to convert them more easily to paid students. So I can help them improve their lives even more - and get closer to their full potential. And of course, then I can pay my bills more easily. :D
In a nutshell:
You'll have fun. You will surround yourself with amazing people. And you get to make sales doing what you love.
Doesn't that sound good?
To me, that sounds much better than chasing money from clients who want to control what you do. (Again, there are amazing clients out there. But most are not those clients.)
If you want to learn more about personal branding and how to build a strong one, read this article if you haven't already.
I'd gladly get you to be a student of mine so that I get to help you crush it even more.
Now, there's quite a bit of demand for my Social Media Coaching Program currently. (Thank you.) But feel free to read more & apply here.
I can't promise I will get started with you (if accepted) before the end of March. But you'll be put on a waitlist.
I'd recommend you to apply if you're at all interested. As I don't expect the demand to go down. I see it just will get higher from here.
But best case, we could have 1 lesson before I head to my adventures at the start of March - to get you started.
Here's the link where you can apply again:
Full-time - or not?
I think after all - it's a personal choice.
Some people love having a stable living coming in. And just go photograph whenever they feel like it with no pressure whatsoever.
And that's cool. :)
But then there's some who want to work with some huge clients.
And that's cool. :) I've done it. And with some, it has felt amazing and fulfilling.
Then some, want to make it through teaching online, they get to:
1) keep their creative freedom
2) choose where to work and when to work
3) help others improve their lives (super fulfilling)
Passion for photography can go down - especially if you choose to work with clients. Some forget to photograph for themselves after that too.
Or then they don't have the energy to shoot for themselves.
But when it comes to photography, I'm honestly so inspired now. I've not been this inspired in YEARS.
Is this because I have momentum on IG?
Probably partly.
Is this because I don't work with many (or any) clients currently?
Most likely yes.
Is this because I get to choose what to photograph and when to photograph? And knowing, I can also post other than singular photos - in case I can't find something to photograph?
Yes.
I wish you all the best for the route you want to take.
After all, you don't know what's the best one for you before you've tried it.
Maybe you start working with clients and hate it. You can go back to your 9-5. No problem.
Maybe teaching or sharing knowledge won't be your piece of cake. You can go back to what you did before. No problem.
Trying things out is the only way to know what you actually want.
Try a lot of stuff. And learn.
Here's the application to my program still once more - and what one of my previous students said about the program:
I hope you enjoyed this Letter - and have more clarity on whether to go full-time. And if so - in what way to make your money. :)
Feel free to forward this to your friends if you find it insightful.
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All the best, and have a lovely weekend,
Hugo
