{"id":11301,"date":"2023-01-12T04:45:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beccajeanphotography.com\/?p=11301"},"modified":"2023-02-24T09:44:32","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T17:44:32","slug":"photography-mistakes-and-their-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beccajeanphotography.com\/photography-mistakes-and-their-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"27 Photographers Share Their Mistakes and Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s natural to make mistakes when you’re doing a million things at one time:\u00a0 photography business owner, photographer, parent, partner, friend, etc.\u00a0But everyone makes mistakes and the important thing is what\u00a0we\u00a0learn from them, right?\u00a0So I wanted to share some of the mistakes I made this year and the lessons I learned, as well as mistakes that other<\/em> photographers made. I hope that by sharing these, it can help you avoid making the same mistakes or give you solutions and ideas on how to improve your own photography business.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog is part of a collaborative blog series! Check out my other blog where I asked a bunch of photographers to send photos of lens flares with different lenses<\/a> so you can compare what each lens does with flare!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My Biggest Photography Mistake of 2022<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s start off with my own biggest mistake from the past year and what I learned from it: allowing myself to be distracted by my phone<\/strong>. This is the hardest for me! Trying to work but ending up on social media instead, and all of a sudden half the day is over and I\u2019ve literally done nothing. I decided I needed to focus and not let my phone distract me, so I\u2019ve started putting my phone on Do Not Disturb<\/strong> while I\u2019m working on my business. This way, important calls from people on my favorites list can still come through but I\u2019m not getting distracted by constant social media alerts. I\u2019ve also made sure to turn off all notifications on my laptop<\/strong> to help me focus.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mistakes From Other Photographers and What They Learned<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I asked a bunch of photographers what mistakes they made and learned from last year <\/strong>and the response was amazing! I hope you learn a ton from these so that your photography business can run smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo location mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One mistake I made this year was planning a session on a Saturday evening in the summer at a busy park<\/strong> downtown Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My clients weren\u2019t able to find a parking spot. I found one but it was a bit far from the site and I walked. My clients had small kids so they didn\u2019t want to walk a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt really bad for not checking before and doing more research as it turned out one side of the park was closed, therefore one parking lot was closed too so there was limited parking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The session never happened and the client was very frustrated. I had to return the session fee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyways, lesson learned, check the site before and make sure there\u2019s enough parking and no construction is going on<\/strong>. ????<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie Michel – Toronto Family Photographer<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So I think my biggest mistake of 2022\u2026 One instance comes to mind but I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve done it more often. Not confirming that the location you\u2019ve chosen for your session is open\/available to be shot as normal<\/strong>. I showed up at the USS Constitution in Charlestown only to be found that it was fenced off due to a wedding. We could still get some shots in with the boat in the background and the city as the backdrop, however, I had to send them out to be masterfully edited because I just couldn\u2019t make the fence disappear. It was slightly embarrassing to the clients too because who wants a giant fence and some rope in the background of their family photos?! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Sara Maida – Boston Family Photographer<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I used to discourage families from doing outdoor photos in the winter<\/strong> here in Ellensburg.  It is so cold and usually snowy and can be pretty miserable being outside, especially if it is windy.  Families would have to bundle up pretty well and I was afraid that most wouldn’t have the ideal clothing for being outside, while looking great in photos. Occasionally, people would ask if I would do outdoor photos in the crazy winter and usually I’d say yes, but I always discouraged it.  Then I decided to cut out the idea of doing photos outdoors during the winter all together, until recently, when I did a couple sessions where we started the session indoors, and took the last part of the session outdoors<\/strong>. I loved it!  I realized that I can still definlety do outdoor photos in the winter here in the frigid Ellensburg, WA, but I needed to split the time with indoor photos first.  This is a game changer for me. The snow is so beautiful and I would love my families to get these snowy photos, but I also want them to experience indoor family photos, so it is a wonderful discovery and reminds me that if I don’t like how something is going in my business it doesn’t mean I have to cut it out.  It might just mean I need to tweak it and adjust it<\/strong> to my liking and what works best for my families I work with.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brindy Ruby – Ellensburg, WA Family and Newborn Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A mistake I will have seared into my memory forever is not scouting a location after a summer dry spell<\/strong>. I took a family to a location I love and use frequently, but I hadn\u2019t been there in a couple of weeks. My client had two young, rambunctious boys so I thought this would be the perfect place for them to run around and explore! Boy was I wrong. We showed up and there were cacti absolutely everywhere. They both got stuck with cactus needles and cried, because- ouch! Actually, I wore open toed shoes and got stuck myself! The mom was super understanding about it but I just felt so awful for those two kiddos. I was mortified and I definitely learned my lesson. Do not skimp on the location scouting! Conditions can change quickly!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Savannah Conley – Telluride, Colorado Family Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Social media mistakes and what to do instead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My mistake this year was using my social media as more of a personal journal as opposed to letting it focus on my business<\/strong>.  It took working with a new business coach and realizing what I really wanted my social media to do for ME to realize that I can create a personal social media account to word vomit when I need to. To help my brand be more consistent and take less out of me emotionally, I’ll need to make some boundaries on how much and what I share on social media.  So far (about 4 months) it’s been working out well and I’ve been learning a lot and finding other ways to share my life on social media without it feeling like I HAVE to be overly vulnerable.  Now I can choose instead of feeling obligated in some way<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rivkah Leah – Phoenix Lifestyle Family Photographer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The mistake I make is going onto Facebook to post instead of just going to Meta<\/strong> because that always makes for a distraction<\/strong>. I’m sure there are a lot of other things, but I’ve been making a lot of improvements this year and focusing where I need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica May – Family Photography and Films in Sault Ste. Marie, MI<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My mistakes\u2026hmmm so many and so great that I now know them. That means growth right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too much time on social media\/distractions. However, my biggest one is realizing I can get more done in 2-4 hours<\/strong> than sitting at my computer stressing about getting booked and feeling mom guilt for not being with my family. I\u2019ve now set better hours and stick to them<\/strong> (for the most part) and I\u2019m letting god guide me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaime Bugbee – Vancouver, Washington Photographer for Families<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My college roommate, who I hadn\u2019t seen for 18 years reached out to do a family photography session with me while they were in town for an Oregon State Uninversity football game. I usually shoot photo and video outdoors at golden hour<\/strong>, but the game had an evening start time, so we decided to take the photos during the morning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was excited because they hadn\u2019t had professional photos taken since their 14 year old was a baby. No pressure right? But I was excited to reconnect with her and get to meet her kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We arrived at the location, Fitton Green County Natural Area, which in my opinion is the best place to take photos at golden hour in Corvallis, OR. There is a gorgeous mountain view, lots of pretty tall grass, and a big oak tree perfect for busy kids to climb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made a rookie mistake of assuming because Fitton Green County Natural Area is gorgeous at golden hour, it would also be during the morning light<\/strong>. The biggest problem was the high dynamic range to deal with the bright morning sun and heavy shadows. I put the family in the shade, but the background was too bright. This made it hard to expose properly. I took some photos of the family in direct sunlight because they wanted the mountain vista background, which meant some harsh shadows on their faces. All these less than ideal light situations could have been avoided if I had location scouted at the time of day I planned to shoot<\/strong>. I was able to make the photos work with masking in LR. But it took substantially more time than photos taken with good lighting in camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next time I will be sure to location scout at the time of day I plan to take the photos. Lesson learned, knowing where and when the sun will be is important!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah McClary – Corvallis, OR Family Videographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Client communication mistakes and solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My biggest mistake of 2022 was allowing clients to dictate too many details of the session<\/strong> outside my boundaries – particularly in terms of timing and location<\/strong>. As a newcomer to the area, I sometimes agreed to take on projects that I knew I wouldn’t post, but I found that the sessions where I didn’t stick with my boundaries were especially problematic. Not only did I make more mistakes in these sessions, but I also didn’t enjoy editing the photos or feel confident in what I delivered. They were timing and confidence suckers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charis Elisabeth – OKC \/ Norman Family and Newborn Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One mistake I made this year was not focusing 100% on my client experience before I went full-time<\/strong>. I caught myself working way too hard and dropping the ball with clients because I was way more overloaded than I thought I would be. This slow season is all about revamping my client experience<\/strong> to make them really see the value I provide! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casandrah Jensen – Zion National Park Off-Road Elopement Photographer<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2022 I did have some good structure for my communication with clients, but in a lot of ways I dropped the ball, and now in 2023 I’m taking steps to improve that area of my business. I was already good about things like keeping inquiry\/booking conversations all in one place and replying to emails within a certain time frame, but I didn’t implement a schedule for checking in with clients leading up to the session<\/strong> to help them prepare. I would just check in whenever I happened to think I should do so, but by the time that happened there often wasn’t enough time for them to, for example, purchase their favorite outfits online and have them arrive in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From now on my plan is to schedule out each check-in for 4 weeks before a session<\/strong>, each following week leading up to it, and the day before to make sure I’m giving each client the best chance to come to their session well prepared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing I’ve realized is that I verbally tell my clients when to expect their galleries, but if I tell them in writing what date to expect the photos by<\/strong>, that’s going to help them with their anticipation and also help me make sure to deliver galleries earlier than expected as often as I can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m also going to always make sure I have each client’s name and number saved in my phone<\/strong> and repeat the session details<\/strong> (time, date, location, etc.) at every check in, because though I hate to admit it, I did have one instance of thinking I was talking to one client when I was actually talking to another, and one instance of writing the wrong photo session time in my calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michaela Drew Lindley – Vancouver, Washington Family Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photography Mistakes about spending<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

2022 was the year I launched my business. So, I can come up with a long list of mistakes. But the one that stands out the most to me is the financial investments I made<\/strong> on a number things before being truly ready<\/strong> for any of them. Things that I thought would make a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, I rented an Airbnb as a studio<\/strong> for the weekend to give it a go to lifestyle studio photography as I love minimalist setups. Although I got lovely images from it (and a feature in a high-end blog), I could had simply continued using parks and clients’ homes instead<\/strong>. As there is more than enough demand for these type of sessions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example is that I spent quite a lot on a CRM subscription<\/strong>. Yes, it makes my business and the client communication look more professional and high-end. But it is not something I really need at this point when I still don’t have a solid client base or enough leads to justify the extra monthly cost<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of these investments really made any difference in acquiring new clients or bringing extra profit.<\/strong> So, my takeaway is to be more frugal moving forward. There are so many ways and services available to keep costs low.  My goal is to keep things ultra simple and make use of all the resources I already have until the business takes off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mariana De Albuquerque – Toulouse, France Photographer<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mistakes having to do with confidence and internal struggles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being myself<\/strong>. I\u2019m sad to admit it but I\u2019m fearful people won\u2019t like me and I\u2019m really letting that go. With so many other anxious thoughts. I have been practicing manifestation and meditation<\/strong>. It\u2019s been really amazing so far. Just like my mentor talked about but it\u2019s just now hitting me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaime Bugbee – Vancouver, Washington Family Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My biggest mistake was allowing myself to get into a scarcity mindset<\/strong> in fall and spiral out my worry that I wasn’t meeting my goals for sessions booked. By doing so I feel like I blocked the flow of clients<\/strong> that could have booked me. Now I\u2019m going into 2023 open and ready to only take on what I can handle and not letting myself operate out of freak out mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brooke Holliday – Family & Newborn Photographer near Tacoma, WA<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mistakes about image delivery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A mistake I made in 2022 was the same one I’ve always dealt with: over-shooting, over-culling, over-delivering<\/strong>. I spend so much time editing and because I have such a hard time narrowing down a lot of beautiful images, but the end result is that I’m not being paid nearly enough for the time put in<\/strong>. I HAVE to get better at delivering smaller, more curated galleries<\/strong> instead of 100+ image galleries.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassey Golden – San Antonio Family & Lifestyle Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve made a lot of mistakes but a big one is not sticking to my package sizes<\/strong>. I end up just giving them the whole gallery because I don\u2019t want them to choose, or I feel I could have done better<\/strong> so yet again just give them to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elya Myers – Kettering, Ohio Family Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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