A note for Photographers: Generalization, the trap I wasn't aware of.

Back in December of last year, a good friend of mine convinced sign up for the Big Sky photo summit in Big Sky, Montana. The event would happen towards the end of January and I figured, why not? I have nothing to lose. I wasn't really quite sure what I was getting myself into. I knew I would learn something though and that it would be a step towards making 2013 a great year for my business. A week before the summit, the person who put the summit together called to let us all know that there would be some changes. A few of the speakers weren't going to be able to attend and they would be replacing them with a business coach by the name of Jeff Jochum. Since I didn't really know what to expect in the first place, I was fine with the change. In fact, I was excited about the change. At that point I needed all the help in business that I could get. Its one thing to be able to take pretty pictures, but making it a business is a whole other journey in itself.

So, I set out for Montana to meet up with my friend and go to Big Sky. At that point, I felt that business was going great. It was slower than normal, because of the weather being cold, but still going great. I knew though that I wanted to be making more money. I felt that I was not charging enough for the time that it was taking me for each session. I just wasn't sure how to do it. I figured I would be told how to deal with that during the time with the business coach. Wrong. What I got was so much more. During our time with Jeff, we went deeper into the message that defines us and what we really want to accomplish with our business. Photography is more than just taking pretty photos.. if that's all you do and think about, you will burn out. All of a sudden everything I had been doing up until that point, felt wrong. We had to go deep into who we are as a person, what inspires us and what we are passionate about and how to make our business mirror that. We talked about specialization  and my mind couldn't seem to wrap around the concept of just shooting one type of session. I loved babies, seniors, children, brides, couples, etc.. How could I ever narrow it down to just one category? My business would die. No one will book me. I was a generalist. The person that does it all. Loves it all. And saw nothing wrong with charging little, booking a lot, and having nothing to show for it at the end.. Wait. What? CHARGING LITTLE, BOOKING A LOT, AND HAVING NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. Does that really sound like working happy? Looking back now, no it doesn't. But at the time that was all I knew to do. Isn't that how a lot of us start our journey in the photography industry? We try it all out.. it's like college you have to experiment right? Well I never experimented in college.. but you know what I mean.

Why would one want to specialize? This was a new concept to me. Basically, if you are able to hone in on one specialty, you are able to perfect and market that one area a lot easier than perfecting and marketing every area under the sun. It is helpful for clients too, because the more of your message and the more of YOU that you show, the more you will attract clients that are a good fit for you and that you will be a good fit for them. This doesn't mean you have to stop shooting everything that isn't your specialty, you just don't market anything that is outside of what you want to attract.

I think when it comes to art it is hard to distinguish between a good decision for you, and a good business decision for you. My mind went into business mode. I wanted to get more business. I wanted to do what I felt was right for my business. What could I specialize in that I knew I could successfully market and get me more business? Obviously I missed the point of the training because that was not how you are supposed to think at all. But it is hard. We all have bills to pay right? It just doesn't seem logical at times to just forget about the bills you have and follow your heart right? Well I got that wrong too.

I found myself all of a sudden panicking because I didn't know what I wanted to specialize in that would make me successful. How could I not know? I mean, I know myself, but yet I couldn't decide what I wanted to do or what made me the happiest. Why?! It was frustrating... I still felt caught in this trap of doing it all. I would shift my focus to one area that I felt I thrived in, wait a little bit, and if it didn't work I would shift gears. I wasn't paying attention to the time frame or giving anything enough time for any of it. Yes I am one of those people that just expect things to work and pick up as soon as I put it out there. That just sounds crazy doesn't it? I have a good feeling though that a lot of you have experienced the anxiety of putting something out there, and not having it work. And in this business it is so easy to take it personal. I try not to go there of course, but how could you not go there? Rejection in any form will feel personal.

Well doesn't this all sound horrible? I think it does.. and to be honest, I am a little scared of just putting this out there. Because now I look back and see my mistakes. I am still on my journey to discovering where my message fits in this industry. If you have been thinking about specializing and feel like you have been caught in the trap of generalization as well, make sure to come back to my blog on Friday for another post with some great advice I have received that has changed my whole mind set and put me in the right direction.

A huge thank you to Kelly Kirksey Photographer for talking me into going to the Big Sky Photo Summit. And thank you Jeff Jochum for asking the questions that made me question my why and purpose in this business. You are all welcome to join Jeff's group on Facebook, Team X cafe for advice and help from others on their journey or that have already specialized.

Our trip to La Grande, OR | On the Farm | Amber Tyler | Portrait Photographer

Over the past weekend, our family took a little vacation and we went to my home town of La Grande, Oregon. It was so nice to see my family. We got to stay at my grandparents house while we were there. I have so many great memories of grandma and grandpas house. I spent a lot of time there growing up. We used to live just a couple blocks away from them, so their house was pretty much my second home. They have recently made renovations on the house, so many things have changed since I was little, but it all still feels the same. They still even have the same swing set I used to swing on when I was little. It was fun to watch my children now enjoying the same things that I did at grandma and grandpas house.

While we were there, we got to go to a farm where my aunt keeps her horses. The kids all got to go on a cart ride with a miniature donkey. Then they all got to take turns riding it with a saddle. They loved it. They didn't want to stop, and I'm sure my daughter would have taken a horse with her if she could. This was definitely an experience I will always remember! And of course, I just happen to have my camera with me to take advantage of the amazing setting and experience :-) Here are some images from the farm. I even got to sneak in a few pics of my grandpa.

Amber Tyler | Portrait and Wedding Photographer | Clarkston WA | Lewiston ID | La Grande OR

Baby Rayne 6 Month Session | Clarkston, WA | Portrait Photographer

Here are some photos from Rayne's 6 month session. I have been photographing this beautiful little girl since she was in her momma's belly! She is so gorgeous and just get's prettier every time we have a session. 

These photos were done in my studio in Lewiston, Idaho and out at the Asotin park in Asotin Washington.

I absolutely love the different scenes and themes we were able to fit into this session. 

 

www.ambertyler.com          ambertylerphoto@gmail.com

A little bit of Art from Seattle, WA | Amber Tyler | Photographer

This last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Seattle, Washington to go to CreativeLIVE and attend the final day of the 28 days with Sue Bryce workshop. I will have a separate post about the work shop soon, but in the meantime I would love to share some images I took while walking around Seattle.

I decided to park down by one of the piers and walk the town in search of the original Starbucks and Pike Place market. The area was so beautiful and I came across many nice people that were so understanding when I stopped to ask for directions. I ended up walking right past my destination twice, not knowing I needed to be up one more block. Its okay though, because of being lost I was able to capture these pictures.

A dear friend of mine grew up in this area.. She asked me to please bring back the smell of salt in the air and railroad tracks.. The best I could do what capture it in photo. Ali this is for you.

I found a man playing guitar in middle of the Pike Place Market. He asked me to tell him the subject I was thinking about and he would play me a song about it. I told him "love". He asked me how long I have been married, and I told him 4 wonderful years. He then told me he would play me the song he played at his wedding 38 years ago. He then proceeded to play "There is Love".

This is so random I know.. but I was walking by and found a guy outside of a building cleaning off graffiti and I thought it was neat.. so I stopped to take a picture. He was a quiet guy.. I asked if he would let me take his picture.. he looked at me confused and nodded. When I was done I told him thank you and started to walk away.. then I heard him say "Well can I see my picture?" Oh ya.. haha.. Pretty sure he thought I was crazy. It was just a detail I found significant about my little adventure in the city.

                             Amber Tyler | Portrait Photographer | Lewiston ID | Clarkston WA

Baby Dexter | La Grande, OR | Amber Tyler | Photographer

I absolutely love that my job enables me to meet new people and go to new places. In this case though, it brought me back to a place I've known well and a person I hadn't seen in a long time. I was able to go back to La Grande, Oregon where I was born and raised to photograph baby Dexter. Dexter's mom is Alexia Whittington (soon to be Mrs. Siders) and we were friends back in high school. Aexia and I were on the cheerleading team together. I have many great memories of cheer camp, football games, and of course practicing cheers and dance in her living room. It is hard to believe that the past 10 years since then have gone by so fast. Now we are both mom's with beautiful babies, far from our cheerleading days.. but I know we both remember it like it was yesterday ;-) 

What I loved so much about this session was, not only did I get to catch up with an old friend, but I got to do the session in their home and it was more of a life style session. Their oldest son Knox (3 years old) invited me in with a smile and was so eager to tell me all about his Toy Story toys. He had Woody, Buzz, and Jessie all lined up on the couch ready to play. He was such a joy to photograph, I mean just look at the pictures.. can't go wrong with a face that adorable! Dexter was just as easy to photograph. He was so calm and serious. He didn't cry at all! I loved his cute little expressions as he looked at me, he must have been thinking this lady is crazy... haha.. Both boys are just so adorable, and I loved how excited Knox was to have a little brother. 

Here is a picture of Alexia and I in high school together.. and then some of my favorite pictures from our photo session with Baby Dexter and Knox! 

Clarkston WA | Lewiston ID | Portrait Photographer

February Rock the Shot

Shot from one of my senior session in 2012
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Rock the Shot

I dare you...

So I know at the beginning of the year we were all, and possibly still are, excited about making changes in our lives. Whether these changes were personal, business related, health related, ect.. we were all so excited and focused. I know I was, and I still am. It may seem too early in the year to need a pep talk, or rather a little push, but oh well.

I have seen so many photographers wanting to re-brand their business and go into a different direction, myself included, and I think it's wonderful. One thing I have noticed is there is so much fear when it comes to change, in any circumstance. I recently attended a workshop where we dug deep into the business aspect of photography and what I had learned was so much more than just business. We dug deep into why we exist and what our purpose is, and why are we not being portrayed in that way through our business. We get so caught up in what is so and so doing, the technicalities, and the other bs that goes on in the photography industry that at some point we lose ourselves and why we starting doing photography in the first place. It is so easy to find ourselves comparing our work to others or second guessing ourselves because someone said our work was too expensive. I'd be lying if I said this wasn't something I struggle with all the time. It just happens. It is in our nature to look around us for acceptance, and that we are doing good. In the photography world this comes in the form of looking at others work and making a judgement. This judgement being- I feel I am as good as that, I must be doing good- OR- My work lacks something that this work has, I must be doing something wrong or not doing something at all. Now don't get me wrong, this is not something that constantly goes through my head, there are just those moments when I see a picture and I want what it has. Part of that is good, it keeps us going and wanting to progress and learn more. The negative impact, obviously, is self doubt.

The way I have found best to stay out of this trap of self doubt was to first off, change my way of thinking. There will always be artists and photos that you feel are "better" than yours. I say "better" in parenthesis because this is an art and in all reality its however we interpret it.. but from a business standpoint there is such thing as "better". We have all heard the saying.. "the only photographer you should compare yourself to is you".. or something like that.. Which is very good advice. When you have one of those days where you feel like your work sucks (you know what I'm talking about.. we all have them every once in a while..) go back and look at your work from when you very first started, you will instantly feel better. Get past the self doubt! Get past looking at other peoples work as a gauge for your worth or level of achievement.

So here comes the "I dare You" part. Go make a before and after from when you first started and a pic from now, just so you can see how far you have come. Get past the self doubt. Then, for whatever changes you are making in your business.. whether is be re-branding, changing pricing, specializing, or any of that scary stuff- DO it. Take the leap. There are so many wonderful resources in the amazing industry that are here to help people that aren't quite sure how to make that first step when it comes to re-branding or whatever it is they want to do. Reach out! I know there are tons of nice photographers that just want to help, myself included! I have been fortunate to have met some amazing people in my career that have helped take me from knowing little about my own self worth, to opening a studio and finding what it is I love so much about photography again. And I am definitely still learning and growing. Reach out. Build connections. Find the tools and people that can help you achieve your goals. I dare you.