It’s given my brain an onslaught of lovely fresh photography. But it’s also reminded me that, whether they win awards or not, a LOT of personal projects never really get seen.

I often speak to photographers with a gorgeous series (or three) still sitting on a hard drive a year after they were made, waiting for a simple grade. Or who’ve won awards but not gotten around to sharing the news.

Even if you’re someone who shares every win on social media, you might still struggle to get noticed.

In fact, if you’re not putting your work in front of creative decision makers in multiple ways (including those monthly emails you keep meaning to send) you might as well be hiding under a rock.

The photographers I see getting regular jobs and building long-term client relationships don’t post a few images on Instagram and hope for the best (or leave them sitting on a hard drive).

They’re constantly talking about their work, sharing it with the right people, and resurfacing it again and again across different platforms.

And if you’re not doing this, what’s stopping you?

I hear all sorts of reasons.

“I’m too busy.” (Usually working on the jobs that bore you senseless.)

“It’s too cringey.”

But if you dig deep, it nearly always comes back to one thing.

FEAR.

Fear of rejection. Fear of being exposed. Fear of being vulnerable. And perhaps most of all, fear of being visible.

If you want to succeed as a lens-based image maker today, you can’t hide behind the camera forever. Your work deserves to be seen, and so do you.

I know you’ve made amazing work. Now make sure the right people see it.

• EGYPT
• TOKYO
• ALASKA

It sounds so exotic and farawayish…but actually- does it?

Nope.

To advertising creatives, it’s like landing on a Getty library or yet another amateur travel bloggers site. And that is at best boring, and at worst terrifying.

Before you know it they’ve scurried onto the next website leaving a smattering of desert dust in their wake, without so much as opening the project.

Why?

Because people in the ad world are always hopping on and off flights to far flung places to oversee photoshoots and TV spots. And if not, they’re paid well enough to go themselves (probably with their fancy camera). They are often very well travelled and I personally know some who roll their eyes at getting on yet another plane to another destination for the next job.

This is always dependent on where they’re based (and why you should always try to understand your specific target audience), but in general, here are 3 super important things you should know about making and sharing ‘travel’ personal projects:

1. Unless you’re literally an editorial travel photographer don’t use the word ‘travel’ as a category name, especially in the ad world.
2. Give every personal project a title that creates curiosity and earns the click. Don’t tell them where it was shot. Make them want to discover it.
3. Plan beforehand and find something that resonates with you personally about the place. Then create a project around that. (OK so it’s Alaska, but what do you want to say about Alaska?)
4. Consider looking for common themes in your personal travel work and recreating projects with an international theme, one which transcends place. You can read more about being an international photographer here

Your opinion matters much more than your itinerary, especially now.

Football was an obsession in my family. As a kid my dad used to drag the TV into the garden on an extension lead and watch the world cup with a sun hat and a glass of pop. The kitchen was even painted in Sunderland colours. (There, I said it. Utterly embarrassing. My poor long-suffering mother.)

Even if you’re not a football fan (and for the record, I am not – see above trauma), it’s hard to escape it right now.

Brands certainly don’t.

Major sporting events are gold for advertisers. Agencies spend months planning campaigns around them, and even if you weren’t one of the many photographers shooting football-related work over the past year, you’ve almost certainly seen it.

Like football, marketing is highly tactical.

Photographers who stay top of mind and get hired to work on the next big campaign think the same way.

• They were photographing promising young footballers years before they became household names.
• They were making football-related personal work a year ago so they’d be top of mind when the commissions came in.
• They’ve been sharing those commissioned campaigns as the tournament has unfolded.
• They’re using personal work, flashbacks and previous campaigns to join the conversation too (whatever their viewpoint – FIFA isn’t exactly without controversy).

As the celebrations and commiserations settle, what can you do now to become part of the conversation?

And if footy isn’t your thing, what matters to your target audience over the next year or two? What events, conversations or trends can you start building work around now?

The five Southeast Asian women featured in this exhibition are all using art to communicate singular political and social messages. There’s no fluff. It’s opinionated, purposeful work that isn’t actually so different from great advertising, though admittedly far more altruistic.

Last week in Chiang Mai, seven photographers on our Series Project workshop did the same (and yes, it’s officially a wrap).

Traditional subjects including Thai street sports, Buddhist nuns, opium farming, Muay Thai boxing, cockfighting, Chiang Mai silk and tattoo artists became vehicles to explore ideas around transition, impermanence, spirituality and ritual.

When these projects are shared, as they soon will be, they’ll serve as a powerful reminder to advertising creatives that their makers are not simply talented photographers. They are collaborators who understand how to communicate an idea, which matters enormously when so much of your job involves interpreting a brief, building a treatment and executing it with clarity.

Photo reps often ask me to help their photographers develop these skills because it remains one of the hardest parts of transitioning into advertising from other genres. It is also, I believe, one of the reasons good advertising photographers continue to be among the strongest in their craft.

So if you’re developing a personal project right now, think about this approach:

1. Start with what genuinely interests you.
2. Get clear on your perspective.
3. Decide how you want to communicate it.

Your perspective is your advantage. Use it!

‘The chemistry just won’t be there, and we’ll see it in the images’ he’d say, unwavering.

So we’d cast entire families, real couples and real friends. We always built that into his estimates, and he was right; the results were consistently breathtaking and he had a reputation for seeing into people’s ‘souls’.

Do you have a secret recipe? The stuff only you know makes your images that bit better, more powerful, convincing, believable, authentic?

Usually when I blitz the work of a photographer I’ll ask them questions which prompt them to think about what makes an image great, not just good- we’re looking for some commonalities of the heroes I’ve selected.

Often, as it turns out, it’s their relationship to the talent. (Maybe they spent time getting to know them, maybe it has to be spontaneous- there’s no wrong answer if it does the job for you).

Sometimes you have to recce the locations in person, or be at the casting to meet the talent and get a sense of their chemistry and personality. Maybe you plan fastidiously so you can get the job done in limited time.

And all this has to be considered in production time and cost.

When you know what your most powerful images are, take a look at what secret ingredients you brought to those productions- paid or personal. It won’t be obvious to an outsider, but it should be non-negotiable to you.

Then build it into your estimate template, and make sure your producer and clients know that it’s an essential part of how you make your magic.

If you’re super experienced you’re probably doing this automatically. But being intentional about how you shoot will still get you consistently better results, and keep you on your own path, rather than someone else’s.

And right now, it’s those small things which can make a huge difference.

Or it can hit you with a thump.

There’s no easy way to face that feeling of irrelevance.

One day you’re flavour of your industry, being hired by all and sundry (if you can fit them in), and suddenly you’re wondering how you missed out on those jobs – briefs awarded to photographers who are, well, different to you. Maybe it’s gender, or age, nationality, whatever- it’s simply that feeling that you’ve been left behind, or left out.

You become an outsider, not an insider.

You don’t have to be a white guy over 50 for this to happen (though that might be you). You might have had a baby or a health issue, taken time off to raise kids or renovate the house, or simply become overwhelmed with industry changes. All ways you can find yourself on the outside looking in, and wondering where the door went.

Here’s the thing.

If you really want to get back ‘in’, sometimes you need to jump the fence or jimmy the door. Or find a window. It will take effort, but the first step is to believe you’re worthy of it.

To be honest, others may not see you as an outsider- it may be your monkey mind telling you that, when in fact you are admired and respected but keeping yourself small.

Shake that off- if you project it, they’ll start believing it.

Once you’ve convinced yourself that you’re still an experienced lens based image maker, capable of creating beautiful work and delivering on decent briefs (which, by the way still exist), I’m a huge fan of owning where you are right now. What have you learned from your experiences over the last few years and months? What do you have an insider’s perspective on?

Becoming relevant also means leading from the front; looking at what’s happening in the world and sharing your opinion and voice, and the best way to do this is through personal work (which will also help you feel your way back into that place of ‘Yup I can do this’).

Even if you’re feeling really happy with where you are, thank you very much, doing this will keep you relevant and top of mind.

It’s just a start, but it’s a powerful one.

This is something I am often told by photographers.

But how do you stay consistent (so you don’t confuse people) and still get a nice diverse range of work?

It’s easy.

Focus on style, not subject.

Think about a major campaign for a brand like Amex who want to show what you can buy: A diamond ring, a holiday, a car.

Or a content library showing different people in different locations interacting with various products.

When all the images FEEL the same any consumer landing on any one is given more than just the logo as a visual clue to the brand.

Jayden Ostwald’s images above for Aston Martin do exactly that.

When visually discerning creatives land on your website, or Instagram feed, they’re looking for this. They want to know that you’ll deliver a consistent look and feel, whatever the genre, wherever you shoot, however many images.

In fact, it’s YOU who will be the glue to hold everything together for that brand.

It doesn’t matter if you want to capture fashion, farmers, cauliflowers and hamsters, so long as your brand voice remains the same.

And the more authentic, emotive, and unique the better.

What’s your brand of ‘glue’?

Shooting well crafted and conceptual personal work is not just for shits and giggles (though it’s a wonderful way to fuel your creativity and keep you loving your job).

It’s not just to help get you paid work (though it is hands down your most effective marketing tool), and will certainly placate an agent who’s working hard to get you briefs.

Making work for yourself gives you the opportunity to treat yourself like the best client you ever had. To brief yourself on the most wonderful interesting job you ever shot, and to practice planning, executing and delivering that so that you get better and better at delivering for clients.

And yes, to deal with the problems that arise and NOT give up.

I work as a consultant to photographers around the globe and when I meet with them one to one I get a truly insightful understanding of who they are – through their work and our conversations. (You might have discovered this already!)

But one thing I don’t really get a good insight into is how they are when they’re on a job, or on set, or managing a production.

When I meet photographers in person on a location workshop, I get to see a whole new side of them.

• How focused they are on getting the results they intended.
• How well they communicate within the group, and to potential talent and crew.
• How good a team player they are.
• How they cope with curveballs and dead ends.

These are all aspects of a typical production and so it’s fascinating for me to witness them in action. I love learning about how the photographers handle different situations.

When you’re working on a brief for a client, and you hit hurdles, how good are you at problem solving or pivoting? How well do you prepare for your meetings and productions and what does your team think of you?

Consider making personal work in a way which prepares you for this.

At the very least it will inspire people to hire you

In a relationship, a partner can mirror your unresolved issues.

But your agent (and potentially client) relationship(s) can work this way too.

You may not be in a romantic relationship with them (if you are, it might be a double whammy!), but your own unexamined beliefs about your art, your career or your value can all affect their behaviour towards you.

You project, they reflect.

If you have an underlying belief that your work is not quite “enough,” you may subconsciously gravitate toward agents who also treat your work as not quite enough, perpetuating a cycle of insecurity. (Perfectionism sucks).

Just like someone jumping from one unhealthy romantic relationship to another, you may hop from one agent to the next, hoping the new one will be different.

But the pattern remains the same – neglect, poor communication, unfulfilled promises, or a lack of real investment. You focus on the agent’s flaws rather than asking, “What part of me is allowing this cycle to repeat?”

It’s no secret that when you work with me I’m part photo-therapist. I love this stuff.

When I dive into your work, uncover who you REALLY are, encourage you to build your brand around that, then help you develop personal work with depth, we’re going deep, and sometimes you discover some ‘stuff’ you may never have uncovered before.

Most of that is GOOD stuff which maybe you’ve buried or ignored.

It’s what you knew deep down when your rep OR even beloved life partner told you to remove that shot from your folio, even though you thought it was the most meaningful image you ever made.

Like the agent who told one of my clients they should focus on luxury travel and removed all his honest, raw, spirited joyful images. (Thank goodness we nipped THAT in the bud.)

So in spite of the ‘toxic’ heading, I’m here today to remind you to dig into who you really are as a lens based image maker and flawed human. (No doubt it’s those flaws which make your work so amazing).

To keep revisiting your goals and vision, one which isn’t clouded by what you think you should do but is honest and reflects who you really are.

And to continue to make work which harnesses that knowledge so that you inspire the right people. And that includes your target audience, as well as some of the hard working, devoted reps out there.

Because it’s YOUR time to drive this goddamn bus.

instead of coaxing her out of bed, we’d have a little party. (Stay with me here.)

We’d walk into her room, put on some music, and start dancing. Within seconds, a little dot would appear at our side, dancing her heart out with the happiest face of all.

Indi is a creative maverick, and now a musician (funny that), based in London. She doesn’t like being told what to do and must come to things thinking it was her idea.

Not so different from most creatives.

Not so different from you, and your creative director, art director and designer clients.

They don’t want to feel pushed, cajoled or begged to do anything.

So how do you have a party that your clients want to be a part of? One which will have them getting all FOMO and seek you out?

It’s easy;

• A strong, unique brand and outward looking presence that isn’t afraid to stay on its own path.
• A regular habit of making and sharing personal work which pushes into new territories with interesting ideas.

Every time you make personal work you’re holding your own party, and you’re choosing the music.

Can you see how much more compelling that is than trying to tell those creative mavericks how to think about your work or why they should hire you?

I know it’s scary, but you’ve got this.