I’ve been thinking a lot about the business lately. In case you hadn’t noticed.
Maybe it’s all part of a mid-life crisis, though why I can’t just buy a Harley like everyone else I don’t know.
Undeniably, all the analysis is due to some dissatisfaction with where the business is at the moment. Don’t get me wrong. It’s traveling down the right road. It’s just not far enough along it. Nor is it traveling nearly half fast enough to my liking.
It’s tempting to say that it’s all the fault of the economy. But that leaves me pretty powerless to do anything about improving my business. The state of the economy is far too great a problem for me to solve on my own. I’d need, you know, at least one other person to help me tackle it. Maybe two. Million.
What I can do is affect the state of my mind when I think about the economy.
So here’s how I choose to see it. The economy could be rosier, yes. That means clients are more discerning when they commission photography. Money’s tight, so they have to get their purchasing choices right. That means photographers have to be crystal clear about their style of photography so clients know what they are getting before they commit funds.
Consequently, photographers who have a clearly distinct style have the advantage over those who don’t. It’ll help them shine out brighter in the economic haze.
It’ll also help them cut through the same haze to identify the right kind of clients to approach in the first place, increasing the chance of a commission.
To do this, photographers need to have a good handle on their unique selling points (USPs).
So over the next few Sundays, I ‘m going to work out my own USPs on this blog. Starting today.
USP 1 – I am a documentary photographer.
This is the most fundamental one, as it underpins everything else I do. It is my passion.
Other photographers live for posed photographs. I live for real moments of history.
Next week: USP 2 – The 80% lens
