The title sounds more like an assignment for Superman or Spiderman! But seriously, if you take some time out to chat with photographers or milling around in several online photography forums, you'll get a pretty desperate view of this professional industry.
Everywhere you look photographers are complaining that clients have smaller budgets, other clients are taking them for granted not appreciating their creativity, other photographers are stealing their business by shooting for free, moms with cameras are taking over! The truth is - photographers need to learn how to evolve! Things have changed and you as a professional must learn to keep up with the pace.
The photography profession is undoubtedly rooted in tradition. It is a craft that is both art and science - both creative and technical. As such, there is no right way to do it. But there are special ways to express it and that's what BraveShooters do. They express differently and present specially in a breathtaking manner. You know those pictures that make you pause and ponder if the camera was made in heaven, or is this telepathic photography? That's what BraveShooters do. Turning the mundane to mystical. However, just as there are numerous ways to take a photo, there are numerous paths to pursuing it as a career. You can go to school, you can assist another professional, you can read books to educate yourself on the technical aspects of photography but the hardest thing to learn is the business of photography. This is where the rubber meets the road. You have learnt the art, you have mastered the science but you must develop and execute the strategy, differentiate and position your brand, market and serve your target customers, plan and cut costs...business is in a class of its own but you must pass through that class or else your art and science will just leave you half-baked.
Interestingly, because there is little or no information on how to run a successful photography business people tend to copy or learn from those who have been successful in the past. We look to other working photographers as a model on how to run our own business. We set up studio, make flyers, send mailers, we run email campaigns, we network. This is how the industry perpetuates itself. Each new generation learning from those who have blazed a path before them. Unfortunately, this is exactly why our industry has grown stale!
One thing we've learned at BraveMoments is just how quickly an entire industry can move. Undoubtedly, Lagos has been the birthplace and cradle of many of today's professional photographers and some of us have seen it grow, evolve, boom, bust and transform in the 20+ years we've lived here. Personally, I'm not sure why the entrepreneurial spirit here is so high - maybe it's because it was formerlly the federal capital state, the weather, or maybe it's because we have more Ibos than many other places in the country. One thing is certain, Lagos never quits. There is always some new idea, some new technology, some new college graduate thinking they can build the next Facebook! You very rarely hear people complain about the competition, or blame their customers for the lack of business, or whine about technology moving too fast. When business starts to slump they look internally, not externally, and will change their business strategies on a dime! (There are many who, though complain of the harsh realities of a place like Lagos, yet they never go back to set up shop in their villages)
Sincerely, if the photography industry is to survive, succeed and become significant in Nigeria of today, we need to adopt these types of business practices; the dogeddness, the creativity, the ingenuity of a typical Lagos entrepreneur.
We need to stop clinging to business models that were created in the days of film. We need to stop thinking that we are "owed" a successful business just because we know how to use a camera. We need not only stop comparing ourselves today to the photographers of yesterday, we must also stop thinking we are the all in all of Nigerian photography! Yes, the industry has changed. Yes, more professionals are coming to the scene. Yes, technology moves fast and photoshop may not always be trusted to deliver! Yes, everybody can take great pictures now. Yes, more 'wicked' cameras are being invented (like our 840mm that can see the future from now!). So look internally and ask yourself "What else can I bring to the table?", "How else can I position and project my offering?"
If your clients aren't paying you what you think you deserve it's because they don't value what you offer. And the honest truth is that you'll always get what people percieve you're worth!
Commercial photography is a service industry and you can either be a 2,000 Naira table massage or a 2, 000, 000 Naira spa treatment, the choice is up to you!
For more information and business advisory/brand management services, send us an email: thebraveshooter@gmail.com or call +234 802 324 4592
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