Should I take photos for free?

It’s difficult to escape.

Even if you plan to only photograph for your own business with no intention of taking photos for others, as your skills grow, chances are you’ll be approached to snap a few photos in exchange for something other than actual dollars. 

I’m sure you’ve heard it before:

• Cookies don’t pay the bills. 

• Charge what you are worth. 

• Don’t work for free. 

After 12 years of doing this work, I still do photo trades. But what is worth a trade might surprise you. I also think this is a decision that you and you alone can make. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. 

In this video, we cover:

• The one thing I ask myself when a photo trade is on the table.

• When it’s a yes and when it’s a no.

• More importantly why it’s a yes or no. 

• Something to consider instead of working for free to build your portfolio. 

Four Ways to Create a Healthy Relationship with Instagram for Creative Businesses

After just barely a month into the new year, I’ve watched numerous people whom I love following on Instagram share their disheartened stories about how they find no joy in posting anymore. They have 10s of thousands of followers and they just want to give up altogether. 

It’s difficult to watch people who are so lovely and talented, who inspire me, feeling beaten by an imaginary set of rules, who feel as though they can’t win against some computer code. 

I’ve gone through the same things as others by using this platform since 2011.

We all do. It doesn’t matter if you have 50 followers or 50,000.

The comparison and feeling like we don’t have what they have or can’t create what they do affect everyone. And many of us deal with the frustration of watching follower numbers stay the same year after year. 

The platform isn’t going away for most of us. It still serves as a way to communicate with those who want to connect and as a way to share our foods, products, and creative works. 

The truth is I don’t hate Instagram. I have to set boundaries on scrolling. I take regular, healthy breaks from it and I look forward to coming back and posting again, to flipping through my feed. 

This mindset shift is due to four very specific things.

Follow joy over jealousy. 

I evaluate my reaction to all posts that come through my feed. If what I see makes me feel anxious, jealous, or not good enough, I mute or unfollow immediately. 

This isn’t the account holder’s fault. They can’t control our reactions to what they post. And life is too short to keep thinking that it’s our fault; that we need to change our reaction. This isn’t a relationship with a spouse or sibling that needs to be worked on. It’s social media. If it makes you feel less than, get it out of there. 

I want every post that comes through my feed to trigger joy. To inspire me, to spark curiosity, to make me say - Good for them! And not - Woe is me. 

And yes, I include myself in this. If you follow me, I absolutely love that. Thank you. But if anything you see from me triggers negative feelings. Unfollow me. Your wellbeing is too important. 

Remember that followers, fans, and customers are not the same thing. 

I was just listening to the Hashtag Authentic podcast by Sara Tasker and her recent interview with artist Maria Wigge. Towards the end Maria shares how a photo of a painting that might get numerous likes on Instagram can be very different from a painting that actually gets the most sales from her website. 

Likes are just that - likes. A thought, a cheer, a high-five. Instagram popularity doesn’t translate to sales. Liking an image is much different than trading money to put a piece of art in your living room, flowers on your table, or food in your kitchen. 

So why do we let likes and views dictate whether our work, our products, have value? Stop letting likes shake your confidence in what you create. Don’t give them the power to change how proud you are of your piece of work whether it’s a photo you’ve created, a piece of pottery you’ve handmade, or a vegetable you’ve grown. Put what you love most and what best reflects your brand or business out there. 

Grow out of your niche. 

Filling your feed with numerous people who do the same thing that you do only leads to comparison and feeling less than. Filling your feed with only people that do what you wish you were doing is only going to take you down a path of trying to create the same things they do in the same way that they do. 

You’ve heard me say this before, I only follow a handful of food and drink photographers. Only those who truly inspire me and don’t trigger envy. The rest of my feed is inspiring artists and growers who post content that makes me think about my work in a new way. Their posts give me ideas that I can take back to my own niche. 

My feed is full of gardeners, florists, painters, brand designers, interior designers, landscape and nature photographers, ceramicists, textile artists, vintage collectors, travelers, and dogs. (Don’t be afraid to throw in lots of animal accounts if they make you smile. We all need more smiles.)

Stop using it to chase money. 

The correlation between Instagram followers or likes and sales is minimal for most of us. It’s highly unlikely that Instagram will ever make you any money, even indirectly. 

Let’s be honest here because I’m tired of the - build-your-business on Instagram mentality. That if you don’t have thousands of followers who lead to sales on your website then you are doing something wrong. In reality, there are many forces working against your ability to do this. The platform would much rather you pay for ads to get that kind of attention instead of giving you that for free.

It’s not your fault. Approaching the platform with monetary gain as the priority only sets you up for feelings of failure.

Instead, approach it as a way to have real connection with people. I assure you it is not a wasted effort to be a real person behind your handle.

Some of the people who have made the most impact on me have 10s of thousands of followers…and they still respond to their comments and DMs…themselves. They set aside the time to connect.

And guess what. Because they acknowledged that I was an actual person, and didn’t pitch me something in return or give me a generic like or heart in response, I buy their courses, their products, and their foods. Lots of them. Show people that you appreciate the time they took to reach out. We all seek acknowledgment. 

Chase the connections, not the money. 

Implementing these four things won’t solve all your problems or radically change your life. But if Instagram is an essential part of sharing what you do, like it is for me, making these changes will definitely lift your mood and bring more joy to posting, sharing, and engaging. 

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Photography Websites: Web design tips for photo-driven small businesses

I met Nikkole of Nikkole Marie Creative Studio at a release party for our local Edible Magazine that I contribute to and a few months later I began hiring her for small projects here and there including helping me redesign my homepage last year. 

As someone who wants to bring focus to my photos and the services surrounding them, I had special needs and wants that were different from the average business polishing up their website. 

Nikkole helped me tremendously and a few months ago, she agreed to sit down with me and share some incredibly helpful tips. Tips geared towards websites for those creating photos for your own brand and those creating portfolios for their photography.

It’s finally ready for viewing and here’s what you can expect to learn about:

• Knowing your why is as important for your website and portfolio as it is for your photography.

• Best practices for brand colors for photo-focused websites.

• Biggest mistakes we make on our websites as small creative businesses. 

• How tips for creative photography translate to high-quality page layout and web design.

• Ways you can market yourself through image alt text.

You can follow Nikkole on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/n.marie.creative/

Want to create beautiful photos for your small business? Subscribe to updates and grab the free CreatingYOU.® Quick Course - 5 Steps to Better Food and Product Photography.

How to Do a Year End Review and Make a Photography Growth Plan

Have you done an end of year review for your photography progress yet? Let me help with this quick 10-minute training. Grab a pen and notebook along with your favorite photo from this year. 

Looking back on the images you’ve created and the experiences you’ve had doing so will help you develop a growth plan for your photography in the year ahead. 

Four Things To Do When You Need a Creative Break

I call it creative exhaustion. Though I’m sure I’m not the first person to use that phrase.

Those times when you completely run out of ideas. When the last thing you want to do is pick up the camera.

It’s a feeling that makes you wonder if you’ll ever find another moment of inspiration and that the time has come to move on. 

It’s not.

You just need to give yourself permission to take creative break.

Part of the practicing and learning process for any skill, including becoming more confident in creating your photos, is working in necessary breaks. 

Growing happens during these breaks. It’s the kind of growth that can’t happen when you are deep in brainstorming your next idea, styling a set, and selecting the right aperture. 

Step away from the camera.

Here are 4 things you can do during this much-needed break that will continue to move you forward without stalling your progress. 

Find something other than food and product photos to look at.

Whether it’s a book, online, or in person, browse paintings, pottery, poetry, illustrations. Set no expectations or a need to translate this into a photo. Enjoy it for what it is, the colors, the words, the art. 

Make something beautiful and delicious, and then don’t photograph it.

When we have such a strong urge to share our food because it’s too good or beautiful to keep it to ourselves, or worse, we need content (believe me, I’m with you), we sometimes lose the true enjoyment of what we love working with most - food. Whether its a bread, dessert, or a fruit salad - create it mindfully, appreciate its beauty, then enjoy eating every bite. 

Shift your focus to another task in your business.

Chances are you have a million things to do regardless of the focus of your work. Take a week off from creating photos and move another part of your work forward. Finally design a portfolio page for your photos. Draft your work or content plan for the next quarter. Get moving on that new logo. Start planning for next year’s growing season. 

Learn a new skill that supports either the technical side or the creative side of your photography work.

Sign up for a quick photo editing course or watercolor painting class. Review videos online on styling a home or a holiday table. Read through blog posts or catch up on podcast episodes from those sharing on topics such as prop styling, creating a brand, or business tips. 

Okay, that should get you started. Now set the camera down. I promise it won’t collect dust. Commit to not making yourself feel bad for taking a week (or more) off from shooting. Dive into something else and then return to it renewed when you are ready.