Does anyone else struggle and it directly impacts their business? I am really struggling right now. In the middle of busy season Im having an editing identity crisis and have been really hating my work lately. I just know there could be so much more impact!! I feel like it’s imposter syndrome but im not sure if that’s really it when I see all the areas to improve in.
I think I do well with posing and client interaction. I do a pretty good job of capturing emotion and I often receive praise about it. Part of being able to do that is moving quickly and often I focus on the emotion, poses, and prompts, and neglect technical issues - rules of thirds, horizon lines, impactful compositions.
Im 7 years into my career and have never received any negative feedback or reviews. I receive thank you cards, tips, and 5 star reviews…. But I honestly think that’s only because im such a people pleaser. Im constantly told to raise my rates, but how can I when I hate my own work? Im doing everything for my clients and it’s killing me! I always overdeliver and go so above and beyond when finding locations, edits, ect. I’m not making what I should. I don’t even feel like I can talk about this to my local photography community….I feel like I come across asking for praise and that is not my intention. I feel like everyone is succeeding and making a livable wage, and I’m hiding how empty my calendar bookings are, avg session income, and just overall lack of professionalism. I’m not a new photographer at all so this feeling stings.
I deal with it by telling myself everyone else is also just pretending, and I’m going to be the best pretender
This! Once you realize that nobody really knows what they’re doing but they’re just trying it will relieve you. Nobody has their shit together, although it may look like that on the outside. Trust your own judgement when it comes to editing, it has brought you this far. And about your rates, have a look around and see what others are charging. Compare it to yours, not only the prices but also what they deliver for that. Hang in there! You’ve got this!
In the end we’re all just talking monkeys living on a rock that’s flying through space!