Get in front of the camera featured image

Why you need to get in front of the camera

Take a seat and prepare yourself.

I am going to suggest something that is probably going to make a lot of people (and photographers in particular) feel a bit uneasy.

If you are a photographer, one of the very best things you can do to attract clients and stand out is to get in front of the camera.

Remember the adage “it’s easier to remember a face than a name”. Well, that’s completely true. You will be far more human, relatable and memorable if your prospective clients can see your face.

You can go a step further and inject your personality into your writing and maybe even appear on video too. Don’t be bland, don’t be boring and most importantly, don’t be afraid to be yourself.

The more people will feel like they know you, the greater the connection you can build with your future clients. And the result will be that people will feel more inclined to get in touch with you and this first hurdle will be less daunting.

Don’t believe me? Think of all your favourite photographers. Do you know what they look like? Do you know what they stand for? I bet you do.

For example, Scott Kelby is one of my favourite photographers. I know exactly what he looks like. I know his mission is to help educate people on how to take amazing pictures and to make the technical side of photography easy for anyone to understand. I even know he used to be a professional musician and played in a funk band in the 80’s!

Give people an opportunity to become a fan of you and your work too.

Here are some ways you can implement this:

  1. Put a professionally taken picture of yourself on your website (even better if it is on the home page) and social media bio.
  2. Re-write your bio and inject lots of your personality into the copy. Speak with passion about why you love to do what you do.
  3. Tell the story of how you got to this point. What were the ups and downs of your journey? How has this influenced your work?

So, occasionally, get in front of the camera, put your personality into your website and social website and give people a chance to relate to you beyond your pictures.

It could open some surprising doors.