I am so excited to introduce another one of my very talented friends in the photography industry, an Arizona-based photographer, Claire Waite! Claire will be sharing about a topic she feels very strongly about :  that it is essential for you to do what works best for YOU and your business, no matter what others do!! Claire–thank you SO much for sharing and for giving me time with my sweet new babe.  You can find Claire at: Website, Facebook, Instagram. 

The photography world has changed so much since I started my journey over a decade ago. When I began, it was film and a dark room. Now, we have digital cameras for all levels of photographers and Photoshop and Lightroom are available to the masses. Not to mention the plethora of other resources that are literally at our fingertips. From online courses to client management systems, groups dedicated to bettering our craft and a multitude of gear options. Life as a photographer in this day and age is incredible! And incredibly overwhelming.

I love having options, but sometimes having too many options makes it hard to actually reach a decision. Every day, I come across numerous requests in my inbox and in online forums, asking which camera to buy, which client management system to sign up for or which educator to take course from. And wouldn’t it just be easier if someone else could tell us exactly what to do and have it work perfectly for us? In my experience, that doesn’t usually pan out well. In the beginning, I took the approach of doing what my photography idols were doing. I wanted to shoot with the same gear they used and learn from the same people they learned from. I wanted to implement their workflow and mimic their style. But the more I immerse myself in the world of photography, the more I realize that one size does not fit all. In life. In photography. There is great value to being myself and figuring out what works best for me, instead of trying to mimic someone else.

So each time I get a “which (blank) should I use” inquiry, or see someone asking for opinions online, I happily share what works for me, with the advice to take the Goldilocks approach to life. Go out, try a few options, then figure out what is the best fit for you! Not too hot, not too cold, keep looking until you find the solution that is just right! Visit a camera store and hold a Nikon, Canon and Sony. See which one feels better in your hand and which one has the most intuitive menus and controls. Take free webinars from educators that intrigue you, then pay for courses from the ones whose teaching style speaks to the way you learn. Rent lenses and take them for a test drive before you commit… this piece of advice alone could have saved me thousands of dollars when I first started out! I invested way too much money in lenses that I thought I had to have, because the people I admired were using them. Turns out, prime lenses are this girl’s best friend and I ended up selling several zoom lenses for a fraction of what I paid.

Just recently, I was reminded once again of the importance of using the Goldilocks approach. I was in the market for a client management system and had narrowed it down to a few options. There was one in particular that I really wanted to love because I had heard amazing things about it. I started the free trial and it just felt so difficult. Nothing about the system came easily. It did not take me long to realize that this was not the system for me. I moved on to the free trial of another system and it was a night and day difference. Everything made sense and I didn’t need help navigating and figuring things out. That is when I knew I had found the one that was just right. Does it mean the first system is a bad one? Of course not! It works, and works well, for so many people. I just am not one of them, and that is just fine. I found what works for me and it is helping to streamline my business and make life easier, which is the whole point of a client management system anyway!

So when confronted with the multitude of choices that we as photographers are so blessed to have, remember our friend Goldilocks! Get suggestions and ideas from people you trust, but be willing to try a few different options to find your perfect fit. It might be different from everyone else’s perfect fit, but that is part of what makes you and your business unique!

Thank you so much for sharing, Claire!!! 

Claire is a midwest girl living in a desert world, photographing sentimental moms and the people they love most. She is married to a handsome police officer and is the mom of four little ones, a flock of chickens and a dog named Kevin the Bird. Her greatest joy comes from presenting each mom with a beautiful portrait of her family that represents why she does what she does: the sleepless nights, feeling like a taxi driver, cooking insane numbers of meals and cleaning up all the messes, the heart ache, the tears, the joys and the triumphs.  Each emotion of motherhood makes sense when mom sees the beautiful portrait of the people she loves most!

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