I can’t believe it’s already been six months since I stopped teaching and became a full time photographer. It’s been a crazy six months but very enjoyable. Like most people, I’m looking back at the past year and making pI can’t believe it’s already been six months since I stopped teaching and became a full time photographer. It’s been a crazy six months but very enjoyable. Like most people, I’m looking back at the past year and making plans for the future. In the past, I was very restricted by what I could do because I was a full time teacher as well as a photographer. Now I’m free to do much more, so I’m looking into my 2017 photography goals.
2017 Photography Goals
I’ve always wanted my photography business to be successful, and I’ve always done certain things to reach that goal. I’ve never, though, really sat down and fully thought out what would make me most successful. All new businesses start out with a business plan. I kind of did that back in the day, but that was several years ago. Right now, I’ve narrowed our focus to three areas: relationships, experience, and portraits. All the things we do and the decisions we make will be aimed at those three things.
2017 Relationship goals
I’ve always cherished the relationships I’ve made through weddings. I love meeting new people, and I just love learning about people and making new friends. There are still some things I can do to improve in this area. The biggest thing I want to do is communicate more. Right now I have one meeting with my couples, but I’d like to add at least one more, a scheduling meeting. This can put everyone on the same page and make sure we are all properly prepared for the big day. The other big area in relationships is with other vendors. In the past, I was so busy with teaching, I couldn’t ever build relationships with the other vendors. For 2017, I’d like to meet with a different vendor at least once a month.
2017 Experience Goals
A wedding is a once in a lifetime experience, and I want to make it the best experience of their life. There’s much more for me to do than just take some photos and give them to the couple. The experience needs to be much more involved and last from the initial contact to the final delivery and beyond. The biggest thing I want to change is how I deliver the final products. In the past, sometimes all I gave the clients were digital files and I’d just send them through email. Think about opening a present. If all you got was an email for a present, that wouldn’t be very exciting. I’m now including prints and other products, so it really will be like opening a present when they get their products. I also plan on doing some special, unexpected things like giving gifts before the wedding, after the wedding, and on anniversaries. This will help them feel special and create an experience that goes beyond just photos.
2017 Portrait Goals
Relationships and the experience do play a large part in my business, but if my photos stink, the rest of it doesn’t matter. The thing I love doing the most and the thing that I think helps me stick out is my couple portraits. I do a lot of things with flash that other photographers don’t do, and I feel like I can create unique, dramatic portraits for my clients. Unfortunately, I don’t get to do this at every wedding. For 2017, I want to create at least one amazing portrait for my couple. I’m also going to be studying and learning new ways to do these portraits, so I can do things even better than I am now.
This is just a small chunk of my 2017 Photography Goals. The list has at least 20 things on it right now, and I’m still going. I believe in constantly evolving and getting better. This is what I’m trying to do. I always want to get better, and I want to be the best wedding photographer I can be.
