3 questions to ask before your next photoshoot
When I first started in photography, I was told that I should shoot as often as I could. I was encouraged to do shoots as many times a week as possible, and although I can see why that was encouraged (the more you use a camera, the more used to it you'll get, the more a camera will become like an extension of your body), what ended up happening was that I did lots and lots of mediocre shoots.
A few years into my career, I was told to slooooow down. I was shooting lots of content, and it looked like I was super busy, but the reality was that I wasn't getting that many clients, and the work that I was producing wasn't helping me to book many more, because it wasn't that exciting.
Instead, I was given advice to slow down, plan, and create intentional portfolio work. The kind of work that would build a perfect, and profitable portfolio. I began to ask myself questions like:
what sort of imagery is my portfolio currently missing? What gaps do I have?
what skills do I have as a photographer that I'm not demonstrating
what would be the most creatively fulfilling shoot that I could produce?
When I began to be guided by questions like these, I produced work at a much slower pace, but the work was good. And in turn, that work lead to more bookings.
I still produce work for my portfolio on a very regular basis. I think that as a photographer, and as an artist, I always will. My personal work is what fills me with joy, and excites me! But it also gives me a chance to experiment, show off new things that I've learnt, and push myself.
You too, should work to produce as much portfolio work as you can, but make it intentional. If that means creating something new for your portfolio once every two months, as long as it's the best that that work can be, then that's ok!
Next time you start to plan a portfolio shoot, make sure to ask yourself the same questions as I do. That way, you'll always be producing something you love but that will also go toward helping your career.
Happy shooting!
