Making a Good First Impression: 4 Tips for Photographers

Its really dificult two read thru a post that the awthur hasnt korrected. Its like their knot even tryng!

That sentence was painful to write, much less read. My retinas hurt.

I want to talk about having a standard of excellence in all areas. In your photos, posts, on your business website, Facebook page, anywhere you have a public space for marketing your product.

We live in an age of Shortcuts and Textese. And, as business people, time is money. Yes, we want to capitalize on every minute, cutting our time wherever we can. However, excellent content and format isn’t the place to cut corners. I can’t tell you how many photography websites I’ve visited once and never returned to because of poor editing, both in photos and content.

Your website, blog, and Facebook page is an extension of yourself and your work and the first representation you give of yourself to others. Do you really want to give the impression that you’re sloppy in your work because you haven’t taken the time to thoroughly edit your content? For all visitors know, sloppy content equals sloppy photography work.

Here are some tips to give a great first impression of excellent product and quality:

1. Edit, edit, edit

Thoroughly edit your work before you publish it. If you’re not a good editor of content, find someone who is that can review your content for you. I’m the editor for a large website that has over 20 contributing authors. Their job is to write well, my job is to make sure it’s perfect. Do your work well and then, if needed, find someone to make it perfect.

2. Post the best of the best

Give off a great first impression. Post the best of the best of your photos and create good content to go with it. Unless you’re specifically showcasing the improvement you’ve made in your photography career, or something similar, leave the duds for the closet. Or the kindling.

3. Create interesting content

Don’t try to be someone you’re not, but do try to post photos and content that others will find interesting. Have a great technique to capture backlight or coax a smile out of the most stubborn? Do share! Have a thousand photos from your last shoot of your adorable kid? A personal family album might be more well-suited.

And finally,

4. Never stop learning, growing, and challenging yourself to excel still more

As a writer who has written for a long time, I have never stopped challenging myself to learn new words, explore new ideas, create original content when it seems the well has run dry, push the boundaries, and learn, learn, learn.

As a photographer, there is no end to the skill and experience that you can add to your growing tool belt. If you’re in a rut, challenge yourself to excel in a new facet of photography, or excel afresh in an old one.

However, whatever you do, do it with excellence; excellence in skill, business, quality, marketing, and content. And never stop growing, learning, and improving.