› Tue, 07 Feb 2012
Put a Smile on Your Face
Sometimes, being the captain of your own ship can at times be a life of drudgery. Especially if you are the captain, the staff and the radio controller (and whoever else is involved in getting a ship from one place to another).
If you get to the point where a day is just not going your way, go and do something that will relax you and make you happy. I’m not alone in thinking I should work every day, all day to make the calls, write new articles, promote and promote some more, but then when you’re around people, what have you got to talk about?
That’s right, the business. I’ve heard myself get stuck talking about other things because I’ve spent too long on the business. That and because I don’t watch nearly as much reality TV - or Take Me Out – as everyone else seems to. Once I get my head out of the sand, take a break and see people, I feel better.
Break up the monotony of being a business owner. Really, one day of meeting friends, socialising, going out, being around people is going to do you and your business more good than harm. A break in routine is always refreshing, and it will lift your spirits if you’ve had a bad day.
› Fri, 03 Feb 2012
“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence…”
—Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the USA, 1923–1929
› Fri, 03 Feb 2012
Stop Being Shy (or Photographers can use PR too)
Since October 2011, I have been looking at new ways to get attention for my business. I don’t think I’m the only one who thought PR was just a matter of press releases and stunts, but having spoken to my contacts who are experienced in public relations, it’s much more than that.
Ironically, if you are doing something you find easy or enjoyable to do, it turns out to be quite difficult to see anything in your business that’s special enough to be a news story. If you’re not holding special events like an exhibition, then you probably think the media isn’t interested in you.
Actually, the media is looking for good quality content all the time, not just press releases or the latest news story from you, but interesting articles and stories.
So in 2012, I have turned on my dormant writing skills and had two written articles published. One is about Using Professional Portraits to Benefit Business on The Next Women online business magazine (http://thenextwomen.com/2012/02/01/how-use-professional-images-gain-more-attention-your-business); the other is Part 1 of How to Be Creative with Photography, on The Culture Club Photography web site (http://www.cultureclubphotographyworkshops.co.uk/2012/01/how-to-be-creative-with-your-photography-part-1/).
These two are very different articles, but the key to their success in being published was that they were relevant to specific audiences. The Business article was particularly challenging. It’s been covered before, but from the viewpoint of photographers. They’ve tended to concentrate on style of images, not so much on why certain businesses think they are an important part of their branding, marketing and PR.
I took the viewpoint of a businessowner in explaining the reasons why professional portraits should be used: enhancing the image of the person or company they represent; grabbing attention because your portraits look better compared to your competitors; gaining a more prominent position in newspapers or magazines because the media knows eye-catching images will pull in more readers, and so on.
The second article on Creativity was more straightforward, and aimed towards people who want to move their photography on to the next level. Photography is very much like running a business; you have to take risks, change your viewpoint to see a different solution, get out of your comfort zone sometimes and be persistent!
What’s the upshot of writing these articles? There is the air of an expert around someone who writes, and is published, in the media. Especially if it is done on a regular basis and the articles are interesting. This is demonstrated perfectly in the photographic industry. Photographers who write articles undoubtedly get more bookings for their training courses, in large part because they are visible and present themselves as experts in their field.
Remember, when you are starting out, you do not have a well-known reputation; most of your market doesn’t know you. So think about how you want to be known; clients want someone who knows what they are doing BEFORE they hire you. For them, reading about you in the press is one of the many ways they can build an impression of you.
Your passion and intelligence is worth sharing, so get writing and don’t be shy in getting some attention!
› Thu, 02 Feb 2012
This year, I’m going to be helping people more with links and advice for photographers. I’ve been subscribing to Bowen’s Youtube channel with photographer Christian Hough for a while, and these videos are a great way of demystifying lighting techniques.
This video is about using hard lighting.
› Mon, 16 Jan 2012
Money’s too tight to mention
Hello to 2012!
It’s been over 6 months since my jump into self-employed life, and the transition is very much like learning to swim. The armbands are off, and whilst I’m not sinking, I feel like I’m furiously flapping about like a duckling.
I mentioned the problems with money in a previous post and, of course, it is taking longer to resolve than I want it to. Here’s the thing… to become a great success really does take time, so be more prepared for it than I was. It’s not easy to follow your passion, and I can see a time later this year when I will be “swimming” more comfortably. In the meantime, here’s what I think you should do (and what I should have done earlier)
Supplement your income with a part-time job
This is not an easy solution to consider. You’ve left your full-time job to escape the constraints it gave you, and want to dedicate all your time to photography. I must admit, I struggle to regret dedicating all of the first three months to my business; I was able to get it to a place much faster than if I was working part-time. But I also thought that a part-time role would mean I had less availability to do shoots, networking, cold calls or other business activities. Let me get one thing straight with you; you will not have this problem in the first year. Your next 12 months will be about raising people’s awareness of your business; it will then take them what seems like an eternity to book you on a shoot. In the meantime, you’re filling your time on the business, but not doing paid shoots.
Getting a part-time job is not easy, in fact it’s very difficult in these current times. But let’s face it – you’ve got loads of time to be a photographer, so if you are in employment and planning to leave, arrange a part-time job now so that when you leave, you have a “buffer” and feel less likely to panic or sound desperate for work.
Be warned: do NOT use part-time work as an excuse to work less hard on your business. Your ambition of being full-time will not be achieved if you don’t push hard to make those cold calls, write press articles or network, all because you’ve felt more comfortable with a supplementary income.
Benefits
This was one of those “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before” moments. I’ve never had to claim benefits before – something I have been quite proud of. But of course, I’ve never been self-employed or earned as little as I have before (well, not since I was a student!). In the UK, if you are self-employed, you can be eligible for Working Tax Credits; these help you if you are working full-time on your business but aren’t earning a high-enough income. Factors such as children or partner’s salary do come into play here, so I advise any UK self-employed person to consult the HMRC web site or call the relevant helplines.
Accept that borrowing will be part of your freelance life
This is something I don’t like to do. I didn’t have a credit card during University. I resented how long it took to pay off my student loan. I have a credit card that I don’t spend any money on, it’s just there to pay off the debt I had to accumulate in order to furnish my flat. So to have to borrow is a pain that I don’t need; it’s tantamount to “asking for help”, and if you are an independent person (or “control freak” as others call us) then that is hard to do.
Get advice about overdrafts, work out how you’re going to pay them off (it’s still someone else’s money, you shouldn’t get into the habit of having it permanently). If you can, ask family and friends for assistance – it’s better if you show them your plans for the next year, because if they can see how hard you are working to get income, they will accept a way of repaying them that causes less hardship for you.
When it comes to borrowing, be honest and don’t take advantage. People want to help freelancers who are struggling but are doing something about it; they don’t want to help people who borrow money without any real intention or plan for paying it back.
All right, that is my sober first tale of 2012… in the meantime, I can report having successful meetings so far that should lead to more work in February; they won’t clear the debt in one hit, but one client leads to the next, then the next one, then the next….
‘Til next time :)
› Fri, 30 Dec 2011
Bye, Bye 2011…
Where has the time gone? A year has passed since my first posting to commemorate my CurryGoat&Roti blog. I still remember how I felt when I started it. Fed up with following all the rules of what photography blogs should be about, I decided to write what it’s really like to make the transition from the safety of employment to being a fearless self-employed photographer.
So amidst talk of quantitative easing, riots, royal weddings, double-dip recessions, Arab Springs, phone hacking and Fenton the Dog, what has 2011 meant to me?
You never stop learning
I have had to challenge myself personally as well as improve my knowledge of running a business. And being a naturally impatient person, I have had to learn how to bide my time in convincing the marketplace that my service is required for their business. My most famous challenge was cold-calling; I charged up to the task with bundles of enthusiasm, which were promptly smacked repeatedly out of my hands. After some innovative training and advice, I have picked those bundles up again, ready for 2012. I still read business advice even now – currently on Public Relations – and am discovering new quality photo work all the time.
Lack of money makes you incredibly creative
The sad fact is, as a freelancer, money really does not appear on a regular basis. And when no paying jobs have emerged after seven weeks, you are faced with a choice. Think of new things to excite people, or give up. As Kanye West says in Champion, “giving up’s way harder than trying”, and so the Profile Picture Sessions was born, bringing profile pictures to an audience that needs it. The feedback has been positive for my new service, so I look forward to watching it grow and develop in 2012. I also look forward to contradicting the above statement by revealing that having money doesn’t dull your creativity!
You learn the value of good people
I have met so many helpful, giving and inspiring people this year. Through them, I got to meet Alan Shearer, see Naomie Harris, David Neita and Gary Lee speak at a Black History Month event, and have my business promoted by others who really want to support me and see me succeed. You can’t get anywhere without people like them. And all I had to do was be myself.
Your emotions seem to consistently sit on the Big Dipper in Blackpool
My poor mother. The amount of times she has had to give me pep talks over the last few months… fortunately she loves talking, so I think she enjoys it. The adjustment to living a self-employed life is a strange one; I love the lifestyle so much and the thought of going back to working full-time in an office does not inspire me. Yet I do miss the security of regular income. And that can be stressful at times. Looking at the money situation in my first year of business has caused frustration, so I look at the more positive things to keep me going.
I recently bought a book called “Cold Calling for Chickens, by Bob Etherington. Every time I feel a bit down, I read the section of the book on Attitude. It’s a fantastic section, because it is so motivating. Having the right attitude really is the key to being successful. If I let myself become defeatist, I will never grow Profile Picture Sessions, and I’ll never inspire confidence in my clients. This book even had practical advice, which I follow, and it puts me in a good (and focused) mood each morning.
The best thing I realised: I made the right decision
This year has had its fair share of ups and downs. It seems 2011 will go down in history as “the Year of Turbulence”, for many, many reasons. But even as I have written these stories, no matter what has happened, I have never felt becoming a self-employed photographer was a mistake. I go into 2012 determined to push harder, and keep hold of this feeling that what I’m doing is right.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog so far. Of course, 2012 will be a new chapter, so now the short stories will document my efforts in growing my business. Keep reading on and – thank you for your support :)
› Wed, 30 Nov 2011
Nothing Stays the Same for Long
About a month ago, I wrote an anguished post as I got my first bout of freelance realism. Being without paid work for six weeks and seeing no change in sight in the near future made me very sad and frustrated. Truth be told, I was exhausted. I had created new ideas and was running on adrelanine, and really wanted something big to come to fruition, so when it didn’t happen, I despaired.
Then my mother, in an attempt to cheer me up, took me to see a film called Benda Bilili!, about a musical band of polio sufferers and street kids. They survived the disadvantages of disability, homelessness and, for one of them, their communal home burning down, in order to make an album. Not only did they complete the album, they went on tour and are still touring today.
What my mother wanted to emphasise was this: nothing stays the same for long. They survived bad times and situations and kept working at what they did and now their lives have changed. “Every day you keep working on your business, talking to people and coming up with new ideas, the nearer you will get to that success.”
Well, the cliche of mothers being right only exists because it’s true.
In the last month, I’ve been commissioned for a family portrait shoot. Then a networking group I belong to asked me to set up a studio so I can take profile pictures of other members. A local Chamber of Commerce is introducing me to more people and opportunities. And I have a couple of meetings with large corporate companies to discuss business portraits.
Now, although I still can’t tell myself how much I will actually have banked by the end of December, I know I will get something. I know my new ideas are well-received and more people are hearing about them. I’m now developing my PR strategy so I can get more coverage.
So yes, next January will be tight. And like all other businesses, we still have to deal with the economic messes being created by others richer and more powerful than us. But I feel more optimistic. And that’s because, as long as I keep going, the rough times really do not go on forever.
› Thu, 24 Nov 2011
Inspirational Photographers: Michael Heffernan
I was browsing through the Association of Photographer’s web site, looking at their selection of excellent photographers, and just happened to land on a page for Michael Heffernan. He works with advertising and corporate clients and is a professional with over 20 years’ experience. I looked through his work and was full of admiration, so here is his web site: http://www.michaelheffernan.com/
I always advise people to look at other photographers’ work, even if the style is different to yours. His work immediately teaches me about what his clients must be looking for when they commission him. Whilst I couldn’t aim to shoot like him – plagiarising styles, rather than using them as influences, is never a good look – his work just goes to show you can merge creativity with commercial needs with great skill.
› Wed, 09 Nov 2011
A first: my portrait has made it to TV
Thank you to Yvonne Ndege, who I had the pleasure of photographing in October 2011; one of my photos of her is now appearing on the Al Jazeera English channel, which is wonderful news!
For those still nervous about getting out there and promoting yourselves, this opportunity would not have come about if I didn’t network and meet good people, so get out there and do the same :)
› Fri, 28 Oct 2011
The art of waiting/Are things as bad as they seem?
The euphoria of the early freedom of being a freelancer is starting to ebb. The smug strolls through the sunshine, the lunches with friends who had to retreat to an office all too soon, whilst I could partake in a bit of shopping before telling all and sundry how great I am at photography. All of that has disappeared as an expected speed bump has come into view. And that speed bump has a name: Lack of Money.
I will clear this up by saying that I haven’t actually run out of money. I am one of those people who worries she’s running out of money if she can’t do more than pay her bills and possibly afford a trip to the OPI nail bar in Selfridges. (For the record, I was working class once; socialising with more middle-class kids and reading acres of Marie Claire and Pride magazine changes a person.) I overworry, so the situation probably isn’t as dire to most other people.
The lack of a stable, consistent income is something that affects all people when they are self-employed – definitely when they are starting out, and even for those who are established. Our ability to look ahead and confidently book that holiday, or buy that outfit, is no longer done with confidence.
I don’t like it. It goes back to my days as a student. Living in the UK can be good if you have money. But not having enough money here is grim, especially if you live in London and you are surrounded by emblems of wealth. I don’t ever want to go back to that time again.
I have spent all week being frustrated at this situation. It’s been nearly four weeks since my last paid commission, and not through lack of trying. You have to remember, just as life can throw you a googly (or “curveball” if you are American), it can throw them at your potential clients as well, and that’s exactly what has happened with me. Shoots that would have filled the gap have been postponed to an as-yet-undetermined time, and that is a fact of life, not just for freelancers. Best-laid plans get changed all the time, and it’s no-one’s fault, so you must accept it and carry on with other plans.
It’s a bit strange being self-employed and not thriving off uncertainty, but it is a trait I have unexpectedly had to learn to gain. I’ve also had to remember the great Monty Python refrain to get through it – “always look on the bright side of life” (insert whistle accordingly).
I have ticked off several things from my October task list. I had a stand at Camden Business Connections’ networking event and my photography and business was very well-received, and has resulted in a meeting with a potential referrer. The admin side of my email newsletter list is almost complete and ready to go. I have time to properly my Profile Picture Sessions. And I heard, met and spoke to photographers Lara Jade and Peter Dench at the recent Canon Pro Solutions in Islington, London.
I’ve started contacting events organisers and one of them is now following me on Twitter! Yes, EX Events, I noticed you! It’s a small nugget but I’m easily pleased by them, especially if there’s a hint of gold in it.
And I am gaining several leads in the corporate portrait world thanks to my lead generation company. I won’t shout them out yet – they’re my secret weapon – but they’re getting further in 2 weeks than I ever did in 2 months. Refer back to my posts on cold-calling and not doing it all to see what I mean.
So, what have I learned, both through my own thoughts and those of the photographers I met this week? Keep motivated, keep doing something fresh. Even something like striking a tedious to-do item off can seem like a small victory for the day. Learn to live with the inconsistencies and remember all the good things that have happened to you, and how you wouldn’t have experienced them if you did a “proper” job.
Oh, and go out more. The only day I felt on top this week was when I went out and about the other day to a meeting; I’ve finally realised being in my own “office” in silence is not as motivating as sitting with other people. So I shall be off taking advantage of the free seats and Wi-Fi at the British Library. If you see me on Floor 1, pop by and say hello :)
› Wed, 12 Oct 2011
Realising that Business Etiquette is different from the etiquette your mum taught you.
In my family, manners are very important. It’s a sign of good upbringing and shows respect to the people you interact with. So when other people do not show that, it reflects badly on them in many ways. And that is still largely the case when you go out into the working world as an employee – well, in my experience at least!
So it was a massive disappointment, as well as incredibly irritating, to discover what my family would call rude and ignorant behaviour when I became a full-time business myself. Ignoring emails, not answering calls, not thanking you for work done, not providing feedback, backing of shoots with 48 hours’ notice… the list goes on.
It was only as I read the Get Clients Now! book by CJ Hayden that drove home the reasons why things like not answering messages happens so often. The higher you are in an organisation, the more you have to do. And if you are contacting senior people who have a full workload every day, it can easily happen that they will see your email, be receptive to what you are saying, then get distracted and forget what you’ve said 5 minutes later.
In fact, that is something that used to regularly happen with me. Although I never had lots of emails to answer every day in my old job, I did have lots of deadlines that meant no matter what people asked me, if I got distracted by a proposal, I would forget all other requests. Irritating yes, but not rude or malicious.
I say this because a common worry amongst sole traders and freelancers is that we are so well-mannered, we don’t want to spam or irritate people by contacting them too much. Yet we get collectively irate when the key people we contact don’t respond.
So I try to resolve it by reminding myself… you have to contact people regularly to stay in their conscience. You need to have a reason for calling or construct the conversation so they can talk about themselves, not just hear about what you do and how great you are. Your nerves will come across in an email or over the phone, so banish them and you will sound confident and in control of the conversation. Time your follow-ups right, and you will get further every time until eventually your prospect gives you a job or referral.
The thing is, if we got angry or upset every time someone in business didn’t do what we wanted them to do, we’d end up with a massive headache every day! Know that what they’re doing isn’t right, but you might not be high priority at the moment. Then move on and either get in touch again or, if they are really rude or unreliable, ignore them! You’ve got better things to do with your time then get in touch with people who are really disrespectful. For one thing, if they are like that now and when you work with them, you know they definitely will not pay you on time (if at all).
So, don’t let the rules of business etiquette get you down. Carry yourself with respect and dignity, know that you have manners and therefore more power. You’d be amazed how people slowly feel bad for their lack of manners and follow your example.
› Wed, 05 Oct 2011
When it’s time to say… I can’t do it all
Ah, the perils of blog-writing. It’s ironic that, when I wasn’t busy doing shoots, I had lots to write about. Now I’m doing shoots (on top of everything else), the writing dried up! But after recent run of five shoots in two weeks, I am back to talk about another lesson learned on this journey of mine.
For those who have noticed, I am all about discovering how to do things yourself. I think it’s crucial to know the whole picture (no pun intended) of running a business, as it helps you stay in control of its direction. However, I have also found that you also discover where your weaknesses will always be, and that’s when you bite the bullet and… let go of a certain part of your business activity to someone else.
Yes, I said it.
You know if you are a perfectionist/anti-delegator, you struggle to give tasks to someone else. And when it’s your business and budget, finances don’t seem to allow you to pay a person to do this properly. But when faced with cold-calling – a subject I have written about before – I realised that I couldn’t do it all.
I didn’t appreciate how time-intensive it could be. And honestly, I didn’t enjoy spending a week in the summer indoors because I was making calls all day. Not organising shoots, not emailing people, not networking. Calling strangers. And you do have to have resilience to do that type of work. It wasn’t so much the people on the end of the phone – almost all were OK, some sounded busy, some sounded really nice and only a couple sounded completely disinterested. But without already having name recognition, such calls will yield small results if you don’t have the right technique.
So I recently commissioned a lead-generating company to work with me on a part-time basis, contacting people in businesses I already want to target. For these people, they are trained to make those contacts, so they should be able to focus on this better than me.
The important thing I want to get across is, when you are growing your business, you reach that crossroad where it starts to get bigger than you. You feel you could do with extra help, but don’t want to risk the budget. What if it doesn’t work?
Well, being in business is about taking logical risks and being brave. My attitude was this: my business will grow more if I have two people doing two sets of activities brilliantly, rather than one person doing them all averagely.
I may have to spend money that I could have put towards a new lens, but my consultant could get me a four-figure contract that means I could buy the lens outright.
The point here is to do research, get recommendations and talk with people who you might work with. Do they understand your business and how to relate it to your clients’ needs? Do they already have contacts within your target sectors? Both are crucial, because they will succeed in getting people interested in your service, and they will not have to climb such large barriers to get to know the decision-makers and gatekeepers, because they know them already.
I’ll write an update on how this goes after a few months – as with anything, success doesn’t happen overnight, despite appearances. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy whatever you are doing, but be afraid to let qualified people in who can add to your business. After all, you leave employed work so you can enjoy life, not be overwhelmed by more work!
› Mon, 19 Sep 2011
Photographers to Watch: Kristofer Samuelsson
I saw Kristofer’s photo of David Nicholls in today’s Guardian and immediately went to check out his web site. I like the way they look they were shot on film. The portraits also show emotion and character, because of how the subjects are behaving and how the pictures were shot. Have a look at his web site to explore more of his images: http://www.kristofersamuelsson.se/
› Wed, 14 Sep 2011
Two videos today! The first is a current song that I love so much, I might actually dance to it in the studio… Ms Dynamite’s Neva Soft.
Whilst the fashion is contemporary, the low-contrast, slightly Hipstamatic feel and the “retro” feel (note the vinyl and large speakers, reminiscent of the underground clubs in the ’70s) reminded me of another video. See the one before this to compare…
