9 Ways to Feel More Confident As A photographer

It’s not easy to get over self-doubt if you are checking your social media channels on a daily base. You see other photographers creating the most beautiful editorials, working with the best clients while traveling around the world. It looks like a mission impossible tor you to achieve the same.

Do you recognize this? I do… I can get very insecure about my work every now and then and I hate this feeling because I know it’s unnecessary. Today I would like to share a few tips with you to feel more confident as a photographer.

1 Keep in mind that social media isn’t real life

A good reminder, because that photographer might travel the world and creating cool images, you never know what is really going on. Maybe it looks like he is shooting for brands and magazines, but in fact he isn’t getting paid so he is worried about his income. You only see the fun side of their journey, you don’t see the stress that was involved by creating these shoots.

2 If you don’t like your own photos, why would your clients do?

If you are not confident about your own portfolio, you are not able to sell your work to clients. A client wants to book a confident photographer who can help them grow their brand and they want to be sure that you are worth the money they invest in you. This is important both during your meetings and during the shoot.

3 Keep learning and educate yourself

It’s super important to keep learning, this will make you feel more confident during your shoots because you know what you are doing. If you have to try a new technique during a shoot with a client for the first time it can be very stressful, but if you already tried this a few times during your portfolio shoots, you already know how to use this technique to create the best results.

4 Know your equipment

Learn and practice as much as possible about your equipment. Try different settings on your camera and learn to understand your studio lights (and all your other gear). In this way you know what your equipement is capable of during your shoots and you never have to worry about this anymore.

5 Learn from your mistakes

I wrote about the five mistakes I made as a beginner. It’s good to know what mistakes you made so you can avoid these mistakes in the future. Write down what went wrong and write down how to improve yourself to get better as a photographer.

6 Know your strenghts

Know what your strengths are as a photographer. What is the reason why are shooting? Why are clients hiring you instead of someone else? What makes your images and the shooting experience different than others? In other words: discover your USP (Unique Selling Point) and always tell this to yourself when you are feeling down or insecure.

7 Be curious and discover

Be curious enough to meet new creative people, go to events, read photography related books and magazines, go to workshops and watch Youtube videos to expand your knowledge and network. This will help you to be confident. Try to meet up with other photographers from the same level and help each other grow.

8 Ask your clients to write a testimonial/review about you as a photographer

When you read these testimonials, you will learn what your clients appreciate about you and your work. Try to keep these positive words in your mind when you are having a bad day.

9 Take a step back

Sometimes you have to take a little break and see what is really going on in your mind. Why are you not confident? Is it because you are following that ‘perfect’ photographer on Instagram, unfollow that person and I’m sure this will help you a bit. Or are you not confident during your shoot because you don’t like the results? Sit down and try to relax, watch all your camera settings again and see if they are still right. Review your images and see what you can do better. Maybe you have to give different directions to your team and try different angles to create better images. Take your time and when you are ready, involve your team in this process, because team work makes the dream work!

photography: Liselotte Fleur
styling: Lisa Klink
makeup and hair: Meltem Sahin
models: Anniek & Rosalie @ Micha Models