Finding out who you are and want to be

As a photographer I find myself looking both backwards and forwards. Backwards to learn to from my mistakes to make improvement. Forwards to plan from the next shoot to looking into the future, in this post I going to be dealing with the latter.

To look forward you first have to look back

Everyone looks at history to help shape the future and this is true for photographers. No matter what you want to do with your photography from a bit of fun to a business it is worth treating it like a business. The most important part of a business is identity, it is not simply good enough to be you, you need something more.

I have for many years used the same values that have shaped the way that I do things, everything’s list will be different. It would be worth making a note of them to heap you making decisions when it comes to photography.

The lest thing to look at is what you want to achieve, in either mind or long team, with your photography. This does not have to be something grand it could be to simply to improve.

For me it was about being a solid photographer that has is friendly, relaxed and professional. I also identify with old school photographers.

Weighting up a decision

A great example is that of a place to shoot, there are a few main options for someone starting off and no real correct answer unless you look at the identity that you want to create and continue.

Location Shoots

This is the easiest to set up with little check you can find and use some great locations. The main problem with this if you live in a place like me is that the weather is unpredictable and could lead to cancelled shoots.

Hire studios

This is an easy option for a lot of people, especially when starting out with access to lots of equipment that can give amazing results. It gives you the options to hire different places for your requirements as well as getting support in some locations.

Home studio

At the beginning you can have limiting equipment and it is never as perfect as a hired studio. It gives you the advantages of being as flexible as you would like.

For me

For me the decision was easy, and I always used a home studio, if I am planning a location shoot, I like to do it locally so by home studio is a backup. The most important thing is relaxed and that can be easier achieved with a home shoot after all everything is purchased so time is not a problem. I make sure my subjects know that they will have the time that they need as well as being able to make sure that I can reliably offer refreshments.

On the other hand, if I wanted to wow peoples with fancy lighting setups then hiring a studio would be the way forward but it will come with time limits as well as the extra stress of not knowing exactly where everything is.