Since my last article for Shutter Magazine nearly one year ago, much has happened in the wedding photography industry which has given me new perspective. Through these changes I was able to hone many aspects of my business to create a sustainable career and teach others how to do the same.
Michael Anthony Photography of Los Angeles offers wedding photography and cinematography to couples around the world, providing wedding photography services and cinematography from its studio in 10 years. I have traveled across various countries while serving couples at all budget levels – the key thing that I have discovered about photography as an industry is building a full-time business that meets income goals regularly – I teach photographers this important lesson every year.
As an educator in our industry, I frequently observe photographers making similar mistakes that lead to stagnant growth or worse: burnout. Being an educator in this sector has given me insight into what factors cause success or failure so that I can more effectively teach business-minded photographers how they can find success and sustain it over time.
As such, here are the most frequently made mistakes by wedding photographers when building their photography businesses.
Mistake #1: Prioritizing Art Over Business This is by far the most frequent mistake I see within photography industry, particularly wedding photography. While we may get into wedding photography due to its artistic qualities, and that many find enjoyment capturing weddings can bring out our inner artist, business considerations should not take priority over art when making decisions in business photography.
Adopting an art-first mindset poses one key drawback: it affects how your business makes decisions.
Though you may believe you don’t make mistakes like these, most photographers – myself included – make this error from time to time.
Examples of such mindset include:
Opting to invest in camera equipment over marketing collateral; investing in editing courses over business courses; attending workshops taught by artists who do not run successful businesses; and forgoing networking events altogether are all common mistakes made when starting out as photographers.
Spending too much time watching YouTube camera reviews rather than marketing techniques While engaging in any of these activities occasionally may not be detrimental, I personally engage in all three. Unfortunately, prioritizing business will have long-term detrimental repercussions for your quality of business operations.
