People don’t want to work anymore
I’ve noticed a glaring trend since Covid - people generally don’t want to work anymore. Maybe we were spoilt by working from home, or for those who couldn’t work at all and were getting paid to stay home, life seemed great for a while. But I personally think it’s taking it’s toll on society.
At this point you might think that this has nothing to do with photography, but it very much does, let me me explain. Often I am shooting large events which can go for 14 hours or more, not including travel. Is that a big day for me at my age? Yes. Is it hard on my body? Yes. Would I want to work 14 hours everyday? Probably not.
I’ve noticed that some people think this is some sort of superhuman feat, whereas really its just a long day. Most people are just stuck going through the motions, wishing the day would end, whilst doing the bare minimum possible, which working from home has allowed us to do.
But the future scares me. Not necessarily because of the threat of war, or disease, or even AI. It’s because things are so ridiculously expensive, not just here in Australia, but all over the world, and there is no sign of this trend reversing. People are in debt. Countries are in debt. And it costs millions of dollars just to have a roof over your head, which seemed unimaginable when I was growing up.
Before I get to far off tangent here and go on a rant, the reason why I want to tell you this is because it’s never been easier to succeed, and whatever you do, because most people are not performing at a high level. Let me give you some examples of how I approach my work:
I’m highly organised for each shoot. I know what gear I need to take, which shots I need to get. How I’m going to get to the shoot. What the venue looks like, etc. The day before each shoot, I’m not even thinking about any other shoots except for the one tomorrow, so I’m completely focussed.
I always arrive early. Arriving early does a couple if things. It makes a great first impression for the client. And it gives me time to mentally prepare myself and my gear for the day. Ideally, like to find a nice quiet area, tucked away from the crowds where I can put my gear together and ensure I have power to charge my batteries. Once I’m ready, I wander around the venue or area I’m shooting in, and take notes on the best possible places to shoot from, as well as what the lighting is like, and which lenses I will be using.
Once I’m ready to go, I’ll take out the client brief and read through it at least 3 times, so I know exactly what the client expects, and I can deliver effectively. If I have any questions I will locate my contact for the day and clarify this with them, just to make sure we are on the same page.
Then I’ll start shooting immedaitely. Even if the event hasn’t started, I’ll still be shooting to test the lighting and just get a general feel for the venue. This can also be a good time to get certain types of shots such as branding and backdrops while no one is around.
Once the event begins, I’ll be shooting constantly throughout the day. The more shots I get the better the chances of getting great shots for the client. Even if I think I’ve taken enough shots of say, a speaker or panel, I just try different angles, camera settings, and lenses. I’m being paid to be there so why waste time? I also get the benefits of more hands on experience by shooting more and trying more things, which is priceless for my development in the long run. I’ve done shoots with other photographers who get all the ‘standard shots’ done in the first 1-2 hours, and then literally do nothing for the rest of the day. What a waste.
Once the shoot wraps up I always check in with the client to make sure they are happy. At the end of the day, all the client really wants (apart from good images) is someone that is easy to work with, punctual and polite.
By taking this approach, I can tell you that I’m ahead of 99% of other photographers simply because I put the work in. And when I’m not shooting for a client, I’m either learning new photography skills (mostly on YouTube), shooting my own projects (I’m a big fan of street photography, for example) or editing client images.
Even when I’m editing, I don’t take shortcuts. I literally go through each and every image (some shoots can have 3,000+ images) and select the ones I wish to give to the client, based on what looks good as well as their brief, and then edit each image individually. Does this take a lot of time? Yes. Do I wish I could do it faster? Yes. Do I want to rush my work and deliver average quality? No.
Your portfolio is everything in this game, and if you’re delivering sub standard work, it will affect you over time. For me personally, I want to deliver the best image quality possible to the client, which is why I hand edit all images, and use prime lenses, for maximum quality. All this adds up to better images for my own portfolio, which in turn leads to more clients.
In an age where AI is becoming more common, don’t make the mistake of thinking that working less is the answer. If you have a great work ethic today, people will notice and you will stand out, because most people don’t.
Have you noticed a similar trend out there? Let me know in the comments.