The Importance of Being Unique

It’s March and the slow season in professional photography is winding down. But, it’s only typically slow regarding the retail business, and for many of you, the last three months have been anything but quiet. I’ve seen a lot of questions on various forums about logos, websites, slideshows and various techniques as many of you work to raise the bar on your skill set and presentation.

A lot of you have commented about things you saw and learned at IUSA, WPPI, SYNC, just to name a few. Then there are those of you who have simply worked hard to strategize and develop your marketing plans for 2018. You’ve focused on ways to find new business and working with new clients.

Edward de Bono is a motivational author and physician who is quoted as saying:

” The winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients as everyone else

and produces the best results. ” 

When you think about it every photographer, including each “Uncle Harry,” have the same gear. Everybody has access to the same type of client base. Every client has a variety of the same needs, deals with the same emotions and are interested in the same thing, capturing special memories to last a lifetime.

Those are all the same ingredients, but what every photographer doesn’t have is the same skill set, the same vision and same level of creativity. My good buddy, Scott Bourne, in a podcast a few years ago said,

“It’s not about the gear but about your vision!”

This is a short post with just one point: What do you need to do to upgrade your skill set, be more creative and raise the bar on your vision? How can you, as the “chef” create something unique each time you pick up your camera?