In the past two weeks, I have had 4 ONLINE MENTORING sessions, and though they are so much fun, my heart was broken to learn that so many girls are going through a similar struggle: Attracting the ‘right’ client for them and their business.

Let’s be 100% real for a moment shall we. When we first started out, first started charging…anyone and everyone that called us to shoot anyone or anything…FOR MONEY….we jumped at it. Right? I FEEL YOU! WHY…..BECAUSE I WAS THERE!

What I wasn’t told in the very beginning, was that its the beginning moments that shape and define the future of our career as a professional photographer. Sure…we all make mistakes along the way…fail a few times….but its how we recover and grow that makes us successful. 

It is soooo tempting in the beginning to start off charging $50.00 for a shoot, turn over the images, a show off the images online. Then…the next week…do the next shoot…but this time the couple or family can only afford to pay $40.00…but hey…its income…compensation for our service to them…so we take it. NO! WRONG!

Here is what I wish someone told me. Just like negative attention is NOT better than any attention….money from the wrong clientele is not worth the long term pains of it all. When you bend your prices, charge too little for what is suppose to be a luxury service/item, you may start to attract a clientele you don’t want. You want clients that value photography and most of all value YOU. Custom Portraiture…which is what we as professionals do, is not meant to be “cheap” or “value” photography. THAT IS WHAT TARGET, OLAN MILLS, ETC ARE FOR! I know that is hard to hear or even say to prospective clients….but you are offering a customized experience and service to clients that want that personal experience that goes beyond the 8×8 studio with boring backdrops/props.. You want your clients to see the VALUE AND WORTH of coming to you over those mall studios. And the only way you can get your clients and prospective ones to value you and your service is for you to VALUE YOURSELF FIRST!

Recommendation: Before charging…figure out WHAT you want to shoot. When I started I was like” I can shoot goats, families, newborns, events, birthday parties, engagements, weddings, and funerals. AHHHH! I was a do it all Sally from crazy land! I couldn’t possibly SPECIALIZE in all those areas at once. I needed to figure out what I liked to shoot before investing time and money into perfecting my craft.

I suggest creating a casting call. DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR THE CLIENTS YOUR WANT! If you want to shoot couples…go find a couple you would like to represent your business….to be the faces of what type of clients you want to attract. I know some photographers that shoot some really amazing couples, but they clearly wouldn’t hire me based on the images they received…I just don’t produce that kind of art. These images have crazy lighting,clients have lots of tattoos…like allll over and really eccentric outfits. Though that is sooooo cool…that fits HIS BRAND….THOSE ARE CLEARLY HIS TYPE OF CLIENTS. He has appealed to the market he values because he found value in his niche of photography. 

Over time—once you establish the type of photography you want to specialize in, your brand and the market you want to reach, things will start to fall into place. There is a photographer out there for everyone. For their style, their vision, their needs. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE WHO YOU ARE TO FIT EVERYONES NEEDS. THE RIGHT CLIENT WHO VALUES YOU FOR YOU WILL FIND YOU AND BOOK WITH YOU. JUST BE 100% YOU AND YOU WILL GET 100% OF THE CLIENTS THAT ARE MEANT TO BE YOURS!

The minute you start changing your prices, your style, your vision to meet theirs…you have lost yourself, your eye and your value. People like to depend on you to know that every time they come to you, they are getting YOUR work….not a mixture of everyone else’s.

HARD TRUTH ALERT: Not everyone will like you! Some may actually really dislike you. Some may talk badly behind your back…some may even talk badly to your face. PAY NO MIND! You have value. You have worth. If you let them shake that, or put doubt in your minds, they win! Say nothing, press on, shoot on.

Your client is out there and they will find you. Place value in yourself, YOUR REALLLLL SELF, and never waiver. Set your prices so people give your work value over a mall studio. Make the experience you give them so unique and infuse your personality so much so that they could never ….EVER find another YOU. Sure…anyone could do the same pose or composition…but NO ONE could ever be 100% you. THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU!