Way back when, photographers were considered a fully professional breed, many of which went through years of training to perfect their eye and ideas. Nowadays, you don’t have to go through so much training, at least not with others.
The Internet provides plenty of resources and information to help your photography career get started. Of course, you will only get better with time, and your first work might not be as good as expected. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to start as best as possible, so you don’t encounter too many problems down the line.
We’ve taken upon ourselves to give you some background info and tips that should enable you to fully dedicate yourself to photography (whether it’s outdoors photography or indoor photography; it doesn’t matter). So, let’s begin!
Optimize your portfolio
First up, the only way to get people to notice you, and I mean really notice you, is through a portfolio. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it must be clear as day what you’re about. Not everyone will like what you do, of course, but those that do will want a professional feel from you.
This means selecting the best photos you’ve taken and presenting them to the world. It’s also a good idea to keep everything up to date and the system behind your portfolio clean and without hiccups (no one likes a slow website or sloppy arrangement of photos).
Interacting with your visitors
Your visitors and followers are your friends, in a sense. Who’d you show photos you take if not to random people that have grown to love your work. Appreciate them and accept their existence; try to connect with them by talking, making commissions, or just giving updates with comments.
The whole point of being a photographer is for many people to see what you do. How you present yourself to them is crucial in growing and maintaining your follower base. So try your best, listen to them and overall, make sure everyone has a nice time!
Use client experience as a marketing tool
Do you know how some companies have quotes or reviews from people who bought their products and tested them out? Well, that is the basis of client experience. When the customer is happy, then it is a positive result of the business. They might voice their opinions or they might not, but you’ll know when you’re doing a good job.
You can use this to your advantage; client experience is a valuable asset in any marketing world. Photography is no different, and good comments about you will further promote you and your work. After all, that’s what marketing is about – doing your best to sell your product and keeping the customer happy doing so.
Social media ads
Ads on social media are an odd bunch. In some cases, they work brilliantly while in others not so much. But the truth is, they do help you grow. Take, for example, Twitter – your posts or comments usually end up ignored because they don’t show up in people’s feeds. However, when you ‘boost’ a post using Twitter Ads (where your stuff appears on others’ feeds fairly easily as promoted content), some engagement starts happening.
This costs money, though, so it might be a good idea to combine ads and a creative campaign for your photos and work!
Work with other vendors
It’s good to remember you’re not alone in this. In most cases, selling photos by yourself won’t bring you any luck in the beginning. This is why vendors are incredibly important for new photographers; someone who already has a customer base that they can offer your photos to.
Ask for help if necessary, find out what topics are popular in photography at the moment and try to adapt. At least in the beginning; after some time you can certainly continue down the road yourself.
Call to action is a crucial component
CTA buttons on your website are integral. These are small buttons that serve the purpose of inviting the user to do something. In most cases, these buttons lead to other websites or links. You can create CTAs for your photos and play around with them until you’ve found the best solution.
Don’t forget to give users reasoning behind why they should click the button!
Join an online community
Online communities are a great way of learning from others who are more experienced than you. Chances are, everyone has their own tips and tricks related to photography and learning those will give you an edge (plus it’s easier to learn from people who have gone through the same process).
Don’t be ashamed to ask questions; you’re there to learn and to have a good time with like-minded people!
Focus on testimonials
Lastly, you mustn’t forget about testimonials. Remember that mention of customer reviews that some companies show publicly? Yeah, those. Testimonials are perfect in the sense that users who have just found out about you can read what others (completely random people who stumbled upon your work just like them) had to say. Testimonials exist to give a sense of respect and certainty, and they can be a significant boost to traffic!
Author Bio:
I have two passions: Travel & Photography. Lucky for me they go hand in hand. My goal is to inspire and encourage others to get out into nature — it’s a beautiful and enlightening experience. Be sure to check back often to learn the various ways I photograph nature. If you have any requests feel free to contact me 🙂
