Successful PRO Photographers Do These 4 Things... 

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Matching the customer's energy is a great tip. I experienced someone calling me about a big problem. I was not personally involved in the situation, and needed her to provide the information as she was complaining over the phone. When she explained her problem I said in a stern voice that the situation she was in was absolutely unacceptable, and she *immediately* calmed down and was reassured that her problem would be taken seriously. And that takes me to: Tip #5: If you screw up, you now have the chance to correct the situation so the customer is *more* satisfied than they would be under normal circumstances. This is not just damage control, but maintaining pride over the quality of your product or service.

I’m an amateur with no ambitions of stepping up to professional (even if I could), but this video has some really good business advices for those who want to make money from their photography. 👍🏻

Very rarely comment on RU-vid videos but compelled to do so on this occasion. Absolutely brilliant Chelsea and excellent advice for anyone running a small business in a modern economy, and not just a photography business. So many things you highlighted resonated with me and my business, which isn’t photography. Taking snaps and processing them is merely a hobby for me at the moment. This is a must view video for anyone thinking of starting a business or already running one! Thank you so much for putting this together.

This video made me feel like I was sitting at Chelsea’s house and she’s giving me advice on my photography journey, but now I’m upset she didn’t offer me coffee or a snack. 😁 Seriously though, when your this good at RU-vid no one appreciates how smooth you are… because that’s what makes you smooth. I see you Chelsea. 🤛

Thank you for the refresher. Can confirm that a single memory card slot can ruin your day and the client's day. Appreciated this video, love it when you two have business oriented content!

The tip about matching a customer's energy when it comes to a complaint is a little diamond in this video. Thanks Chelsea.

Along time ago I crossed that line between hobbyists/amateur to struggling professional photographer and started doing weddings, family, baby, pets everything. This was back when we used film and sent the film to a pro lab and put everything together for the client. No computers, no mirrorless, nothing but sweat!!! I wouldn’t have changed anything!!!! Having said that, I bailed because I figured out that everybody was “ an incredibly good friend “ and wanted a “discount”. Yes I was a rookie and heard the dung about how it would enhance my portfolio and career to shoot their event for an incredible discounted price or for “gratis” even though they were plopping down $1000.00’s for a dress, ring, etc. so I read the writing on the wall, and now I do “landscape, astro, food, property, news, and anything that is in the public domain. I also carry a pad of model release’s for any emergencies or for minor kids that came upon the scene and ventured into and I had them in the images!!! It’s a horrible world now and I wouldn’t want to be a photographer full time now. But I wouldn’t change a second of my life!!!! Stay in focus everyone!!!

Great job on helping us understand. So fun watching you educate us. Thanks.

Wow! This was such a great video. Very helpful to hear the business side of photography. Thank you for making this video!

Great video, been in school photography business 41 years, all of this is very important.

I really appreciate this video because it is so important for aspiring professional photographers to remember it's a business. There is no reason to starve, so learn the necessary business and photography skills to thrive!

Chelsea, you and Tony are awesome. I have really come along way with my photography because of you two. I had been upgrading my lenses and just today upgraded to the 5d mark 4. Thank you both. Kurt...

Excellent video with some great advice. Well worth the watch!

Thanks Chelsea just made me think on a whole another level. Didn’t know you guys were from ct that’s cool. Thanks for the info

The amount of useful information and experience in this video is absolutely amazing. Thnaks for sharing all this.

Chelsea - Great job in detailing and outlining the ins and outs of Running a Business. You are spot on with all of the key details that you highlighted in your session. In addition, I really loved the analogy of the Restaurants for Customer Experience (CX), you described it perfectly and I'd like to add that in today's world people are seeking "Personalized Experiences", especially ones that they remember and can relate to. You and Tony do such a great job in hitting the key points in this wonderful world of Photography! P.S. Love Your Home!

Awesome content and love the way you framed all the issues!

One of your best videos, thank you Chelsea 📸

Great advice. The website advice is spot on. As a marketer who used to be a photographer this is perfect advice for all businesses. Sometimes you need a website for every niche or market segment. Very good advice.

Thank you, Chelsea. Always great information and entertaining. It gives me a lot to think about.

Fantastic "heads up" video! I love it, straight up honest just telling everyone what to really think about from past experience . Well done Chelsea!

What an excellent video. There is so much here. What a heads-up! Thanks so much.

Thank you for those tips! Have a wonderful day!

Thanks Chelsea. This is such great information, could you please make more videos like this?

I agree on so many comments about starting any type of your own business. Thank you for great tips! I’m a digital marketing professional, and you pointed out many things I need to be more confident and consistent about.

Thank you! I've been circling around the option to go profesional. You've been a help in the process of my making a decision!

That was a great video, Chelsea. What you described in 18 minutes, I call the difference between Cost and Value. It relates to many aspects of life. In this case, it is absolutely okay to walk away from a "shoot for a friend" who believes you can perform for free. Thank you.

EVERY "new" or "wanna be" phototgrapher should watch this video. Ive made my living for over 25 years with my camera and I have to say this video is SPOT ON. Alot of my work over the years has been with high school students and I get asked about "becoming a photographer" often. I always tell them being a photographer is about just about everything but photos....or the photos are the easy part, its a biz. And don't forget while you maybe the "artist".....the client is the judge....and "Beauty is in the eye of the checkbook holder" ......

Thanks Chalesea, it is a piece of great advice, it is applicable in any area and even in personal life.

Thank you so much! I really needed to hear this - especially pay up front. I'm too trusting and I work with a lot of referrals from close friends. It's so hard!

Great advice, food for thought too🙏🏾

Really good video Chelsea… super thought provoking…

Remember when you would hardly talk in front of the camera? I do. Now you are all out there and being up in the screen. Great stuff. Always good to see new videos. I miss seeing you and Tony weekly to show off our new photos. Wishing you and Tony all the best!

Soooo helpful. Thank you so much

Thanks for the tips!

That was so useful, thanks🙏

This is such awesome advice Chelsea.

#5: Don't work for the public. Don't advertise to the public, don't have a public profile, and price yourself too high for the public to afford even if they know who you are and how to get to you. Screw the public. Work for businesses, work for councils and governments, work for charities, work for publications, work for agencies. You'll be thankful twenty years later when you still possess your sanity. (And you'll be living in a bigger house, to boot.)

Huge point! I think everyone has some business they deal with like this; it might not be the best, but they genuinely treat you like "somebody" when you walk in. It is so important. (Elaine in Seinfeld had a great bit where she was tortured by figuring out how to "divorce" her drycleaner ;-p)

Great video Chelsea, you are a Professional !

Thanks- lots of thoughtful advice. Restaurant metaphor was useful. Wondering if there is a way to make some money from my photography without the business side of it consuming so much time. This sweet spot may be hard to find!

Absolutely great advice and video

Thank you, can you do more videos like the other one that covers Contour, light, shadow and natually looking portraits?

Good stuff all. Two things to add: get to know a good lawyer. You may never need them, but if you do you want that relationship well set. And get an accountant - always good to have a 2nd set of eyes on the books, and not just at tax time.

Thank you so much! My take away is that it’s best to stay home and cook my own meals!😉

All good advice. Thanks.

Appreciate this very much 💚 Still have to figure out how taxes works as a freelancer 🧐. PPA sounds awesome, wonder if they provide liability insurance for business and it all of their photography coverage works for videographers since I am video focused

Hi my Dear Friend! Thank you and have a beautiful Sunday!🙏👍+1

One of my biggest flaws as a part time photographer (pre-covid) was not being available to pickup the phone. A lot of clients don't feel confident leaving a voicemail or emailing a service than speaking to a human. I could have hired a call center and hopefully they can be a good answering service. Which can buy me some time to respond within a day or two. Then I can retain that new client.

Thank you Chelsea

Well said, very useful video

Great video - thanks chelsea +++++ Fred 😎

O gosh that sounds like a lot of work! Thank you for the video..

I’m not a professional photographer but I owned a multi location retail business for many years. We found some of our most loyal customers were those who we originally made a mistake, owned up to it, and made it right. They often loved us for that and became very loyal, just do what’s right.

Great tips!

Guess what? You're in customer service now. 🙃 Preach it Chelsea. Watching this reminded me why I no longer have a photography business. It's not easy and requires so many skills that have nothing to do with photography. 😝

Amazingly helpful video chelsea didi ❤️

video starts at 3:00 and watch at 2X - btw, good info. The "you are a business now" is so true.

I like how you're equalizing the matter of being pro businessman and being pro photographer. It's like you've never heard of amazing photo geeks who created like pure art out without understanding "what your client wants". But as a commercial photographer you're right, and it should be noted in video, that it's rather about commercial pro photography than pro photography in general. Thing is, "selling your services", is a maybe good thing that works greatly in US, but not in all countries of the world, and can't be applied universally. Not to mention different type of photography, like photojournalism and such.

Spot on Chelsea.

So much great advice in one video! (and it doesn't hurt having an absolutely beautiful lady giving it. 😍💞)

Chelsea, thank you Benjamin

And me with my Fujifilm X-T1 + 18-135 around the World, photography just makes me happy. 😌

Is PPA for Canadians as well or is there a Canadian equivalent? Mainly for contracts.

Great video.

What camera and lens used to take this video?

I love the anecdote about your favorite dish being served at a restaurant with horrible customer service, it doesn't matter how good that one dish that you can only get sometimes IS, it doesn't make up for the sucky experience they consistently insist on giving you.

Very few of our University Photography students ever succeeded in the real World simply because they didn't pay attention in the Class in Marketing. The few who have had successful careers understood that they run a Business. Their product happens to be photography. All are members of the PPA or WPI, and belong to the local PPA Chapter's where they live. I wish you would cover the liability issues in another video in depth. I'm sure the PPA can fill you with the horror stories that photographers have faced, usually through their own negligence.

Viewing this video again, and regarding gear, I think yes and no it doesn't matter. It does matter if the gear you have isn't able to get you the results you want (and this is after you've done everything you can as a photographer to try to get the results within reason). For example, if you're a sports or wildlife shooter and you're shooting with a camera that does 3 fps, it might be time for a new camera that can maybe to 10 fps, so there it would matter. But I think where it doesn't matter is with certain genres. For example, landscapes. If you're on a tripod, whether you have a an APS-C camera or a high-end FF (35mm) camera it probably doesn't matter as much there for that genre because you're probably going to be on a tripod most of the time, and so any differences in exposure (say slightly slower shutter speed for the APS-C camera versus the FF one) will not be that relevant given most of the use cases. But in reality, I think when people say "Gear doesn't matter" they generally are meaning when you compare two of the same thing, like an 30 MP APS-C camera versus a 24 MP FF camera. For some genres, this differentiation is not a huge deal. So gear does matter in some cases, not it depends on what you expect to get from the gear (ie. like you said, a real estate photographer buying a 360 camera) but in some cases it may not matter (the APS-C vs FF camera body debate).

Thanks 🙏 ☕️

Thank you for that , I just sold my first photos , and I felt awkward it’s like I’m selling someone’s memories. Yet I have purchased photos of my kids at A department store studio. 🤷🏼‍♂️ it’s good to hear I’m not the only one .

olympus has released om1, when are you switching your whole gear and system to olympus?

"Overcast days don't really matter..." meanwhile I love an overcast day, and a day with storm clouds is even better

Drop the knowledge on us Chelsea!

Finding clients is my biggest struggle as a headshot photographer 📸. Just not a big salesman, I'm keeping at it though

Chelsea, once again I thank you for your video because I have been taking lots of pictures of portraits and weddings and every wedding I ever have done people will not pay me I did talk to one family about the price of $1200 and they laughed and I did lose some pictures of a very important wedding to me with my memory cards. I just wanted to throw my camera on the ground and break it up and just walk away:

Can I start a business event I have another job.? And if the answer is yes will it be hard? TY

I'm a Real Estate photographer and I have a Matterport.. It was expensive and requires an iPod or iPhone and really needs a professional case. Roughly I spent $4,000. It paid for itself in less than. a yer and it is earning me more work than anything else I have. One other thing. I hate this thing. Shooting with it is boring and tedious and can be picky in order to get the best results. When I get a job I know I'll be paid by the square foot which is much better than shooting 25 HDR Images at a flat rate. If someone wants a Matterport I'll show up every time, just as with stills. It's a job and I do it.

I think the biggest reason for failure of people who go pro, is they don't understand the business side of things. And I don't necessarily mean just marketing, but the financial side. There will be costs you didn't really think of that you will have to factor in and include that are perhaps not so obviously, and I think this is where a lot of professionals tend to fail or go broke. Things like travel costs, insurance for your gear, insurance against liabilities, permits, etc.

The War of Art, I had to read The Art of War. Really true.

Very neat. Where is the young man Tony? Missed him!

You are so good. Saying this while wearing a Stay Focused T-Shirt. Health and prosperity to you. Thanks.

Gud info Chelsea

You can still put your experience in one page you just have to marketed correctly.

At first i was like "damn she threw shade on the Dutch Tilt." And then I was like "Damn she said "Dutch Tilt!"

Chelsea, you look great on this presentation. Colors, skin tones---just great.

I haven't watched these guys sinec BLM (tell me I'm the only one), but I decided to check them out again and came across this vid. Chelsea is an ever lovin' doll and smart and nice and smart.

Gear matters when it's gear you need, that will pay for itself. Not just gear you want

I thought the information for PPA was important. I was not familiar with that before this video. I was unaware that there were online contracts for different types of photography available online.

a friend once told me the taking picture is only 10% of a pro photography business and if you want to be a photographer cause you love taking and editing pictures your better off sticking to it just being a art form not a business

Your favorite restaurant would do the worst in France !! 😁😂😂😂

I thought about it for some time, and honestly, I don’t think my primary camera having a single slot (Sony A7C) is a big deal to me. Not ideal, but hardly a deal breaker. If I’m shooting an expensive event such as a wedding or something of the sort, I’ll be renting a second body for backup anyway, so I’ll end up having a dual slot on hand for said event.

Wtf kinda restaurants ya'll goin to?

Thanks for speaking the truth. Artistry must go down the drain.. it's about money. You may also want to learn..what non American men do to want to make money? They get married

Chelsea looking gorgeous as usual.

I use photography as a hobby. I'm at the lowest level of amateur there is. I've lost ambition in getting better because everyone only wants drone photos anymore and I don't feel like plunking down 3 grand for one.

Whats wrong with sound level? Distortion…

"Make people pay!"

If a person wants to be a starving artist like I did shoot for people who want's the cheapest price in town. a photographer has to value their work. If the photographer doesn't value his work they won't either and you will not here about the good paying jobs by working for somebody dirt cheap.