Call me Jungian or call me crazy.
Last night I had a dream. A strange dream. All my dreams are strange.
There I was, checking into a hotel in a strange city. I was attending a photography convention.
And I couldn’t find the front desk. I kept walking around the hotel, looking.
There was none to be found. Where’s the front desk!??
I did bump into the occasional photographer I knew from years ago.
They were indifferent to me. Not very chatty. Nothing personal.
Keep walking, keep searching. No luck.
When I woke up I wondered if this was prophetic.
Or at least indicative of what I already noticed about the photography industry.
Photography, as in, professional photography.
Professional, as in, a getting paid professional….as in, for me anywho, running my own photography studio.
You see, in the last few years, the conventions I attended, was like being in the Wizard Of Oz movie.
You know, the wizard was an illusion. An allegory for truth.
The truth being, things aren’t what they appear to be.
Sounds cynical, but it isn’t.
There aren’t as many profitable photographers anymore. But, there’s a ton of folks looking to enhance their skills. (and eager instructors…nothing wrong with that! Gotta fill the demand….)
You can still make it in photography, but it’s gonna take hard work, business savvy, focus, daily effort and marketing. If you want to make money.
The photographers I know fit this description. Others lack in one, more, or all those areas.
Business is hard. Period. Therefor, photography is hard. Period.
But still possible. Just don’t have any illusions about it. Stay focused, adapt, everyday do something to market, have goals and everyday do something to achieve those goals.
And be ready to pounce when any and all opportunities show up. Instead of sitting back, wondering.
It’s why I interview real working professionals. People like Maggie Habieda, Maria Sampaio, Fuzzy Duenkel, Kirk Saint, Danny Rabalais and many, many more.
And yours truly, of course. Running my monthly mastermind meetings for members. No fluff, no hype. (all in the noBs photosuccess forum BTW…)
If you want to wake up from the dream, you need to focus on business.
Making money. There is no shame. It’s called reality.
I ain’t dreaming this up.
Yours in photography and success,
Robert Provencher
P.S. If you want, we still have a few spots left for this Thursday’s NoBs Bull Pen Print Show.
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