Essential Characteristics of a Pro Photographer
Do you have the characteristics needed to be a pro?
There are various fundamental attributes and characteristics professional photographers require to build strong client relationships and be more likely to be re-hired and recommended to others.
It goes without saying that everyone is different and this difference can be a powerful means of separating yourself from your competitors. These days it is true to say more than ever that a photographer’s ‘personality/persona’ has currency and sway in terms of getting hired. No one wants to work with a diva and if you are hired to take portraits of a shy workforce it helps to be engaging and able to put people at ease.
That said, there are a number of underlying characteristics that I think are essential for any photographer to possess if you want to be successful and get re-hired aside from being personable and possessing a stand-out body of inspiring work.
I won’t attempt to write a psychological piece here nor be exhaustive in my suggestions…rather I want to draw your attention to some strong top-level qualities that through my experience as an editor, art director and commissioner of photographers I believe to be important to cultivate (and perhaps in some instances, consciously develop further) in order that you feel secure in your practice. If you feel confident in these arenas there is every reason to have a loyal customer base and indeed find referrals coming to you via happy clients.
There are various fundamental attributes and characteristics professional photographers require to build strong client relationships and be more likely to be re-hired and recommended to others.
It goes without saying that everyone is different and this difference can be a powerful means of separating yourself from your competitors. These days it is true to say more than ever that a photographer’s ‘personality/persona’ has currency and sway in terms of getting hired. No one wants to work with a diva and if you are hired to take portraits of a shy workforce it helps to be engaging and able to put people at ease.
That said, there are a number of underlying characteristics that I think are essential for any photographer to possess if you want to be successful and get re-hired aside from being personable and possessing a stand-out body of inspiring work.
I won’t attempt to write a psychological piece here nor be exhaustive in my suggestions…rather I want to draw your attention to some strong top-level qualities that through my experience as an editor, art director and commissioner of photographers I believe to be important to cultivate (and perhaps in some instances, consciously develop further) in order that you feel secure in your practice. If you feel confident in these arenas there is every reason to have a loyal customer base and indeed find referrals coming to you via happy clients.
- Show your professionalism: be dependable, efficient, timely, on budget, organised, polite, an expert in your field, committed, collaborative, flexible and not a clock-watcher. Keep your emails and invoices professional.
- Demonstrate enthusiasm and drive: this can be wonderfully infectious and can help you to stand out in what is an incredibly competitive industry.
- Be a good communicator: presenting yourself and your work effectively to clearly define your vision and services; handling and getting the best out of your crew (producer, stylists, models, etc). Be able to describe your visual style with confidence. Pleasant and polite demeanour in all handlings with your client and your clients’ clients. Be responsive – pick up the phone and be a good listener. Ask pertinent questions so you understand your client’s concerns and issues so you can more effectively offer visual solutions.
- Be solution-oriented: always a creative thinker and practical problem -solver willing to go the extra mile to work through challenges. You freely offer up ideas and solutions at the trickiest of times.
- Be patient & tenacious: have a strong work ethic and certainly don’t ever appear to give up easily.
- Have a thick skin: there will be plenty of knocks and rejections on your journey as a photographer. You need to feel able to embrace (and even welcome) criticism and be willing and able to learn from it.