Why Pitching Is So Important for Photographers

Whenever I tell people how I get most of my photography work, their facial expression usually says it all. It's a mix of fear, disgust and confusion. 

"You pitch yourself? Isn't that really scary?" 

The answer is simple: at first it is, but eventually, it gets easier. 

The second question is always: "Why pitch? Why not just market yourself?" 

The reality is that I've learnt over the years that simply "marketing yourself" isn't enough in the commercial/fashion photography world. 

I like to put it this way: if you sit around waiting for everyone to always find you, you could be waiting your whole life. Equally, waiting for people to come to you often leads to photographers taking on absolutely any job which lands in their inbox. The whole point of becoming a photographer is to shoot images that you love.

Before I began to pitch myself, I felt like I'd never be able to work for the brands I dreamt of because they would never be able to find me. I felt like I needed loads of things in place: an agent, a website with great SEO, a massive Instagram following. I though that if I spent loads of time working on those things, that the work would just start to magically appear.

I was wrong. 

Pitching means that we, as photographers, get to take control over our careers once again. No more refreshing our inboxes, waiting, and hoping that someone perfect for us will email us. 

Pitching yourself could lead to receiving emails just like this: