HOW WORKSHOP OR STYLED SHOOT IMAGES CAN DAMAGE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS
Photography workshops and styled shoots can be AMAZING!! You will learn awesome tricks and talents, flex your creative muscles, work with incredible people and get to watch the BEST OF THE BEST in action ... you'll also grow your portfolio with 'most likely' beautiful photos which we all need and love!
SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM??
Here's the problem ... consistency. If you have amazing workshop images that are STUNNING ... filled with incredible details ... the most gorgeous models on the planet ... perfect lighting ... perfect venue or location ... need I go on?? It's going to look flawless. Exquisite!! It's going to be hard to top ... and if your REAL WEDDINGS and EVENTS don't stack up to them?? Well ...
HMMM ... SOMETHING ISN'T QUITE MATCHING UP
Do you understand? Weddings and events are living, breathing things ... they move and they don't stop for you to adjust the lighting or wait for the sun to move away from the trees ... they move and as a photographer you have to move right along with it. If your real weddings aren't looking great next to your styled shoots or real weddings then you need to ask yourself:
SHOULD I BE USING THEM ON MY WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA?
The last thing you want is to 'muddy' up your real work with real brides that you are proud of ... and placing them next to a workshop shoot could do that. IMO, photographers should really focus on their REAL work until their REAL WORK (meaning real weddings and events shot in real time) is consistent with their workshops and styled shoot work.
DO YOU HATE ME?
I get this might not be super well received and it is a little unfair to photographers ... if you are an event planner it's the DETAILS inside the images that matter ... and those details can be recreated for a REAL EVENT OR WEDDING without difficulty. But it is very hard and takes a lot of time and practice to be able to shoot a real wedding the exact same way you photograph a workshop or styled shoot.
AM I SAYING STOP TAKING WORKSHOPS AND STOP BEING INVOLVED IN STYLED SHOOTS??
F*ck no!!!!! NEVER EVER STOP LEARNING!! Never stop networking with your local professionals to collaborate on shoots! This is the good stuff!! The necessary to grow stuff!! Use those as practice for the BIG DANCE << the real weddings ... your clients!! But:
BE YOUR OWN CRITIC!!
If you go to your website or your Instagram feed and hate looking at your real weddings because you keep staring at the workshop you just uploaded?? Maybe it's a good idea to take the workshop down so your real wedding work can shine.
XO~ Heather
