Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

If you’re a photographer who specialises in a certain genre, like fashion, food, sport, beer, automotive or adventure- whatever you’ve been pigeonholed into, it can be hard to imagine the possibility of changing direction.

And yet changes can be thrust upon us, (hello editorials) or you might also be ‘over’ that genre and ready to change course.

What to do? Where to start?

It can be super tempting to reinvent yourself and let go of everything you know. To shake it off like a skin you’ve outgrown.

I get it. But please don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!

One of my favourite challenges is helping photographers who’ve been stuck in a genre expand and be appreciated in the ad world.

And smart creatives will sometimes ask for a fashion photographer to photograph or film an ad campaign because of their eye and the way they approach it. Or a still life photographer to make a sports series, because of their attention to detail.

In fact, as you may have heard me harp on about before, it has nothing to do with what you photograph, and everything to do with how.

The only thing you need to change is the language you use when marketing. It’s easy to pivot when you:

1. Know your own unique brand – your style and the feeling your work evokes.
2. Understand who you’re speaking to – who are they, and how do they make decisions?

Everything else falls into place with those two sorted out.

If you need help with this, it’s my jam. I have made some strategy calls available tomorrow (next week is chockablock) so if you’re looking for a mentor this year jump on and grab a chat with me here. My next program starts in February and some places have become available.