Work was crazy a few weeks ago and having time to sit and talk to Craig has been limited. The other night reminded me how much I miss talking to him and how well he really knows me!
Craig and I were coming home from our daughter's boyfriends basketball game. Among different conversations going on in the car, we got on the topic of photography, among different topics we get on the topic of being a business person. We came to the conclusion, I am not a good business person! Craig is pointing out lots of facts about me that completely opened my eyes! He was also appreciative that I don't spend money to do photography, after I reminded him of the poor business person I am. =)
When I decided to start doing photography for other people it was because I couldn't see asking these people to pay so much for a portrait that will find its way into a closet or behind closed doors at some point. Not only did I love being creative with my own family portraits, I wasn't about to pay a high price for a picture. Photography has come a long way, and now adays it just doesn't require so much to do it and everyone is doing it. In my opinion it is just a huge cycle of lots of people keeping their eye on another photographers work, keeping their prices competitive with another photographer, and slamming another photographer to get to the top. When in reality someone else will be picking up a camera tomorrow. Everyone loses track of their passion and love for photography because they are more focused on the business part of it. The conversation between Craig and I made me realize, I still have the passion and still love doing photography. I don't have thousands of dollars invested in photography, I am not out buying the next new big thing photography has to offer. I am the one sitting here proving to myself, I can make it work instead of spending hundreds of dollars and making it work is half the fun! With that being said it allows me to look back, appreciate myself, the hard work and say I did it and I didn't have to buy it.
I do weddings for people I love because I have fun with it and it's out of the kindness of my heart. I can't charge someone thousands of dollars when I know it doesn't take thousands to do a wedding. That is not to say there is a lot of work in a wedding, because I know there is. I pondered a lot about doing weddings but the headache of the thought process wasn't worth it. I'd rather help and have fun shooting a wedding then be on the business end of it. A price on a wedding is mostly figured by the "competition and going rate" and how many extra things they can throw in there to keep their prices high and have their customer wanting more. The weddings I did do, I didn't offer anything but me, my camera and their prints. If they wanted extras, I would build them extras, but didn't use the extras to make a "nice pricey package". Craig looked right at me and said "You know it doesn't cost that much to do a wedding and your not the kind of person who will charge someone that much to do it" he then smiles and says "Guess that makes you a crappy business person" So I guess it does =) Relieves a lot of headaches for me, lets me focus more on why I really got into photography (being able to give people a professional captured memories at a reasonable price) and doing what I love.
I started off helping people with photoshop (digital effects) and would just spend my free time helping on a forum, well then you find more and more people wanting something for nothing. I had several comments made to me about about how crazy I was for helping so many other people who wanted to do photography. Craig even spoke up and reminded me that people don't always scratch your back when you scratch theirs and that I needed to stop and worry more about myself. My phone was seriously ringing every single day, someone with a question about photography. Craig also reminded me that I worked hard to learn this on my own and the information is out there for everyone if they want it bad enough. I researched and learned out of determination and I'm not going to just give it someone who 9 times out of 10 won't give you anything in return. So I have stopped and focused more on myself and have looked back and seen things for what they really were.
I truly got got so wrapped up helping people that when I sit back and think about it I realize people are out for themselves only. Just one example .....A friend, (so I thought) pumped me up, bragging me up one side and down the other, asking me to make her digital things for her family (and I did for nothing because I loved it and wanted to help), she made me believe I got first chance at being "top photographer" listed with her business. Turned out, she went somewhere else for her photography needs. I do see now that she is had her business face on when all along I thought it was my friend talking to me. Yeah I am a little naive sometimes when it comes to helping people, but I'm working on that =)
It just feels good to refocus, throw the truth out there and take a good look at myself and remember why I started photography in the first place. I think throwing all these feelings out there is a reminder to myself and my passion. It is what makes me a great photographer who loves and will always love what I do!
