Take Some Creative Business Advice from These Articles and Improve Your Craft

Good photography advice can be hard to come by, but we’ve scoured the Internet and discovered some insightful articles to inspire your photography, business marketing, and more! 

“This Simple Rule for Writers Can Make You a Better Photographer”

Robert K Baggs took a page from the writing minds of William Faulkner and Steven King for his Fstoppers article, “This Simple Rule for Writers Can Make You a Better Photographer.” Writers popularized the phrase “kill your darlings,” as a reflection on artistic work and forcing yourself to cut out the pieces you love, but don’t necessarily need. Baggs instructs photographers to bring this strategy into their image review routine. It’s time to reverse-Marie Kondo your images! Read Baggs’ full article to learn how your portfolio’s greatest strengths often won’t be the images that bring you joy.

“How Focusing On Storytelling Can Improve Your Photography”

Photography is like writing in many ways. Mainly, if your image appears to tell a good story, then it will be a stronger image and resonate more with viewers. At least that’s how photographer Christopher Malcolm feels in his Fstoppers article “How Focusing On Storytelling Can Improve Your Photography.” Sure, your images will improve as your techniques and camera skills improve. However, as Malcolm points out, your mind instantly reacts to an image with a story, regardless of the techniques involved.

“When I raised the camera to my eye, I was less concerned by the technique and more concerned with how to create an image that best conveyed the utter romance of the situation…all these years later, the fact that my mind can so easily recall a single frame among a sea of those I had shot on that trip attests to the fact that at the end of the day, it’s not the technique you remember, it’s the story.”

Every photo you take won’t feel like it’s based on a great love story, but Malcolm’s advice is definitely helpful when you’re suffering from creator’s block and need a little inspiration. Read his full article to help remind yourself why you fell in love with your craft.

“10 Free Photography Marketing Ideas That Work Like Crazy”

You’re a photographer—an artist, a storyteller, a visionary. But are you a businessperson? The biggest barrier to running a successful (and sustainable!) photography business is not knowing how to market and run your business effectively. PPA is always here with marketing and sales resources, but here’s some extra help from themoderntog.com, in their article  “10 Free Photography Marketing Ideas That Work Like Crazy.” If you’re just starting out in the business or you want a refresher on easy marketing strategies, then this is the article for you. The Modern Tog offers simple practices such as automating your social media posts, building an email list, and how to create quality blogs for your photography website.

“Photography Business Names: The 2020 Guide to Naming Your Photography Business”

If you are just now considering starting your own Photography Business or are in the initial stages, then you know how hard it can be to pick a name for your business. PhotoMBA points out that while you can just combine your first and last name with “photographer” and call it a day, you may want a more out-of-the-box, unique brand. If this is the case for you, then there are a few key factors to consider. In their article “Photography Business Names: The 2020 Guide to Naming Your Photography Business,” PhotoMBA shares their tips and tricks for planning your business’ future success by starting with one of the biggest first steps- choosing a name. PhotoMBA advises that the best way to create your ideal business is to focus on considering the name’s appearance, depth, uniqueness, energy, humanity, positioning, sound, trademark, domain, and magic. What characteristics do you want consumers to associate with your business? Does the business name align with your photography specialty? Consider these points of reflection and check out PhotoMBA’s guide for developing a winning name for your photography business.

If you’ve enjoyed these tips and want to gain access to more photography knowledge, head to PPA.com and browse our library of blog articles. While you’re there, consider joining the PPA Family and becoming a member! We are here to help you and your business grow, succeed and Be More!