Set yourself apart by having Production Value.
As a photographer, most of us view photography as a solitary art form. During 2014, I have started to embrace the idea that just having a level of production value will set my business away from the next. The first step was to understand that I needed to to trust other people with my brand, the second was to understand that other people can do things better than me and that is why I need them. Finally working as a team, with direction and leadership you are always going to be greater than the sum of the parts.
Try scaling up your team and start working on the inter-personal skills its takes to craft a slick production rather than the turn up and see how it happens on the day approach. Clients will love the extra value they receive and most will be happy to pay for the idea they are in safes hands rather a safe hand. This is big difference. It shows you can be trusted, you are organized and work to a level of professionalism.
How do you pay these people? Well, each person has there own way of getting people around them. I like to try and be honest and find the right people and work out a way to work together. I don’t have the budget every shoot to have my full team, but keeping the production high is going to benefit everyone who helps, as long as people can all benefit in the end in some way shape or form. Going down in the intern route or assisting route is going to be a great way to get people who want to help. As long as you are clear and honest with people, you can find common aims and benefits which can be of set when bigger money jobs come in.
When you have people about you can trust, you can start thinking bigger and bigger. Shooting high end production shots is going to be great for your brand and your team. Creating these shots which stand you apart from other about you is key in this market today. Production Value will raise your portfolio and make you as company a more attractive deal when pitching for tenders.
Planning is critical when you have 4 or 5 people working on a single project, but if you can get the right people all charged up and have the creative fire burning brightly, there is not much you wont be able to achieve in 2015.
