Hi, there.  

I see you over there, a newbie photographer who is just getting started.  A girl with a camera and a dream, so excited to get subjects in front of her camera that she’s giving away her time for free.  You’re looking around and seeing so many beautiful posts in your newsfeed, wishing your own images looked like the ones from the photographers that you admire so much.  

You’re eager to do everything you can to become an amazing photographer, so you shoot 1,256 images at every session.  You spend hours every night culling & editing while trying to learn Lightroom and Photoshop, agonizing over which of these fourteen similar images is the very best.  You tilt your camera at just the right angle to make your photos look “artsy” and more creative.  Your camera becomes a permanent extension of your body, and you almost never leave home without it.  You’re in all of the photography groups on Facebook, and whenever someone mentions a prop vendor, a camera bag that you absolutely must have, or a DIY project, you jump right on it.  You are certain that this is the thing will change your life and your business. 

I see you over there, saying yes to everyone and everything that comes your way.  Yes, I’ll do a cake smash for your baby.  Yes, we can do your family’s session at noon on Sunday.  Yes, I’ll shoot your wedding for free because the exposure would be great.  Yes, I would love to take photos of your five dogs in your red living room with one tiny window.  Yes, I’ll give you an extra sneak peek and all of the RAW files and spend hours editing that hair elastic off of your daughter’s wrist in every.single.photo because I forgot to tell her to remove it before the shoot.  Yes, yes, yes.

You’re up at all hours of the night, finishing another gallery and answering another email.  You’re exhausted.  You’re wondering why your images are so grainy and what camera settings you’re supposed to use.  You can’t figure out why the newborns won’t ever sleep for you during their sessions.  But you’re still so excited to call yourself a photographer, so excited to capture these moments for families that will value your artwork.  You are chasing this dream, and you’re loving every minute of it.

I want to tell you something…
YOU ARE DOING JUST FINE.  KEEP AT IT.  CHASE YOUR DREAM.  DON’T GIVE UP.

When I started my business, there was so much I didn’t know.  So much.  Actually, I wasn’t even trying to start a business, but somewhere along the way that happened.  Like every photographer, I have learned so many lessons during my first years in business.  Here are a few, and I hope that they will help you!

Don’t overshoot.  

You don’t need 1,000 images from every session, and your clients don’t need a final gallery of 100 images.  They’ll probably only display 5-10 images in their home, so a gallery of 20-25 is more than enough without overwhelming them.  Get the shot, and then move on to get a new angle, new pose, new location, new outfit.

Don’t overbuy.

That new wrap, basket, bucket, bag isn’t going to make you a better photographer.  Set a budget for your props, and stick to it.  Only purchase items that fit your style, and remember that if it looks cheap, then your photography will look cheap.  To become a high-end photographer, your images and everything in them need to look high-end.  Invest in a few quality pieces and use those in every session. 

Learn posing & safety.

This is especially important for newborn sessions.  Please educate yourself before you start working with newborns.  Most of the images you see online are composites of two or more images woven together in Photoshop to create a final image.  Babies are fragile little beings, and it’s important to know what their bodies can and cannot do.  They are your most precious little clients, so you never want to hang them in mid-air, place too much pressure on their joints, put them in a glass bowl, or place them in any precarious situation where they can tip over and hurt themselves.  Safety first.  

Be fearless with light.

For years I was worried that studio lighting would be too hard to learn, too expensive to invest in, and that it wasn’t the “right” thing to do because other photographers that I loved so much advertised themselves as “natural light photographers.”  But you know what?  Making the leap to studio lighting was the best thing I ever did for my photography.  My images are more consistent than ever before, and I am confident to shoot in any situation and environment.  

Learn your gear.

Learn to shoot in Manual.  Learn to shoot and edit RAW images.  Learn to shoot in challenging lighting situations.  Once you can figure it out in camera, you’re going to spend a lot less time editing your images.  You’re also going to be a lot less frustrated when your images start turning out exactly the way you imagined them to be.

Invest in quality gear.

Figure out what you need to create truly beautiful images, and save up for the very best that you can afford — even if it takes a few months to save up enough money, it’s worth it.  Making the switch to a full-frame camera will be a game-changer for your portraits, but only if you know how to shoot in manual (see above: Learn your gear).  Rather than getting cheap lighting off of Amazon, save up for an Alien Bee or an Einstein. You’ll love it the very first time you use it, and it will last you for years with an amazing customer service team that is ready to help, fix, and replace it should anything go wrong.  This goes for your props, too.

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Whew!  Thanks for reading, but that’s just the beginning!  Once I started writing, it just kept flowing and this is only the first half.  Be sure to check out Part 2 on the blog, too!  

Oh, and by the way… remember that camera tilt I mentioned in the beginning of this letter?  Drop it.  It’s not artsy, and your client shouldn’t have to tilt their head at an uncomfortable angle to get a better look at their family’s portrait.  We’ve all been there, and we’ve all tilted the camera.  Learn from it, and keep your horizons straight.  Your images will look much more timeless!

With love (and a nice little kick in the pants if that’s what you needed in your business today!),

Nicole Starr

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