sneak peek of portrait session with lemon
when i was in primary and secondary school, i had absolutely no idea what i wanted to do. but i knew one thing for sure, and i told my parents with utmost conviction that,”I never want to be a business man…”
fast forward a decade and i find myself loosely termed as a business person. sure, my job’s not about selling. i just want to create amazing photographs for a living. the creating photographs part is easy…well relatively easier then the “for a living” part.
i hate talking about money. i hate selling things that i won’t buy, so i don’t. but one thing i’ve learnt is that if i want to remain in business and not have to convert my dream back to a hobby is that i have to be honest about pricing. internally i understand why, the training that i do, the skills i’ve acquired, the knowledge and know-how, the experience, the expertise, the ability to bring out the best in someone, to allow everyone to have fun, the workshops i pay to attend, the time i take to prepare for a shoot, the time it takes and the gazillion thoughts running through my mind during a shoot/wedding, the intense problem solving while remaining calm on the surface, the follow up, the long hours of editing, replying emails, operational costs, equipment maintenance, then making sure i enjoy creating, making sure my clients get sufficient attention, making sure i have a life for inspiration, making sure i have time to spend with my family and loved ones. internally i know why i should price things a certain way but i’m scared to share it. i’m nervous that people won’t understand and terribly come to a conclusion that i’m trying to get more then i’m giving.
it’s tough being a photographer and also having to wear the hat of a business person. how can i explain to someone all the many reasons that go into the way i price things without making them feel like they owe me a living? because that’s not what i want at all! i just want to share with them the value of what i provide. haha sometimes it is tough.
but i shall strive through it and struggle to find the right path and way if i have to. because i do believe that somehow what i do can bring joy, hope and love some way some how. and oh how i enjoy seeing that sparkle in someone, drawing out their beauty in our photoshoot and making them see and understand their beauty! because i think in our society where everything has to be perfect and is so narrow in it’s clasification that our true beauty is smothered and cast aside. so i say let your light shine! and when a girl goes away from the shoot affirmed of her beauty, it brings tears to my eyes ;)
