This post is the third in a series sharing my thoughts about the state of the wedding and portrait photography industry and how we can all work together to make it better.
There has been a lot of talk in the portrait and wedding photography industry lately about how differentiating yourself is the key to success. That idea is spot on, and I think we all want to do just that. But how?
Most suggestions I’ve heard focus on branding, with an emphasis on developing consistent brand icons such as your logo, packaging and signature colors. But how can you craft a unique and meaningful brand when you don’t know what you stand for? When you haven’t considered your motivations or acknowledged your personal vision? Simply put, you can’t. Without knowing the answers to these questions, and using them to guide the development of your brand strategy, your brand will be an empty shell. It will not distinguish your work in a meaningful way, and thus will ultimately fail.
In reality, the development of your brand and its icons should be the last step you take to distinguish your business. Unfortunately, it is given the lion’s share of the attention, probably because it’s the easy part. The hard part (and the most valuable) is figuring out why you work the way you do, what you stand for, and how to relay that message to prospective clients in a way that they can understand and appreciate.
 Courtesy of MommyandMePhotography.com After you’ve done that and it’s truly time to brand, where do you begin? One workshop I attended said that “your brand is you.” That’s great, but what does it mean? Who are you? If you ask yourself that question, you will find myriad possibilities. For example:
I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, a world traveler, a consultant. I love jewelry, I hate math, I love sports cars and I try to eat healthily but I’m a sucker for dark chocolate. I like the mountains but I’m happiest sitting beside the sea, listening to the waves crash along the shore.
Have any of these answers gotten me closer to my brand? Maybe, but how would I know? I certainly can’t include all of these facets of myself in my brand; if I did, it would be confusing and ultimately meaningless. And yet, they’re all part of who I am. Is it any wonder that it can be difficult to identify which elements of ourselves are integral to our brand?
A brand is the exclusive idea that is attached to your business or product. A brand is supported by your brand values, messaging and a small collection of brand icons that represent your company to your clients and the community. As it is impossible to summarize the complicated nature of you in only one idea, you must distill yourself and your motivations into a more manageable collection of values, vision and stylistic attributes. Only then can you craft a coherent, authentic brand that differentiates your business from the thousands of others working in your industry or market.
Check back tomorrow for an explanation of my Art Aligned framework, which provides a new methodology for differentiating yourself with authenticity, in a way that will stand the test of time.
Cheers,
This post is the third in a series about the wedding and portrait photography industry. You may also be interested in:
- State of the industry: Portrait and wedding photography
- Differentiating your business, part 1: Why the old ways no longer work
- Differentiating your business, part 2: It’s about more than branding
- A new framework for business success
- How to differentiate authentically + consciously
This post is the second in a series sharing my thoughts about the state of the wedding and portrait photography industry and how we can all work together to make it better.
The key to standing out in a crowded marketplace, like the wedding and portrait photography industry, is being different. We’ve all heard this, but how do we do it? Over the next two days, I’ll talk about what doesn’t work. Then on Thursday I will introduce my new Art Aligned framework, which helps you to differentiate your art and your business, authentically and timelessly.
 Once upon a time, the very best photographers set themselves apart through their technical skills, experience, salesmanship and customer rapport. These are all still important, but they are no longer enough. Why?
- Cameras are making it too easy to get consistent, usable results with minimal technical know-how.
- Just like when employers hire employees, clients will often hire a younger, fresher and cheaper option than someone who is 10 times as experienced.
- Although people still hire people they like, they won’t hire you if they can find someone else whose work looks almost exactly the same for one-quarter of the price.
You also can’t rely on shortcuts to set yourself apart. The days of creating a profitable wedding or portrait photography business by utilizing the posing strategies, actions or marketing templates of well-known photographers or “rock stars” are already at an end in large markets and will fizzle out in smaller markets over the next few months and years. I’m not saying that some of these products aren’t valuable, but you can’t base your business on them or use them to fast-track your way to success. Too many other photographers are trying to do the same thing with the same tools. The result: Further sameness and industry commoditization.
 Both images courtesy of MommyandMePhotography.com So, what does work? In order to create a successful business model in these competitive times, you must use the only strength you have left: your individuality. No one can out-you you. Just as you can’t be a better version of Jasmine Star than Jasmine herself, she also can’t be a better version of you. This is your greatest strength and what you must hone to your greatest advantage.
When clients see you as an artist with a unique vision, one they can’t get from anyone else, they will pay for that vision. Until then, you will continue strategizing and networking and flogging your heart out with little success.
Good luck with that,
P.S. If you’re ready to try something new, check back Thursday for my post explaining the Art Aligned framework. Tomorrow I will discuss the prevailing view of branding and its inherent dangers.
This post is the second in a series about the wedding and portrait photography industry, and how to create a successful photography business. You may also be interested in:
- State of the industry: Portrait and wedding photography
- Differentiating your business, part 1: Why the old ways no longer work
- Differentiating your business, part 2: It’s about more than branding
- A new framework for business success
- How to differentiate authentically + consciously
This week, I am going to post an article a day. Each furthers the series I started last Friday about the state of the wedding and portrait photography industry and how we can all work together to make it better. But first — to set the tone — a quote that reflects the crux of the Art Aligned manifesto:
Nature never repeats itself. Since time began on this planet, there have never been two snowflakes alike or two raindrops the same. And every daisy is different from every other daisy. Our fingerprints are different, and we are different.
We are meant to be different. When we can accept this, then there is no competition and no comparison. To try to be like another is to shrivel our soul. We have come to this planet to express who we are.
— Louise Hay
Daisy courtesy of Cassandra Rae Cheers,
This post is the first in a series sharing my thoughts about the state of the wedding and portrait photography industry and how we can all work together to make it better.
Courtesy of Denise Olson, MommyandMePhotography.com Have you noticed change within the photographic industry over the past several years, but don’t know exactly what happened? Has your business suffered from competition, and you don’t know what to do about it? Wondering what’s really going on?
Here’s the deal: As a result of ongoing technological advancements in photographic equipment and marketing tools, as well as the increased availability and dissemination of high-quality instruction and informational products, the portrait and wedding photography industry is commoditizing. That is, photographers’ styles, instead of becoming more unique and differentiated with all of the amazing technology available, are becoming more similar. You’ve experienced or participated in this phenomenon if:
- You’ve engaged in a debate about the “shoot & burn trend,”
- You’ve noticed a flood of new competition,
- You’ve said, “They’re always copying me,” to a friend, colleague or family member,
- You’ve had a prospective client say something like, “You charge how much? But I know someone else who’ll shoot the session and give me a CD for $100,”
- You or someone you know has been told, “I can buy a camera for that price!,”
- You’ve visited the websites or blogs of your competition or an industry leader “just to see what they were up to” or to get ideas, or
- You’ve purchased actions, presets, marketing templates, a posing guide or some other cool toy from one of the “rock stars.”
You may think that these are unrelated events, but all of the above are actually manifestations of the much larger and more damaging industry trend of commoditization.
Why is this such a big deal? Consider the computer hardware industry for a moment. The only brand with loyalty is Apple. All the other computer manufacturers are now seen as interchangeable commodities, and people make purchase decisions between them based on price. No photographer wants that to happen in our industry. And yet, it already is…
If we want any semblance of the market as we know it to survive — if we want to be able to do the work we love and have clients cheerfully pay us a living wage — we must all do our part to reverse the commoditization trend now.
When clients can’t tell the difference between a $3,000 portrait photographer and a $300 one, they’re going to choose the one who is less expensive. That’s not unfair; it’s rational. Pure economics. So, what do we do about it? Check back Tuesday for my next post about differentiating your business.
Until then,
P.S. Comments and questions are always welcomed on the blog. What is your opinion about the state of the photography industry, and what do you think we can do to make it better?
This post is the first in a series about the wedding and portrait photography industry. You may also be interested in:
- State of the industry: Portrait and wedding photography
- Differentiating your business, part 1: Why the old ways no longer work
- Differentiating your business, part 2: It’s about more than branding
- A new framework for business success
- How to differentiate authentically + consciously
Are you sick and tired of doing everything you’re “supposed to do” to grow your business?
Do you wish you could do what speaks to you and make a good living?
Hi, I’m Kate Watson and I created Art Aligned to help photographers and visual artists align artistry with business savvy, and creative expression with client attraction.
If you’re struggling to earn a living wage through your art, I’m here to help you design a new business model — one that’s in sync with your incomparable gifts and talents, and not a facsimile of someone else’s path to success.
I’ve got high-level training in business and finance, as well as 15+ years experience in the world of visual arts, with particular emphasis on portrait and wedding photography. Put simply: I have decades of hard-won lessons tucked in my camera bag, and it’s my honor to share them with you.
My 3-month Art Aligned Workshop provides a supportive space to reshape your business, and to share your progress and success stories with like-minded artists. You’ll receive:
- a professional review of your photography portfolio,
- a comprehensive assessment of your business platform, and
- personalized recommendations to help you reshape your business with artistic integrity and full alignment.
The Art Aligned Workshop includes:
- Four 90-minute main group calls (6:1)
Learn core business strategies, participate in guided exercises, tap my brain, and tease apart your obstacles in a supportive group setting.
- Two 60-minute small group calls (2:1)
Learn how to translate your unique motivations, vision and style into a business that sets you apart — and makes you irresistible to customers.
- Two 60-minute private calls (1:1)
Receive customized recommendations for your business, and dig deeper into your entrepreneurial aspirations.
- Online group workspace + forum
Connect with your fellow participants and pose questions between sessions.
- Peer mentoring
You’ll be paired with another photographer, and the two of you will exchange focused feedback throughout the workshop.
- Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
All participants sign an NDA, to ensure that your business development ideas are protected, both during and after the workshop.
Topics covered include:
- The Art Aligned framework
- How who you are informs your business
- Your goals and current business position
- Motivations and humanistic psychology, as they relate to business
- Crafting vision statements that set you apart
- Your inspirations from the art and photography world
- Your portfolio and how your strengths can differentiate your business
- Developing a consistent photographic style that’s in full alignment with you
- How to develop a compelling, coherent brand that aligns with you, your motivations, vision and style, and attracts clients who will love you and your work
The next Art Aligned Workshop starts on May 10, 2011. Group calls occur on Tuesdays:
- May 10th
- May 24th
- June 7th
- June 21st
- July 5th
- July 19th
Update May 6, 2011: Registration for the May 10th workshop has closed. Please check back soon for future dates.
The insight and critique Kate offers in the Art Aligned workshop is like no other. Because she has spent so much time and effort viewing and analyzing not only photography, but so many different types of art, I felt like I could completely trust her judgment and insight into my personal work. Her critique was helpful and always accompanied with guidance on how to take the next step. Kate helped me narrow my focus and style of photography and helped me see my own work in a different way. I also appreciated her emphasis on truly finding what inspires us.
— Cindy Stansberry, Founder/Owner of Stansberry Photography
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State of the industry: Portrait and wedding photography » KateWatson.net - […] Differentiating your business, part 2: It’s about more than branding […]
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The PPA is copying me! | Art Aligned™ - […] about how you are your brand or your brand is you. That’s such an oversimplification, and I hear it way too often. We are much too complex to be our brands, but elements of who we are do need to be incorporated […]
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