Community Over Competition

The very simple concept that we are become better people, photographers, and business owners when we work together.

An image from a session I traded with my dear friend Diana Hinek of Art Shaped Photography and Birth Services located out of Los Angeles, CA.

It is all too common as photographers to see others in our same industry as our competition. It happens in any industry. We see our potential clients as limited and each other person offering the same service becomes a lesser chance of us being the photographer a client will choose us. This sets us up to miss out on a vibrant community made up of some of the most kind, generous, talented individuals. Incredible friendships. Learning and growth.

Here’s the thing. There is no shortage of clients. There are over seven and a half billion people in the world. THERE ARE ENOUGH CLIENTS FOR ALL OF US.

You will not be the right photographer for everyone, and not everyone is the right kind of client for you. That is totally ok! Each one of us offers a unique blend of artistic style, vision, editing, technique, personality, session process, and levels of service. When we are very true to ourselves and focus on providing the very best experience and work that we can, we can call win. Someone choosing someone else does not mean they are better. It simply means they were the better fit for that individual. There is no reason to get upset about what someone else is booking. I promise it has not taken away from the potential for your own business to succeed.

I have seen photographers really come together to empower each other. As a member of Facebook photography groups for professional photographers I have seen artists hyping each other and encouraging each other daily. I see more seasoned artists freely offering help and advice to those newer to photography. As a trained and certified member of Birth Becomes Her I have myself received so much support and endless suggestions as I have grown and learned as an artist. It is not uncommon for artists to work together to put on an amazing styled shoot and to invite others to come, learn, and add to their portfolio. Deep friendships often form between people who could have simply seen each other as competitors instead.

There is another benefit to viewing other artists as a part of your community. I myself document life moments in a very raw, genuine, unapologetic way. The majority of my clients are birthing people and their families. It is not uncommon for someone to reach out to me seeking posed newborn images. This is NOT my area. I so not shoot posed newborns. I respect this type of photography but I have literally no interest in providing these types of sessions. Instead of simply informing those inquiring that I do not offer this type of session I share with them what I do offer and then tell them “If you have your heart set on posed newborn images I would love to recommend ____________. They are highly skilled, trained and certified in newborn posing and safety, and are amazing to work with.” I’ve had many fellow photographers send birth inquiries my way. Throughout an average day I get several notifications that I have been tagged in local mom groups on posts seeking a photographer- the majority of the time by fellow photographers! They know my work, value it, and are more than happy to let people know about it. They know that there is plenty of success for all of us.

Let’s talk specifically about birth photography for a minute. We are our own little community within a community. We are all offering the same specialized niche type of photography. It is easy to feel like because we are offering services to a smaller demographic that we must be more competitive. Nothing could be further from the truth. We need each other more than most other types of photographers. I do not have much to say about how others run their businesses, but when it comes to birth photography there is one very important area that I absolutely will unapologetically judge another birth photographers business on. If you are going to offer birth photography you absolutely must have a very good working relationship with other birth photographers in your area that are able and willing to serve as your back up if need be. We are tasked with documenting a once in a life time event that cannot be pushed off or rescheduled. Our level of commitment must be absolute- and in order for that to be true we must be ready for anything. I have once in my career used a back up photographer. I had dislocated my wrist and could not hold my camera at all. I also had a client due within days. My recovery time was much longer than that. As soon as I knew the depth of my injury I reached out to my back up and then notified my client. I helped connect them and they were able to get to know each other before delivery day. My client knew from the time she booked me that I did have a back up agreement with another photographer that I NEVER try to use, but that is there to ensure that no matter what her birth story would be documented. Every client hears this from me because it is important for them to know. I have heard so many stories of birthing people last minute scrambling to find a photographer because theirs got sick, had something unavoidable come up, etc. This should NOT be on your clients to do. It is vital that you get to know those offering birth photography in your area and develop a good relationship with them. It is truly the only way to ensure your clients will receive the kind of service they deserve for something so incredible special and sacred. Not only that, but birth photography is very demanding. We must give all of ourselves. We often return home from documenting a birth with a lot to process. Others may be willing to listen, but no one is going to truly understand like another birth worker will. One more quick point- as birth photographers we can only accept a certain number of birth clients each month. I have very often had to inform an inquiring person that I had no availability for their birth month. I then referred them to another birth photographer I was very familiar with in our area. I have never referred an inquiring birthing person to someone I did not have a good working relationship with. When I refer a potential client to someone else, I have put my name behind that referral. RELATIONSHIPS MATTER. Community matters.

I purposefully decided not to talk about all the ways photographers some times treat each other like competition and the toxic ways that presents itself, but I have chosen not to give that energy any place here. I will just say this- Viewing fellow photographers as competition we must beat comes from a poverty mindset. The idea that there is not enough. Viewing fellow photographers as our community stems from an abundance mindset. The view that there is enough. The belief that we can all succeed and that we can celebrate each other along the way.

When we do our best and celebrate others as they do the same we make improve ourselves, our skills, our businesses, and our industry as a whole.

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