Saturated photography markets - for those w/ Businesses
catspaw
Registered Users Posts: 1,292 Major grins
Given that your area is full of photographers (and if it's not, shhhhh keep your secret niche a secret 
) and competition within the 'masses' of photographers can be a tad difficult at times (pricing, name recognition, etc etc), it is often advised to try harder to be more compelling, therefore rising above the masses.
:scratch
First time I heard this I admit I was a bit put off. I mean, I do what I do, why should I do it with a circus act just because??
But the more and more I thought about it, the logic sunk in. Technically, we should never be at the bottom of our segmented market. That's easy to avoid by entering ones you are familiar with, got your name out, networked or whatever. But HOW do you rise about the masses? I mean, what's more compelling about, oh me, than the other photographers in my area?
Well, that one is easy to answer but if I try to break into a new niche market I admit I'll be very dull and not shiny :cry and probably pretty danged lost.
So discuss if you wish. What makes YOU more compelling than your direct competition???
) and competition within the 'masses' of photographers can be a tad difficult at times (pricing, name recognition, etc etc), it is often advised to try harder to be more compelling, therefore rising above the masses.:scratch
First time I heard this I admit I was a bit put off. I mean, I do what I do, why should I do it with a circus act just because??
But the more and more I thought about it, the logic sunk in. Technically, we should never be at the bottom of our segmented market. That's easy to avoid by entering ones you are familiar with, got your name out, networked or whatever. But HOW do you rise about the masses? I mean, what's more compelling about, oh me, than the other photographers in my area?
Well, that one is easy to answer but if I try to break into a new niche market I admit I'll be very dull and not shiny :cry and probably pretty danged lost.
So discuss if you wish. What makes YOU more compelling than your direct competition???
//Leah
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Comments
Caroline
______________________________________________________________
... Can I compete in this Internet savy world with thousands of extremely talented photogs to try and sell the same basic thing they do? Do I want to try to do this?
Or, do I come up with something different?
Something they can't get on the Internet nor walk into a gallery and see walls of the same basic work, style wise.
I've owned my own businesses for over 20 years, and one thing I've learned, if your a small business, you can't go head to head with the masses. You must find a niche market and do business there.
**********************************
...
Do you have a goal for your work?
If not, how will you ever succeed?
Last but definitely NOT least:
If YOU like your work, don't let anybody tell you that it's not good enough or you need to change it.
Remember; Like it or not, it's the nature of things that the masses will want to keep you corralled in the box with them.
YMMV
So very well said! also encouraging that others are looking at their business models and trying to figure out where they fit into all of the 'masses' out there.
I've been in business for myself since 1994 as a freelance writer. Photography was a sideline hobby until 2006 when it became a small part of my business model. I'm now building the photography side of my business to a much greater extent.
Locally competition is low, but regionally it's a different story. There are literally hundreds of photographers within a 50 mile radius of me. I'm not out there trying to compete or take business away from any of them - either by price (in fact, i'm probably one of the more expensive ones) or any other direct approach.
Instead, I promote that I am what I am - if you like what you see then I'm the photographer for you. I also work well with individuals for portrait shots and families with children so they can relax and enjoy the experience - hopefully ending up with a collection that they will enjoy for a long time.
I'm also fortunate to be located in an extremely scenic place - a small farm in a beautiful rural area adjacent to a river and complete with an old covered bridge. As a result, most of my family shoots are seasonal and controlled by the weather since people want to take advantage of these unique and real backdrops.
That said, I'm hoping to create a decent studio space so my business doesn't die in the winter.
http://www.imagesbyceci.com
http://www.facebook.com/ImagesByCeci
Picadilly, NB, Canada
That's awesome -- plus you are entering the market with a lot more business sense than the average 'start up' business.
Wow, that sounds gorgeous! I've heard of creating barn studios before but definitely can't help you there yet. Even if I had room to create a studio space, I'd still be a newbie there
I do not know what the average salary is, what the average prices are, or who specializes in what. I learned many years ago, that the only competition is myself.
There will always be people who are better, who charge less, who do it for free, who know more people than the Pope, and who believe that they can walk on water if they felt the need.
There will always be new technology, there will always be new ways of connecting with potential clients, there will always be ways of making life easier. There will always be good economies and bad economies.
During my years in the rare coin market, I heard all the hype about the internet, Ebay, flea markets, new people calling themselves dealers, and how all this was good or bad depending on who was telling the story. In the end, it did not make a difference to those who understood the business.
I learned that I don't need to have all the customers.
I do know how much I need to earn, how much I want to earn, and how I wish to live my life. I go out and take the business that enables me to accomplish what I want.
Too often people get too caught up in what they believe versus what is true. There are three types of people in the world.
Those who make things happen.
Those who watch things happen.
Those who wonder what happened.
Website
See, I love your POV. Too often I see (elsewhere as well as here) the 'but I'm just starting so I'll do it for free or only charge them $0.50 a print' because they BELIEVE what they have to offer is nothing special at all. And if that IS true, then they are entering the business too early. And if it's not true, they need a good boot to the head. Or rear. or other body part until they can see what's really true. I think marketing is half self confidence, half communication of that confidence.
My problem is figuring out "who am I?" when it comes to photography. Fortunately, I am not trying to make a living at it--but I would like to sell a few pieces along the way. (I have sold photo books and note cards, but only to family and friends and friends' friends.) I don't want to do weddings or portrait work. I'm more interested in selling/displaying shots that I like and have made available. So, does that make me an artist or a photographer?
And how do I "find myself?" (That's probably best left a rhetorical question.) Over the past year, I have spent hours shooting multiple subjects but now I feel I need to concentrate in a more limited way so that I can really start to improve my craft. The trouble for me is in deciding where to concentrate. And, back to the original question in this thread, how do I do things to make me stand out? Referring to my recent thread in The Whipping Post: how do I make my poppy photo look different? how do I turn it from a straight photo to art? how do I reflect myself in it?
So many questions . . . so much time.
Lauren
Lauren Blackwell
www.redleashphoto.com
So very true -- this is one of those things *any* photographer should be thinking about. In a business, you just have to know how to sell that uniqueness and stand out from those who just point and click.
Finding oneself.......look at what you truly love to do......are you more at peace out in nature or in the city.........what type of art makes just want to keep lookng at it .......
I am going back into weddings and portrtaits for 2 reasons.
1- I hate to see people having a photog shoot their wedding just for the money.....not because they want to preserve a precious moment
2- because i really love them and do not find them stressful like some photogs do.......I seem to be a defuser of sorts.....walk into a wedding and tensions are high and every one is edgy and with in a few....all is calm, all is bright......ready to partaeee.......
There was a Bridal shop I contracted weddings for and it turned out that all that was being given to me were the ROYAL pains of brides mopthers of brides......so if one of them constantly B***hed all the time I got the contract........my weddings seem to also sell more prints.......Bridal shop gone now
But truly look at what you enjoy and build up a series (this has been my downfall) of med to large prints(no less tahn10 but no more than 35) of a certain subject and then hit the galleries.......
You may have to rent the gallery space at first but people will see your work.......try getting a piece or two into coffee shops or upscale resturants (not 5 star but up from greasy spoon......however here we have 2 greasy spoons that are actually decent art galleries if you like Light houses, but there is a lot of other art in there also.......)
After yesterday....I am begining to think it is a lot like a bio....finding ones self that is and what one truly loves or should be doing with their artistic abilities.....................
Where to concentrate is probably the easiest part of your question. Pick what moves you. Don't worry about the market for that passion yet. You will be pleasantly surprised once you find that other people like what you shoot.
As far as making the poppy look like art, that is tougher. Different angles, different lighting, soft focus, focus stacked, all sorts of options. You can also pull the poppy, take it home and completely alter the environment to create the art.
Art offers some wonderful advice (as always) when he referred to local places to showcase your work. I have found most small businesses are more than happy to have some free artwork hanging on their wall.
I personally offer 15% of any sale back to the owner. I also rotate my images every 30 days.
Website
"Pick what moves you" is like a mantra that I should keep repeating. Quit going out to shoot stuff that I think someone else might like or that "seems interesting." And spend my time shooting what I like, where I like it. Hopefully, as Cygnus wrote, people liking it and wanting it will come later. Meanwhile, I will at least be enjoying myself by going to places I like to be.
Thanks, Art, for the tips on portfolio building. That's another on my "to do" list.
Lots of great info here!
Lauren Blackwell
www.redleashphoto.com
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
Maybe that's it--I should be shooting pics of baseball fields surrounded by corn!
I appreciate everyone's comments. Lots to think about--or is that the biggest part of the problem, thinking too much? Sometimes that is the case for me.
Lauren Blackwell
www.redleashphoto.com
So long as there's some photography in with all the thinking, I don't think there's ever too much thinking that can happen. Especially if you are considering it as a business model, I see more under-thunk(thought) attempts than well planned out and executed businesses.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
I think every ones comments are very helpful. Just to put my 2 cents out there...One thing I do that gets me a lot of word of mouth is being over the top relaxing. I have a very small studio in a spare bedroom of my house and when people come over or bring their kids over I have my TV on in the living room. I offer them Coffee or soda, I'll sit on the couch with them and talk for a while. Then when we get into the studio I try to stay out from behind the camera as much as possible, sometimes I'll tell them I think it's broken and snap off a couple shots when they let their guard down. The whole time I am talking to them about random things and do as little positioning of them as I can. When they get their prints back I am told how "natural" they look, not contrived. It is usually a few months or more later when they really appreciate it. They say "this is how I remember being then" or "that captures how she was at that age exactly"