You're Worth More Than You Think

As I'm getting ready to finish up my degree and graduate (yay!), I can't help but look back at how far I've come since leaving home four years ago. 

I've been a photographer for as long as I can remember, starting back at five years old with my little film point-and-shoot camera that was a hand-me-down from my older sister. I've always been taking pictures. In fact, it's in my blood - both my father and my older sister were the ones running around with their SLR film cameras during family vacations growing up. I remember the first year that, while on vacation, I actually asked my dad if I could learn how aperture and shutter speed worked - he was so excited to teach me. 

Make it stand out

Karen circa 2005, reading Canon Rebel manual in Yellowstone National Park

Fast forward to stepping onto campus as a new freshman. I was an aspiring amateur photographer who had only done a few quasi-"real" shoots - all with friends, almost all for free.

That was about to change. 

Immediately my freshman year, I got involved with as many photography activities as I could - the photography club on campus, joining the school newspaper as a photographer, volunteering to shoot during services for my church at school, and even picking up a minor in photography that, upon graduation, will leave me certified in photography and digital imaging. 

In addition to the extra-curriculars for fun, the winter of my freshman year brought about a huge undertaking that changed the way I viewed my photography.

I shot my first wedding.

Now, the idea of a baby 18-year-old freshman as the primary photographer at your wedding might scare you. It certainly scared me. But it was a jumpstart into the business that I would eventually pour my extra time towards.

That first wedding was for the mother of a friend from high school whom I had known for years. I invited an old classmate to tag along as my second shooter (mostly because I was terrified of the idea of being solely responsible for a wedding.) The wedding went off without a hitch, I'm actually still moderately impressed with the quality of photos I was able to deliver, considering my lack of experience and equipment at the time. The wedding gig was unpaid, but it gave me the basis of knowledge and experience that was worth more than the amount I could have charged. 

It was right around this time that I met a dear friend of mine, Jill Stiffler. Jill was the head photographer at my church at school, and we quickly hit it off as she recruited me for the team. Beyond just teaching me the ropes of shooting for church, however, she became a mentor to me in sharing tips and tricks of the trade, and encouraging me to pursue my photography business further. Jill has been an immense asset to my own personal growth, and I'm so lucky to have her to bounce ideas or issues off of, and to introduce me to pointers that will help my business grow.

One of the best things Jill ever told me was, "Know your worth." 

This came after multiple coffee dates and discussions about the shoots I had done over the course of freshman year, what I was currently charging clients, and the experiences Jill had when she was at my stage as a professional. 

The thing was, I was selling myself short. I was so unconfident in my own abilities that I was afraid to overcharge someone in case my work didn't measure up. For this reason, I was self-sabotaging, getting used by people to produce quality work at too low a cost, considering the time and energy I put into travel/shooting/editing/etc.

When Jill encouraged me to up my prices, I knew it was something I had to do in order to stay afloat. But I was afraid it would turn people away if they suddenly had to pay more than before. Instead, Jill suggested incrementally increasing my prices after each shoot I delivered. As my work got better, my prices should get higher, she said. 

As a person who loves to please other people, it was a struggle to get over my natural propensity to make people happy at my own expense. I was always ready to drop everything in order to provide someone with that headshot/graduation photos for their mom/etc., that it caused me to sell myself short and, at times, burn myself out. 

So I took Jill's advice. Every time I shot an engagement shoot, or a season of senior portraits, or a wedding, my price for that type of session would increase as well, until I felt that I was at a more comfortable level of income in exchange for the product I was providing.

And as my prices increased, the attitude of others towards my business changed too - but not in the way I had anticipated. Because I was now charging higher prices, there was a level of professionalism and quality associated with that price. People were fine with paying more because, to them, it meant that they would be getting a better product from me. 

Looking back at where I was freshman year, I would have never imagined in a million years that I would be where I am today - charging $1.5k for a single wedding, and delivering the bride and groom's photos in a personalized linen box with complementary 5x7s and thank-you notes. Compared to that first wedding I did for free and delivered the photo files on an old flash drive - I've come a long way.