Reflecting on 10 Years...
In February I passed my 10 year mark of being a full time photographer. If I am being honest, full time is a little misleading. It was a slow start and I was muddling through what it meant to be a "full time photographer." Turns out it meant very long days of wondering how I could attract new clients. How to provide fun relaxed sessions for the people who chose to hire me. It meant that there was endless worry. Endless worry about providing for my family. Endless worry about what could go wrong in every shoot. Endless worry about what people thought of my work. Endless worry about what I was doing wrong. Endless worry about my imposter syndrome.
Doesn' t that sound FUN??
It also meant that I did a happy dance every single time a client booked with me.
From the beginning- before the beginning actually- I had a drive to learn how to do it all better. Now, 122 months later, I can say that I have laid a lot of those worries to rest, for the most part. What remains constant is always wanting to do it all better. Better images. Better communication. Better provision for my family. Better use of my equipment. Better understanding of the industry. Better ways to serve my clients. Always wanting people to leave a session feeling... You got it, BETTER.
I still attend conferences and I still invest in classes. I still research and study and push myself to try new things. This is important stuff.
Another important thing I did last month, was to call another photographer and schedule a time to have my pictures taken. If I expect my clients to do that and embrace all that it entails, I need to do it, too. Like most of my clients, I hate to have my picture taken. The best thing to offset that hatred, is to choose a photographer with whom you can be comfortable. For me, that is my good friend Erin at Mercy Street Studio. Erin has been my go-to from the birth of my business. I trust her, I can be my awkward self, and she creates images that make me feel like myself... but a slightly less awkward version of myself. We laugh and joke and I feel comfortable trying different things with her.
I know this is true: putting myself in that awfully awkward space in front of the camera, makes me better when I am back where I belong, on the other side of the camera. Some clients have been with me for 10 years, so when they step in front of my camera, they are already pretty comfortable. Some need a minute to remember what it's like. Other clients are meeting me for the first time, so I want to set them at ease as quickly as possible.
How? Provide guidance before the session.
How? Chatter chatter chatter.
How? Demonstrate poses.
How? Reinforce what is working.
How? Guide away from what isn't working.
How? Be transparent before, during, and after the session.
How? Demonstrate my expertise.
How? Empathize with the emotional piece of it.
How? Embrace my own awkwardness.
I love my job. I hope in 10 years I'm writing another blog post about my 20th anniversary.
Thank you for being here, and thank you for choosing Meg Hatch Photography. I still do a happy dance every time a client books with me.
~Meg
