The one thing that eludes me on a constant basis is MOTIVATION. I can be pretty lazy at times. My wife can attest to that. When it comes to staying motivated to build my brand as a photographer, I have to admit that I have been pretty slack since I decided to go full on pro.
My mentor, whom I respect beyond measure, is a pretty successful photographer who has photographed some pretty big brands. He has given plenty of advice and has guided me in the direction I need to go. Pretty much copying his business plan would have all but guaranteed at least some success IF I would have stayed on track.
What was my problem? Why do I constantly lose my motivation? Frustration! Frustration from being rejected by more businesses than I care to admit. Reasonable quotes being turned down because the client says I don’t have what they need in my portfolio for the project they are doing. But, I know I can do the shots they need. Knowing that you can do the shots isn’t enough in this day and age.
Also, not seeing immediate results from what effort I have put into the brand. I will tell you from experience, success in photography will not happen over night. At least not profitable success. There is a big difference in staying busy and being profitable. I personally do not want to be one who stays busy but gets paid peanuts for hard work. I feel that my skill level and experience can justify my higher rates compared to someone who is just starting out, but the low ball quotes will always get in the way of landing good photography gigs.
That is another big reason why I lose motivation on a constant basis. There are plenty of folks out there that charge such a low price for the same services I provide, but they lack the experience and proper equipment to do a phenomenal job. Don’t get me wrong, there are some that will do a good job, but are underselling themselves by charging crazy low fees for all of the work that is involved with certain projects.
Anyway, I know it is very hard to keep moving forward with all of the things that can and will get you down when I comes to being a successful and profitable photographer, but I will say that we all need to ignore the rejection and learn from our mistakes. Always keep striving to get better.