Professional Photographer – October 2023
English | 85 pages | pdf | 15.84 MB
Welcome Professional Photographer Magazine October 2023 Issue
Once we get past the basic needs of survival, what humans crave more than anything, I believe, is to be known. We want to be heard, we want to feel seen, and we want to sense that we are understood as individuals. We need to know that we matter, and to matter we must avow our uniqueness. To paraphrase Henry Ford, if two people are alike, one of them is unnecessary. By virtue of being recognized as a one-of-kind entity, we satisfy our need to be essential.
Two stories in this issue specifi cally point to the importance of understanding clients in more than a cursory way. In “Visualizing Her Truth”
(page 46), Rachel Owen notes that while photographers are taught the technical aspects of photography, they aren’t schooled in how to connect with people. It may seem to photographers, then, that meaningful human connection isn’t a necessary component of their success. If relationship building isn’t part of their education, they may liken it to cupcake sprinkles: Nice to have but not an essential element of the fi nal product.
Tim and Beverly Walden, in “Marketing with Emotion” (page 34), express that they put a high value on relationships. In fact, the Walden way of doing business is as much about client experience and connection as it is about superb image-making. While a personal relationship becomes a sound marketing tool, it’s also more than that. “When I know someone’s story, I become a different photographer,” Tim says. The relationship isn’t just for business reasons, it’s also for the purpose of infusing one’s images with a depth of personality and emotion.
Meaningful relationships aren’t just sprinkles, even in business.
Cultivating relationships doesn’t have to be diffi cult, it just needs to be on our minds. The easiest path forward is to let curiosity lead the way. There have been times when I wanted to ask a question of an acquaintance but hesitated because I feared they’d think me intrusive. I’ve come to realize that asking people about their experiences, thoughts, and opinions with genuine curiosity is rarely interpreted as nosy. Most people I know love to be asked about their lives and ideas. It demonstrates authentic interest in getting to know them.
At a time when many of us still cringe at the remembrance of enforced months’-long pandemic isolation, when consumers are turning to artifi-cial intelligence for headshots, when there’s always a photographer willing to do a job for less, relationships hold immeasurable value. The idea of
customer experience is an elevated way to describe the basic desire for the kind of connection that begets understanding. You can give clients all sorts of little perks, but what means more to people than tchotchkes is having your genuine attention and interest.
It’s also worth remembering that if you’re shy about promoting your artistry, accomplishments, and credentials, you can relegate those things to your website and concentrate your conversations on the client instead of yourself. People care about your professional abilities. But what they care about most is that you have recognized the unique spark they bring to the world. •
Jane Gaboury
Director of Publications
More Than Sprinkles
REALLY
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