Mindset

While photography gear is important, there are many building blocks that must be created in order to fully master your craft.

Your mindset can make or break your success in many parts of your life, building your business included. If you do not have a strong mindset, it will become increasingly difficult to push past failing in the beginning in order to reach your end goals.

Stress, lack of sleep, and a bad diet are the basic factors that can keep someone from being able to have a more positive mindset. As someone in their mid-twenties, I also have issues in these areas most of the time. It can be hard to silence your thoughts when trying to sleep, silencing the voice in your head telling you of all the things you could be getting done or trying. However, getting enough sleep is more important than watching social media or worrying about things beyond your control. Without enough sleep, you will not have enough energy during the day to put towards your goals and all the tasks that need to get done.

Following that, the fuel you give your body also has an impact on your sleep and your brain capacity. If you are constantly putting junk food and large amounts of sugar and caffeine into your body, you will crash throughout the day, feel more tired, and have less restful sleep. This can also affect your body’s ability to travel easily. If you want to walk long distances, climb mountains, and wait to see wildlife or landscapes, having a bad diet can affect how easily you are able to traverse various terrain. I am currently on my own journey of better eating habits and exercise. I have many issues with the joints in my body, and with my current diet and lack of exercise, it makes those issues worse. It takes small steps to fully build back to healthy eating habits so I can build on top of that towards exercise, stronger will, and the ability to continue pushing through. It is a long journey, nothing good happens overnight. It takes a lot of practice to break old habits, and you may not see any results at first but eventually you’ll see the progress you have made.

In order to succeed, you have to truly want it with everything you are, no matter if it is sports, photography, or anything else in life. As long as you believe in yourself and keep working towards your goals no matter what, the hard work will pay off and you will learn much about yourself along the way to your goals.

I have been trying to build my business since before I graduated college in 2020, and just this year in 2023 I have made larger steps towards growing it. I had to start out with doing free shoots with models in my area and around my state, then a few of those models have come back to pay for shoots. I have spent more money this year towards my website, business cards, prints, travel, and props than I have made. However, that money has been spent well because I have been able to build my portfolio, learn new skills, meet many people in my community, and grow as a photographer. There have been many times over the last few years that I thought about quitting, that there was no way I could make my goal of travelling and doing photography full time. The world has not been kind to those of us that are not in the upper 1% of the population in the United States, but I know if I keep learning and keep pushing forward, everything will pay off in the end.  Progress does not always look like progress, but failing along your journey does not mean there is no hope. Failure is how you learn and grow, so do not give up hope at each obstacle in your path.

How to Deal with Negativity

There will always be people out there who tell you that your art isnt good enough, that your skills are lower than they are. These people are usually unhappy with their own careers or lives and are upset seeing others succeed in their chosen field.

These are not the people you listen to. Your friends, family, clients, those are the opinions that can matter most. If you run a photography business, the opinions of paying clients that you are giving a gallery to matter to listen to. However, do not let clients rule how to express yourself. Always stay true to the style that you enjoy, that is true to yourself. While it makes sense to take some suggestions to cater to the client, if you stay true to your style the right clients will find you.

I recently posted to a few local facebook groups about how I am wanting to start offering Fall Minis at a pumpkin patch. There was one rude person that commented: 

“you should return your photography degree for a refund, because if you have student loans they scammed you. I take better pictures with my Iphone without a degree.”

This comment hurt for all of 5 seconds, because I knew that my support system and my clients love the work I have given them and I am always learning and improving. No successful business is without the negative comments. Starting a company in a small state like Mississippi or a small town there can be difficult, especially when there are so many people here that also have photography businesses.

This isnt a competition though. Many out there will try to make it a competition, but we can always find a small community of other creatives that want to work together. I have a couple model groups I work with in my state that allow me to collaborate with other photographers, get feedback, and practice new skills. These groups have helped me keep from obsessing over the negative comments, the negative feelings of feeling unsuccessful, and allowing me to perfect my craft with open honesty. Finding a few close people to work with helps foster the community that many of us strive for where we can create and learn together and take away a little of that competition over time.

To summerize, the best ways to get past the negativity is:

• Talk with those close to you

• Listen to only the opinions of those close to you and your clients

•  Work with other creatives in your area to bounce ideas off each other, to get kind criticisms

• Create a positive and uplifting community around yourself

• Do not read to heavily into the negative comments of those that only wish to tear you down

It wont always end up being easy to shut out those voices that are telling you that you arent good enough, but when you build a positive community around yourself and have confidence in yourself and your work, it makes it a little bit easier.

You want to be a photographer, now what?

You want to be a photographer. Now what?

Firstly, you have to start researching what brand camera body you want to use. The big three are: Canon, Nikon, and Sony. These are the ones you will see most people using and many articles are written that talk about the differences of all three. Overall, the three big brands are very similar, but have very small differences which can lead you towards what kind of photography you want to do. The differences are small, and everyone has a differing opinion on what makes them different, but depending on what you’re looking to go into, these differences can make the choice go towards one brand or another.

After choosing a starter camera, you can start researching what types of photography you are interested in. there are many different categories and it could take a few tries before you find what your passion is.

The first decision is if you want to use a digital camera or film.

Digital can be somewhat easier as you can capture and edit from home with just a laptop, whereas film requires a dark room and chemicals. Film development also takes longer. The ease of access may sway you towards digital whereas the nostalgia of film could call your name.

The next few categories are the major groups that many others branch off from:

Portrait, Event, and Landscape/nature

Portraits can be broken down to these subgroups:

·       Fashion

·       Family

·       Fantasy

·       Boudoir

·       Child

·       Self-portrait

·       Newborn

·       Glamor

·       Headshot

·       Street

·       Pet

Event

·       Wedding

·       Sports

·       Music

·       Travel

·       Graduation

·       Baby shower

·       Etc.

Nature/landscape

·       Landscapes

·       Wildlife

·       Bird

·       Insect

·       Sunset

·       Ocean/ underwater

·       Cityscape

·       Urban exploration

·       Astrophotography

There are also others that do not exclusively fall under these main categories. These categories can fall under those original categories as they are broken down to smaller niche, but they can also stand alone. Those are as follows:

·       Macro

·       Aerial/ drone

·       Panorama

·       Action

·       Still life

·       Fine art

·       Abstract

·       Minimalist

·       Multi-exposure

·       Composite

·       Time-lapse

·       Long exposure

·       Food

·       Architecture

·       Real estate

·       Editorial

·       War

·       Photojournalism

·       Documentary

Finding the right fit for yourself can seem daunting, but the great thing about art is that you can try every kind until you find what drives you to create. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the more you research, the more trial and error that happens, the closer you’ll get.

It can be overwhelming at first, but do not be afraid to take chances, do research, and always be willing to reach out to creatives in your area. I am always happy to answer any questions that I can or help point you towards someone else that can answer better.

INTRODUCTION

Starting a business from something that you love is very difficult.

It is difficult to take a hobby, a passion that you absolutely love doing, and try to make money with it in order to live a more fulfilled life. Not everyone wants to work for someone else for 50+ years, but it can be scary going out on your own to slowly learn what it means to be your own boss. But what are hobbies? Why would people want to turn their pastime into a job?

Hobbies can be a way to escape from everyday life stress. Some people love fitness and use that to find hobbies that help them destress. Others prefer the arts like painting or pottery. Being creative gives them an outlet that most jobs aren't able to. Each person is different and unique in their interests and what helps them recharge after work. Most hobbies are used just as they are, to relieve stress and help people recharge from their day job. Others enjoy their hobbies so much that they want to share them with others.

Most hobbies can be turned into paying jobs. Yoga instructors, dance teachers, painters, photographers, fashion designers, chefs, bakers, the list is endless. Almost every job on the planet could be considered a hobby. But some hobbies turned to day jobs are looked down upon. How many times have you heard someone talk down on artists? On mechanics? On teachers? But these services are needed in one way or another.

While I have used a variety of examples, most of what I will talk about will be about artists, because I am one. My name is Angela Michelle and I am a Photographer.

As a child, my mother always had a 35mm film camera for occasions like birthdays, holidays, family trips, or sometimes just to capture us being children. I remember almost always hating when my mother would pull out her camera and make us pose for photos, but I am forever grateful that she did. I have photos of family that aren't here anymore, memories that I forget about until I look at those photos. I get to see who I was through my mothers eyes when I look at those photos. I will always be grateful that my mother took photos of all of us kids when we were young because I appreciate it so much more now that I am older and have lost important people. Photos end up being the last memories of the people in our lives be it family, friends, people we barely remember. These things are so important and yet people tend to look down on not just photographers but most artists.

I did not start to explore photography until my senior year of high school when I was gifted a digital camera. I walked outside a lot and took so many photos of nature. It was relaxing and helped me respect and love the little things in life. I always took a point-and-shoot type of camera on marching band trips to record my trip with my friends in places I had never been before and I am able to remember those trips more now because I have those photos. I never thought I would get my degree in photography until I was in my second year at Hinds CC in Raymond, Ms. At first, I was going to get my degree in Graphic Design, but that changed when I won an award for a photo I took in our student show. That one show changed everything for me.

I will always appreciate my photo teacher, Randy Minton, as well as my ceramics teacher, Sarah Teasley, for allowing me to be creative but also giving me real feedback on what I was doing. I wouldn't be the artist that I am today without the foundation that they laid for me while I was in school.

I graduated from Delta State University in May 2020 with my Fine Arts degree in Photography and I couldn't be more proud of myself and what I have done to be where I am. I am grateful to the many instructors that helped me on my journey. Many questioned the art that I made because they didn't understand my reasons because I wasn't sure of them either. My second photography professor kept telling me to zoom out more, to get more of the overall subject in the photo. When I would say “no I like what I have,” and they would ask “Why?” I didn't have words yet to explain my reasons but now I do.

 If you look at my landscapes, they are small areas of larger plants and forests. I love looking at the small details more than the overall subject. Most people don't take the time to walk slowly through the forests and natural trails around them to take in the small details of what makes nature so beautiful. I did not start to understand that for myself until I had been out of school for over a year and locked inside because of the covid pandemic.

 I was taught what other artists had to say about their work, but I wasn't taught how to come up with that for my own work, I wasn't taught how to talk to myself about what my meaning was. I had to figure that out for myself outside of school and it wasn't always easy.  I hope by sharing my experiences, my mistakes, and what I have learned that I can help other photographers and artists figure it out sooner than I did and set them up to succeed sooner and better than I have.

My goal has always been to inspire and help others with my art. Our world is slowly dying, everyone knows this. We have had many talented artists show the beauty that exists in the world in “exotic” places that others could only dream of visiting. I was to inspire people to find the beauty in the “mundane” nature in their everyday life. Just because your backyard isn't like Bali, or the Amazon Rainforest, or any other places you've seen in photos does not mean that it is not beautiful. The small weeds, frogs, butterflies, wildflowers, and trees in your backyard can be just as beautiful to someone in another country as theirs is to you. Everything can be beautiful and different to someone that doesn’t see it every day. This is the goal of my landscapes, to show people that everywhere can be beautiful to someone if you just take the time to look a little closer.

My portraits are different. So many photographers do the same portraits, golden hour light right behind the subject, warm light, white clothes, etc. But that is not my style. I love everything else. The goths, cosplayers, fantasy, ren fair, Society for Creative Anachronism, themed shoots. These are the kinds of shoots that I have been focusing on more recently and not many photographers in my state do these kinds of shoots even though we have a large population of people that love these kind of shoots. We have many cosplay events, the Renaissance Festival on the coast, the SCA has many events in this area and not many people even know about these events. It ends up that most of the people in these communities are only able to get photos of themselves at these events on their phone, because many photographers aren’t interested in these events. I am and I believe that everyone deserves to have photos that make them happy, that bring up good memories, and that make them feel good about themselves. I do not want anyone to ever walk away from a shoot feeling like they are weird, that they don't look good in their photos because of what they are interested in simply because another photographer has shot them down. I want to help nurture these communities and let them know they are also beautiful and normal even if their shoot isn't what most people are posting.

Starting a journey to make money from something you love (like photography) can be stressful and scary. Now that we have the internet, you can find all kinds of articles and lists of how to go about making your hobby a business but it can be extremely overwhelming. Many of these articles say the same things,

-what equipment or materials that you need

- the basic idea of steps to take

- networking

- making a LLC

-get an accountant

But many of these articles dont go into detail of where to start looking for these things, I have taken 3 years to pick a permanent name for my business, to make a LLC, to try networking with other photographers and models in my area, to really research how to go about different things in Mississippi and how to do it the right way without getting scammed. It has been scary and stressful and confusing. I wish they had covered this in school so I would at least have a little bit of an idea of what exactly I was getting into.

This is why I decided to add a blog to my website, so I can share what I have learned so far and what I continue to learn on my journey to become my business. I will share my struggles and thoughts as well as any advice I come across so that you can learn with me and maybe learn a little bit sooner than I did so that you can be set up better for success. Most of my information will be based on my experiences in my state as well as the rules my state has for these things. It will differ between states and countries, but the bottom line will always be the same:

Never give up on yourself

Never stop learning

Youre never too young or too old to learn something new

You will always be your biggest support and drive

At this time I am not sure how frequently I will post because I work a full time and a part time job on top of my photography (for now), but I will post updates on my socials so please follow me to keep up with when I have posted and feel free to message me to be added to my mailing list because I will also be sending out messages when I update my blog. Thank you so much for being here with me through my journey of learning.