students
“Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work. I live by that. You grind hard so you can play hard. At the end of the day, you put all the work in, and eventually it'll pay off. It could be in a year, it could be in 30 years. Eventually, your hard work will pay off.” - Kevin Hart
Read MoreWhen you first start off in photography, you're busy trying to "learn and earn" your place in the world. You're trying to learn all you can about how to make your creativity excel, yet push yourself into a business that you have no clue on how to run. People will help, take advantage of, praise, and criticize you.
Read MoreBlog Pro tip: If you have a "Network" and you're not utilizing it properly, or overusing it, then you may want to get a new network!
1. Nobody likes to be used. As you move up in your network, bring up those who've helped get you there. Stop looking for freebies, or handouts because eventually, they're going to fall out of your network and forget about you when they get bigger. Don't burn that bridge just because you've elevated yourself.
2. Go back and pay it forward. If an opportunity comes along for one of your networked folks, go tell them about it. You may end up helping them achieve their goals.
3. Communicate!! Get over your fear of being on the phone, and talk to people. Nobody has ever been told that they communicated too many details to their clients. Me personally, I have found that my people have a better understanding of my vision and passion for their photo shoots once we talk on the phone. I don't mind texting/emailing, however, I find that my best work comes from those who make time to just talk about what they want in full detail.
4. The bridge: AGAIN...Don't burn it. You NEVER know who could be moving up and might need someone with a specific skill, look, or whatever. IF you must burn the bridge...make sure that you blow that bitch up and keep it to yourself because nobody in business likes whiners...just winners! Last but not least, don't burn a bridge just because someone else didn't get along with someone else, or if someone else says something negative about someone else. I've found that most times, it's the other person spreading a rumor, or just being insecure about competition.
5. Be patient and kind. I've found that it opens more doors than running up on someone with a snotty attitude. People are always watching and scoping out what you're doing. I was blessed to do some work and one publisher told me that they accepted my work for publishing in their magazine because they actually read my Facebook/Instagram posts. They had their normal photogs that they went to all the time and they gave me a chance...and the work was fitting as well.
Networking is great, but be prepared for rejection, and for people to give you their non-negotiable rates, or whatever. Sometimes, you might end up impressing someone so much from that first time and they'll hook you up. First impressions are lasting ones.
#mikeconphoto
What a day...WHAT. A. DAY!!! Meet my newest friend Justyce! He attends Overland High School and is a Senior for the Class of 2017. This young man has a natural knack for being comfortable in front of the camera. He literally challenged me during this shoot to ensure I was giving him perfection and it made me a better photographer during the process to push my technical skills. This young man is definitely going places in the future! He's strong, ambitious, intelligent and very fashionable! I'm honored to have him in my Tribe!
