What's holding you back is your source of opportunity

[If you happen to be sick of my incessant philosophical waxing, scroll to the bottom of this message for some crunchy tactical treats!]

Not to be a dummy, but "if it were easy, everyone would be doing it."

Ask any photographer I've coached, I'm big on challenging comfort zones.

For 13 years I've asked folks, "What's the biggest challenge holding you back today?" And I've gotten hundreds of not thousands of answers to that question.

Some markets suck, straight up - there are towns and cities in America and around the world that are absolute black holes for reaching a full-time income as a professional photographer.

But...that's almost never the biggest obstacle for folks.

(My photography company, Outlaw Photography, has thrived in rural Texas towns from populations 900 to 1,850, though I've never been afraid to reach into the markets like San Antonio and Austin!)

What's holding you back is almost always the internal game.

"I'm not good enough... I'm not getting better fast enough... It's already too late... I don't have time / talent / camera gear / social media skills / sales skills... Everybody has a great camera on their phone today... I'm too old/young, too boring/nerdy, too introverted, too awkward, too YouNameIt."

Just a word of encouragement today: your obstacle is your opportunity.

Where you feel like quitting is where most photographers want to quit. Why you want to quit is why most photographers do quit. And that's why you have to learn to love the obstacles you face, internal and external: because they're barriers others refuse to break through, mountains others fear to climb.

If you can fight past what's holding you back today, you can reach rare air, where there is less competition and even more opportunity (clients, creativity, cash!).

Do that enough times, and you can own your zip code as a professional photographer.

Do it more, and you can own your area code and beyond.

The opportunity is there. The universe will definitely test your resolve, how serious you are about making your dream come true.

Let me encourage you today to stand up, fight forward, and pass that test.

Scared? Self-defeating? Self-sabotaging?

E-mail me and let me know what you're feeling. We'll work together to get you the breakthrough you so desperately need. :)

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com

P.S. You asked for tactics? I got tactics! When was the last time you called your past clients to check in with them? Ask about how they're enjoying their photos, if they need any extra prints, and if they've thought about their next photo shoot - fall is coming this month, leaves will be turning, pumpkin patches will be popping up, Halloween costumes are on sale now... Sounds like great opportunities for some discounted 'event' shoots, such as partnering with a local church pumpkin patch or school fall festival, to tease your clients back in front of your camera. Want to brainstorm ideas? E-mail me and let's talk. :)


It shouldn't have to be so hard, right?

Is photography grinding you down?

"Why does this have to be so hard?"

"Ugh I'm SO not excited to work on this..."

"I'm so tired of nothing getting better."

A pastor I'm studying with talks about a concept called convergence:

Where your talents and skills align with your passion. Where what you're good at aligns with what you're interested in; professionally, a convergence that leads to something people will pay you for. (I can't convince anyone to pay me to be mediocre at playing videogames...hmm...)

If your back were out of alignment, you'd feel pain, and do what it takes to get it right.

I want to set you free tonight.

I don't know who this is for, but it may be you.

You don't have to do it this way.

Let that sink in... It doesn't have to be this way. Chasing your dream shouldn't hurt all the time. It shouldn't be a grind.

I want you to let it go.

Let what go?

Let go of whatever you're stuck on. You've wrapped your thoughts, imagination, fears and anger around something... Something you think is absolutely essential.

You've convinced yourself.

I want to free you from the lie that's holding you back.

"BUT JAMES MICHAEL, my photography sucks! I can't get clients! They won't pay! My web site is a mess! I'm a has-been and an imposter! There's nothing I can do!"

I know. You've been telling me for 12 years.

I promise you... It's okay. I just need you to let it go.

Your art is good enough. Your skills are good enough. Your people are out there...you just need to connect with them, and help them. Help them get what they want...what you have to give. You can start simple, start small, start today (or at least this weekend). You can take steps toward where you dream of being.

It's that easy. (And that complicated.)

My encouragement: get clear on how you want this professional photography business to make YOU feel. What needs to happen to make YOU feel that way? What needs to change? What steps can help?

Does that make your path a little clearer?

Whether it does or doesn't, please, e-mail me and let me know where you're at in your journey, and what you're feeling about where you're at today.

I'm here to help.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com


Are you a professional photographer or an information collector?

This one might hurt... If it does, I'm sorry, but it had to be said to me to get me unstuck, and I'm hoping it will help you do the same.

Let's take off our masks for a minute. Get real with me, raw, honest, vulnerable, no ego.

Are you really a professional photographer?

Or an information collector?

You know what I'm talking about...the fact that you're reading this blog right now might itself be a sign that you are more collector than photographer.

Pop quiz:

  1. Do you spend more time making photographs or reading about / watching videos about making photographs?
  2. Do you spend more time talking to potential clients or reading about what to say (sales & marketing) to potential clients?
  3. Do you spend more time talking to strangers about your business or talking to your friends about your business?

Eeeeeeeeeesh... I am 100% convicted by every one of these questions.

Which is why my dear friend Steve Arensberg recently had the "come to Jesus" talk with me... That talk broke my pattern of mental masturbation (should I do this or that? what's the perfect next step? what's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?) and got me to DO THE WORK and hit PUBLISH on my art, my new book, Freemium Photography.

One of my beta readers, Laci Reynolds, said this was one of the most powerful lines in the whole book:

"Your photography can’t change anything for the better - not your life, not your family, not your friends, not your community, not your market, not the world - if you never do anything with it."

This is why I ask the hard question of you today, my friend:

Are you a professional photographer or an information collector?

If you're the latter today, it's totally okay: the very first step is admitting you have a problem.

The next is to do something about it.

A powerful challenge: stop reading, stop watching videos, stop buying books and workbooks and courses - including mine... And don't consume one more word of 'information' until you are ready to implement and take action.

Read one word, one sentence, one chapter at a time, and then take action on it.

Watch one video at a time, then take action on it.

Read one blog post, or e-mail, then take action on it.

Stop the mental masturbation of consuming information and feeling like you've made progress because of it.

Proof is in the production, right?

What action have you produced, what change have you produced, what client- or market- or even self-facing improvement have you produced as a result of what you've just read or watched?

Sometimes that production is private: "I am making the personal rule right now that I will not consume one more e-mail, blog post, book, or video unless I'm ready to stop and take action on what I learn."

Sometimes that production is public: "I am calling Stacy right now to ask if I can interview her for a testimonial, and then I'm putting that testimonial with her photo on my web site and social media pages."

But there must be fruit for all the time you're spending in the garden.

If there's not yet, or very little to show for your time, that's 100% okay - there is no time like right now to change.

It can be scary. And confusing. And frustrating.

But you can do this.

I've done it. I've drifted and had to come back and make that change from consumption to creation and connection over and over again. To err is human, right?

Grace. Forgiveness. But, then, change.

Don't know how? E-mail me and let me know.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com

P.S. Ready to 'start over' and take action? Pick up a copy of my new book Freemium Photography, and work your way through chapter by chapter, taking notes and action every step of the way.


How do I keep people from printing my low-res photography files?

Well...

You can't.

Yes yes, you can bring to bear a few dozen technical measures (watermarking, disabling right-clicks, image tiling, image masking...) and put the most threatening language on your web site, contract, and license...

But you can't stop people from doing pretty much anything they want to do.

And when they do violate your rules, you can seek every venue from public shaming to legal letters to lawsuits to punish them for their transgression.

But...

Dang...

Call me a free-lovin' hippie, but that's a lot of negative vibes, maaaan.

Let's shift the conversation from prevention and punishment to enabling and encouragement.

Here's what's worked for me:

1. Give people what they want.

2. Give it to them at a price they can afford.

3. Give them the knowledge and understanding they need to see the value.

Here are some examples of what this may look like as your photography business grows:

Startup: In the early days as a professional photographer, the shortest path to success is the one with massive acceleration. So shoot for free, give people digital files, encourage them to print big and hang on the wall so they get the maximum social and emotional value out of their art. Do in-person proofing and 'sales' even if you're trading out the files for practice, portfolio pieces, and social capital (testimonials, introductions, etc.). This keeps proofs offline, encourages the purchase or appreciation, and gives you the opportunity to educate the client on how best to enjoy the art you've made together.

Intermediate: If you're digital-centric like me, learn to make a wide variety of great images fast, and sell digital packages full of photos your clients "can't live without." If you want to shift to print, start the process of evolving your art, the language around your work, your target market, and your sales sessions to focus on the experience and value of big prints.

Advanced: Level up your art until the demand is high among the more discerning clientele in your market. Sell digital files at wall art prices. Or sell wall art at wall art prices. Make fewer, better photos.

Keep in mind, clients aren't buying your photographs; they're buying the feelings your photographs enable for them, and the experience that's crafted to elicit and explore those feelings. The more you focus on the feelings of your work rather than the facts of it (size, discounts, paper, ink, session length, megapixels...), the faster you'll connect with your market and see the success you're hungry for.

Not sure how to do this? E-mail me and let me know.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com


The Rolling To-Do List

I'm a single dad of three kids, work a full-time job, and love spending time with the people I love.

One of my biggest frustrations in life is a lack of time.

So many people to talk with, so many projects to undertake, so many ideas to make real, so much art to make, so many artists to help, so many books to read, so many blog posts to write, so many e-mails to send, so many games to play, so many movies and YouTube videos and music videos and CreativeLive courses to watch...

The math equation to determine your level of frustration is:

Ambition X Busyness

And don't forget to carry the "I have barely enough energy to scroll through Instagram..."

I've written before about essentialism - the art of doing the most important work first. And I've written a series on time management and prioritization and motivation.

I'm re-reading the book Scrum by Jeff Sutherland, and here's just one trick from that powerful organizational system:

The Rolling To-do List

(or Backlog, in Scrumspeak)

Emma has two boys, both under the age of 3 - both are napping less and less as they get older, which is leaving Emma hurting for time to work on her photography business.

She e-mailed me recently asking the ultimate time management question: how do I get more done in less time?

Particularly when that time isn't consistent...15 minutes here, 2 hours there...

I'm a big fan of time blocking: scheduling chunks of time, usually 90 minutes, to deep dive into the Next Steps work of your art and business. But that won't work if you have woeful little control over your free time. (I'm trying to get this e-mail out in the next 16 minutes before I need to wake up my youngest from her nap and fetch the eldest from her color guard practice.)

I'm compelled to turn this post into a 10-page course on Scrum Lite For Photographers, but let me focus on the rolling to-do list.

  • Step 1: Create your backlog. List every to-do list item you could possibly dream of here. Nothing is too big or too small.
  • Step 2: Roughly prioritize this list by putting the most important stuff at the top. (no perfection here, you can change it later)
  • Step 3: Break down your top 3-5 to-do list items into baby steps: the smallest bite-sized, doable version of Next Steps to complete and achieve arguable success with that project or action item.
  • Step 4: Anytime you have time, from 5 minutes to 90 or beyond, just bring up your list and start working on Item #1. Don't think about it, don't ponder the perfection of it, just Do The Work. If Item #1 is a beast that you can make no tangible progress on in 5 minutes, and you only have 5 minutes, grab the highest-level item that you CAN make progress on in the time you have.
  • [Advanced: Next to each item, assign a Fibonacci number equal to the item's perceived requirement of effort: 1 for fast and easy (a 1-5 minute task), 2 for harder, 3, 5, 8, 13 for the ugliest frogs to swallow. Or, if you prefer, rate by dog: Chihuaha, Shih Tzu, French Bulldog....to Great Dane.]

Test this for 30 days. See if you're not making more progress with what little time you have on the most important actions that will move you forward in your art and business.

Then, change anything and everything about this system you want, to make it work FOR YOU. Have the confidence that you're smart enough to see what is and isn't working, and to change things and test them to see how to make it work better.

And, yes, this does mean you have permission to go out and buy a bunch of colorful sticky notes and turn your wall into a makeshift Running To-do List or Scrum board.

Have fun. :)

What's your biggest hesitation to testing this system? What is and isn't working for you in time management? E-mail me and let me know.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com


Read this if you're socially anxious

I’m not going to tell you to get over it. To just brave up and get outside your comfort zone. Nor to accept defeat.

If you suffer from severe social anxiety, it’s a non-starter to suggest you start cold calling potential co-op partners or approaching strangers at Starbucks. I encourage this kind of direct engagement because it gets you booked solid faster.

But it’s not the only path to success.

I have a lot of heart for my fellow artist-entrepreneurs who suffer from social anxiety. How to grow your art and business when so many ‘normal’ social interactions are anywhere from hard to impossible?

It’s okay. Your path just looks different.

Your path is more passive. Your path is more digital. Your path is slower, but equally persistent, with just as much hustle, and potential.

I know you’re not using social anxiety as an excuse to be lazy, or to not ‘brave up.’ I know that just answering the phone or being the first to reach out by text or e-mail is a BIG deal, with powerful physical and emotional reactions.

Some of us are in wheelchairs. Some of us have weird senses of humor. Some of us are almost blind. Some of us are socially anxious.

  • Step 1: Give yourself grace, and let go of the sense that you even need allowance or forgiveness for your social anxiety. It’s just a reality, one ingredient in the recipe that makes you the unique artist and person you are.
  • Step 2: Let go of all the BS stories that make you feel bad for how you are, that make you feel unworthy or incapable of success. If you wouldn’t tell someone in a wheelchair or with no hair or with a lisp that they can’t be a professional photographer because of how they are, then stop telling yourself the same.
  • Step 3: Let’s brainstorm. If you accept your social anxiety and stop feeling bad about it, if you let it be okay, what are the new rules of your game as an entrepreneur? How are you going to rewrite your story and game plan and road map as a professional photographer to work with your social anxiety instead of through or around it?

Take this idea as far as you can for now. Then start executing on it.

Stuck here? Not sure how to untie this knot? E-mail me and let me know, and we’ll work on it together.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com

P.S. I have a book in the hopper on how to deploy my Freemium Photography business model specifically for those with social anxiety. Would you like to see me move that book up in my writing queue? Drop me a line and let me know!


What's my professional photography niche again?

A conundrum:

One of the fastest ways to gain traction as an early-stage professional photographer is to tighten your niche: who specifically do you serve, and in what unique way?

But...how do you know what niche you want to serve if you haven't worked with enough clients?

Coaches of coaches Greg Faxon and Toku McCree were talking authentic sales and marketing last week, and Greg brought up the concept of the niche spiral:

Instead of looking at choosing your niche as a final and inflexible sentence, look at the process of defining your niche as a spiral. You start on the outside with a rough idea of what kind of niche you want to serve, and as you do shoots and gather data, as you work with different kinds of clients, you begin to circle in on the kinds of clients you most love and want to serve.

Start with your obvious preferences: if you hate kids, don't be a family photographer. If you love kids, start with them. If you love moody, emotional, moving black and white relationship portraiture, make that. If you hate that moody stuff and love wild colors and pillow fights and big laughter, well...make that.

If you have no clue, try this:

1. What kind of photos are you drawn to? If multiple kinds or styles, how could you synthesize and remix those styles together for your own vibe?

2. Think back to a time when you experienced and overcame a hardship. How can you connect that experience, those emotions, to the kinds of clients you might like to serve? This offers built-in empathy and understanding with your clientele.

3. What are your hobbies and interests outside of photography? What's your best friend's personality like? Where does he or she shop or hang out? Build an avatar of your ideal client from the people you most like to spend time with.

From here, make something up and test it. Form a thesis: "I like portraits of kids having fun being kids, with lots of color. I remember being the nerdy but creative theater kid, and what that was like in school. I love music and video games. My best friend and I love to crack wit, solve problems, and talk about health and fitness. We shop or hang out at Starbucks, Vitamin Shoppe, Planet Fitness, Barnes and Noble, and Texas Roadhouse."

That paints a pretty vivid picture of a niche to test, right?

Do what works for you to get some clarity:

- Mind map these words and ideas, see how it all connects for you;

- Print out a bunch of images that represent these truths for you, lay them out on the table or floor, and start moving things around to see the relationships;

- Talk this out with a good friend and see what they see that you can't see clearly.

Once you have a grasp on the niche you want to serve, just keep that front and center: make sure your art communicates your love for that niche; also your portfolio, your web site, your blog and e-mail newsletter, your business cards, the places you advertise and leave your flyers and volunteer.

Test for 3-6 months. See what hits, what misses. Iterate.

And when and if you want, change it all up. Remember, this is your business: you can change anything and everything you want, anytime. Test. Learn. Adjust. Pivot. Grow. Change.

Your niche is a direction, a focus, a love letter. It's neither a cage nor a death sentence. It's a way of telling yourself, and your market, "FOR NOW, this is who I serve, why I serve them, and how I am the uniquely right photographer for them."

What's the biggest challenge holding you back today? E-mail me and and let me know.

James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com