Surviving as a photographer in 2023

Is it hard to be a photographer today?

At the moment, it actually is quite difficult, at least due to the fact that mobile photography has developed a lot in the past few years, and now a lot of people use their phones for shooting. I have a friend who bathes in orders, and she takes photos and videos on her personal smartphone - they turn out as good as those taken with expensive cameras and by photographers having many years of experience. Devices have become more accessible, the profession has gained popularity, people have seen that they can earn money with it, and many courses and master classes have been put in place, so absolutely anyone can become a photographer. The competition is incredibly high.

How do you feel about the fact that getting into the profession of a photographer has become so easy?

It's a reality, and we have to live with it somehow. It is sometimes embarrassing to see people present themselves as professionals and ask for the same payment as those who have been doing photography for a long time professionally. The fact that people come to this area does not bother me, after all, I also came to it from the street - I used to work in the oil industry, going on shifts.

Initially, I shot everything around with my phone, and I bought a camera by chance: on one exciting trip, I only had an iPhone 4 with me, and it had little memory left, so when I suddenly ran out of free GB, I had to get a camera. I'm not ashamed to admit that I only bought it back then because I liked the company's logo.

Was it obvious how to operate it?

Not really. At some point, I accidentally switched the slider from Auto mode, the photos became too dark, and I was confused. Someone I knew explained to me that there were many modes on a professional camera, and as soon as I returned home I started figuring out why it had happened and what each button was responsible for. Without much thinking I bought a coupon for a photography course that can now be replaced with an hour of "surfing" YouTube. I went to five classes, which helped me get my act together, but further on I studied everything on my own on the Internet - fortunately, many worthy courses have appeared in the last ten years.

Which ways can, in your opinion, newly minted photographers go today?

There are two ways. The first is to create a unique offer, find your style and hone it. In this case location means a lot: it’s easy to be unique in a city with 1 million inhabitants, but it’s much more difficult to stand out in a metropolis where the number of photographers is equal to the population of a full-fledged city. It is a long-term game, nothing will work right away, you need to have savings and another source of income. It was like that for me: I worked at a non-creative job, opened a photo studio, which brought a little profit, while still not leaving my main job and continuing to save money. The second way is to be a master of all trades and take on absolutely any shooting. In this case, you stake on quantity, not quality, and it doesn’t matter if you are invited to a birthday, wedding or divorce party.

How is pricing defined?

Again, it depends on the point on the map where the person is located. Somewhere clients will be abundant, in other places finding them will be a quest. But you definitely shouldn’t raise prices just because you went to someone’s one-day master class, you need to practice your skills on your friends and relatives and shoot more for an acceptable cost. When you understand that there is demand for your skills, then you can increase the price. It's always more pleasant to shoot 5 shoots a month with high pay than 25 for ridiculous money and get a twitching eye as a gift.

It is scary to ask for a higher pay, get refusals, or not receive a single message at all, but here you need to prioritize. I understand that not everyone can follow the path of exclusivity, so take everything at first. I follow one principle: if in the evening I still lie on the couch and scroll the feed, then it’s better to have some means from shooting in my pocket than a gaping void. Sure, natural disasters or social disasters can always make the world slow down, stop the fashion industry, but people will still get married, have children and celebrate holidays.

By the way, how did you survive the pandemic professionally?

To be honest, it was easier for photographers at that difficult time than for those who had full-time jobs and received a salary. At that time, I was already ready for instability and for the fact that earnings can be very different from day to day. It's always a roller coaster, so overall it didn't come as a shock to me. In the first months of the pandemic, I, like everyone else, didn’t think about shooting and earning money, but rather about survival - I was doused with antiseptic from head to toe, I was constantly worried and thought about how to close the lease on the premises where my photo studio was located. But I want to say that all this had a positive effect on the summer season. Usually this time is "dead" for studios, as everyone takes photos outside, but that year, due to pent-up demand, the three hot months were very busy. By the way, fellow photographers shared the same impressions. I was surprised! As a result, the pandemic did not become a huge or long-term problem for the industry.

What is instrumental in becoming a photographer?

I don’t know if I have enough “expertise” to answer this question, but I can say that, for example, it’s incredibly difficult to get into the fashion industry - I’m talking about shooting for global brands and print media. This is a very closed world, especially if you have no contacts in it. But every day I am more convinced that in most csses everything is subject by chance, acquaintances and the butterfly effect. You need to be a professional and constantly improve in case you get that one chance in a million, you must be ready.

Does a full-time corporate job kill inspiration?

It depends on the job and on the kind of person you are. When I worked in a company not related to photography, I still had the opportunity and desire to create something in my free time, but I have friends who work in the creative field, and they don’t have enough time or energy for personal creative ideas . Of course, you need to understand why you are doing that work - if a stable income at first can support your passion for photography, why not. It's true that when emotional burnout is starting to manifest itself, you need to change something urgently.

In your experience, who is it harder to shoot - men or women?

I would not generalize, but statistically, girls are more critical of themselves. For each female photo shoot, you need to select a certain scheme of light and angles that the client will like. Retouching is strikingly different from men - it is more complex and subtle. In addition, there is one more point: girls are more comfortable with professionals of the same sex - it has happened to me to be turned down for this reason. Although, it seems to me that one should choose a photographer according to his work and approach, and not according to his ability to listen or gender. After all, when someone, for example, chooses a repair expert, they look at the results, and not at something else. I think photography should be seen the same way.