July 7, 2007
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PAS
Scott Robert photographyview my official website www.scottrobertphotography.comPhotographer Anxiety Syndrome
Melissa and Tony slideshow coming soon!!Pressure, Expectation and AnxietyI remember waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and thinking, "Oh my!!!! People are paying me $X,XXX to photograph their wedding!- am I good enough?" I would then proceed to my computer, let my dail-up modem warm up and start searching websites of other photographers who were in my price range. After realizing I was just as good or not better than what I saw, my anxiety subsided and a change in attitude took place- I then started to wonder if I should RAISE my rates. LOL!Expect to experience a pendulum of emotions when starting a photography business.Here are a few tips that will help with your anxiety...Five ways to handle PAS (Photographer Anxiety Syndrome)1. Realize that Anxiety is good- it forces us to get better and be a more complete photographer, it shows that you care about your work, client, etc. I would worry about a photographer who doesn't have anxiety.2. Don't worry, clients get what they pay for!! Most clients can't tell the difference between an average and good photographer because most people don't know what to look for- those who hire in the $1,000-$2,500 range will have a hard time finding differences in work. If a photographer is charging at this rate, all they have to do is produce average or sub average work to be on par with everyone else in their category. The quality of "Average" has gone down. There are sooo many new photographers entering the market, it has dropped down the overall quality of wedding photography. If you're a new photographer and charging below $2,000- there is no pressure on you, what ever you do will most likely be fine.3. Keep improving. Wedding photographers are the best photographers in the world because they have to juggle all aspects of photography in very tight time constraints with little or no set up time and they only get one chance to capture the event- the pressure is ENORMOUS!!! When first starting out, you're not going to know everything and it will take time as you get comfortable with a wedding day. You will need to photograph about 50 weddings before you've seen almost every wedding situation.4. Find a mentor to evaluate your work and or photograph with. Don't ask your peers, ask someone who is highly successful. Find out what you need to work on to get better and see how an experienced photographer manages a wedding day.5. Be confident, not cocky. Confidence comes with experience and skill, grow in these areas and your anxiety will reduce. If we become cocky, we will stop learning and become complacent about our work and guess what, the work will stop coming in.Anxiety is all part of being a professional photographer, especially those who cover high end events because we only have one chance to get the shot. Work everyday on getting better and get out there and take more pictures and soon your PAS will find a cure.Let me know if this helped you at all, I'd love to hear from you!What's In theWorks....
Preview Photos- Jen and Jason in Napa Valley, CA
Slideshow- Melissa andTony
Slideshow- Jessie andJeff
June 27-Chicago 1 day workshop,sign upnow!
July 1- Wedding in Napa withJunshien
July 7- Julieanne & Mark (totally "green") Wedding at the beach in Camarillo, CA
July 11- Photo session with Anjelah Johnson-actress, model, comedian,etc...
July 14-Sienny and Minh Wedding in SanFrancisco
July 22- Michael & Annie Wedding inSanta Barbara
July 23-30 Paris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Other notes:If you are interested incoming to a photography workshop and learning from the best in thebusiness- www.scottrobertnextlevel.com
The ultimate learning experience for emergingpro photographers...- 4 daylearning tours from master photographersJuly 25-29Paris,FranceSept9-12Springfield,MO
Comments (24)
Great advice!
Scott, I have to strongly agree with tip #4, mostly because I know how folly it is for beginners in the business to simply rely on their own peers' compliments of "Nice photos! Good job! I like #3!"
Forgive me for saying this, fellow photographers, but if you are ONLY getting feedback from other photographers who are AT or BELOW your level, and expecting to ride that feedback to a higher level, you are fooling yourself... You need to break the ice, (and sometimes you need to break out your wallet) and get the advince and critique from that pro whose work blows you away. THEN you will begin to see your own work evlove upward...
That's why I spend so much time pouring over the work of the world-class pros, and that's why all my photographer friends are better than myself lol. By surrounding myself with BETTER photography than my own, the only direction I can go is up!
Thanks for the advice,
-Matt-
Please don't raise your rates!! haha We already know that you're fabulous!!
hahahah scott, looks like you just invented a term. i was like, ooh cool there is such a thing as "Photographer Anxiety Syndrome". and then i googled the term and only this entry came up. you should copyright the term. lol
hmmm good time scott =) haha...PAS...i like it! I know i can't really say i have PMS...but now i have PAS =P
yes ... very helpful. and very comforting as well. I'll be shooting my first wedding next weekend. Hopefully everything will go well.
I'd love to hit up one of your four-day workshops soon ...
Dear Abby: Oops, I mean Scott...
You are full of wonderful ideas. You need to put all the stuff you are coming up with in a book to sell to photographers. Alot of what you have said and you talk about not only relates to photographers but others who are in business as well. Someone like yourself who is respected and very talented would have no problem selling a book with the info you come up with, its honest, trueful and real. Sure alot of what you have said has been talked about for years but I have never seen it in print. I think this would HELP many people getting in the biz, or even those like myself who have been at it for a long, long time. I would buy it, and even get a couple extra for friends in the business for gifts.
Randy
you know....its like you took a lot of the words out of my mouth! ive practically been thinking about everything you have said in this post! i do seriously need a mentor and about the 50 weddings to shoot before you've seen most diff types of weddings and situations is a wow to me! i find myself in so much of what you say. i totally go online about everyday just looking though other people in the industry that i like and admire who have already been or just launched their photography business. im still on the bottle and one day i hope to be on taking in solid food! its funny though, my inexperience def. reflects on my confidence because i havent had a lot of experience on the field. i had a bride contact me about me possibly shooting her wedding next may of 08 and i started having some anxiety and what not about my worth, value and being able to give and rise above her expectations! 2 more weeks...paris workshop, i cant wait to learn more! thanks for this post, it made me feel a bit better about my symptoms hahah
....now if you could only come up with a 5-step cure to PMS....just kidding ladies. This is the kind of insight you share at your workshops. Anyone that hasn't gone yet should go.
PAS, I experience that almost everyday! I think about photography and weddings all day long I go through that emotional roller coaster. Sometimes I feel most confident enough that I can get creative with photography but on the other hand sometimes I fall into these deep holes and I find myself drowning with fear of just being that 'okay' photographer. No.1 definitely hit the spot for me and it comforted me in every way. Today I shot a wedding of a friend of a friend and honestly, it was very hard shooting and I always get intimidated by other professional photographers there. But anyways- I'll email you the rest
Hey Scott! Thanks for the post. I should have been here YESTERDAY when I needed it. LOL. BTW, the 5D BROKE just before the cake ceremony. A piece fell out of my camera when I removed a lens. Can you believe it???? Good thing I had a backup!! Not what I wanted to use... but it got me through the rest of the day. Not the best way to start a career. ha! But maybe it's part of the 'toughening up' process?
Thanks for the PAS awareness and tips because I experience this at every photography event (even a simple engagement session) that I do. The two biggest PAS's that I face are confidence and the "what if's". BTW, nice work on those images.
love waht you did on the last photos...
oooh i especially love that second photo!
So there is a name for it..... LOL. Thanks for a great post Scott. I started my business a year ago & get PAS all the time. It is similar to stage fright. And like you I too would find myself on the web reviewing others works and comparing them to mine & I have found that I am just as good &in some cases pushing better.
Thanks for the encouragement - PAS is a good thing as it drives me to be bigger and better every day =)
This did help immensely. Helped pinpoint what I feel all the time! But how do I find a local mentor?
you should totally write a book!! pas...what a great phrase!
Hi Scott,
Long time reader, first time commenter on your site. I think your work is great! And I love your testimony even more.
Although I do agree with and understand the spirit of what you are saying in point #2, I can't help but feel that anyone reading this who is shooting weddings at that rate could possibly be offended. I don't mean to stir up trouble, but let's face it, since you and I are both charging way over $2,500, it's easy for us to make those statements.
But there was a time when we had shot less than 50 weddings, charged between $1,000 to $2,500, and only had peers to help us critique our work. And during that time, if no one gave us a chance, if everyone thought all $1,000 to $2,500 wedding photographers were sub-par or "average" in the negative sense, we'd still be charging that much and struggling to get any clients.
For me, my clients and peers were the ones who told me to charge more. My peers convinced me to start a full-time career in photography and it took a long, long time before I found anyone close to resembling a mentor that wasn't either going to give me false critiques, or charge me for wisdom.
I'm nto saying my work hasn't improved ten-fold since the days of my first few paid weddings, I just wanted us to remember that we all had to start somewhere. Blessings Scott!
trinityr3 That was awesome insight and thank you for your thoughtful comments. Regards to #2, I don't mean to belittle anyone. We all have to start somewhere right? I am trying to take the pressure off of a new photographer especially if they are starting at below or average rates. I don't want them to feel like they have to- immediately start producing work like a photographer that charges a lot more.
I have many photographers email me and who have attended my workshops and get totally discouraged after looking at my photos because they feel my work is A LOT better than theirs. I then proceed to ask them how much they are charging and they will usually say $XXX . Then I will tell them, "Don't worry about it, whatever you shoot will be fine- your client is paying for below average work so you will most likely produce way above their expectations!!!!!"
Peers are good but they are not the best source of information. It is much better to find a mentor. I mentor those who take my workshops. There are sooo many resources for learning now a days, not like when I started. No need to rely on peers when you can ask more experienced photographers.
find a mentor huh? Wanna be mine? I look at your site almost daily to get ideas...I wish you came closer to Montana, I would take a class...I did so a wedding on Saturday just in case you did want to critique
hey scott, really good entry! this is helpful to all photographers! it looks like we've both been swamped lately with so many different things. we'll definitely have to hook up soon. take care, bro.
These are FABULOUS and totally original! I'm subscribing for inspiration.
I'm so inspired too! The photos are mag and the video is the ultimate!! Thanks for all the great tips.
You have a wonderful eye.
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