Someone asked me recently about my thoughts on competition to which I replied “What competition!?” Let me explain:
I don’t see competition. I'm in my own zone. I simply do what I do and do it the best I can. I strive to shoot the absolute best headshot my client can get and use for their career purposes. That has nothing to do with being better than other photographers, it’s just me….telling myself, committing myself to being the very best at my chosen profession and then, working at it to make it sure I deliver. If anything, I'm in competition with myself and my personal visions/goals. It all goes back to what I always tell people when they ask about how to market or get clients:
"GET REALLY F'IN' GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO! DO DOPE SHIT & THE CLIENTS WILL COME TO YOU!"
I shoot how I do, provide a service.... and if people like it and keep booking me…that’s all I see. There’s room for everyone to do what they do. Some will succeed a little, some a lot. Some won’t at all. None of that affects what I do. I just keep shooting, keep on my game and stay booked. One of the components to our own success, is putting out the right energy and wishing success for others. Anyone feeling that I’m competition for them or feeling a certain way about my success because it’s infringing on theirs…..isn’t competition, they’re usually just people who haven’t put in the same effort I have and are having a hard time finding their own success. So to those folks I say…”I wish you all the success you can imagine.”
You’ll notice that the truly successful are usually madd cool with each other while the less successful….will often just…be on the sidelines, throwing shade or being bothered. Think of it like this: If a band and artist has risen to a level and is to the point of selling a ton of albums and/or selling out arenas, all they need to do is keep up it up as long as they can. If a band isn’t selling records or selling out arenas in different cities, it’s not because of the other bands out there, it’s because…well…..they’re just not that good. So in closing I say to you….don’t worry about the next person doing what they do. If you want success….get better at what YOU'RE doing and focus only on that. If you find yourself still not successful……work harder and show more love! It'll eventually all come back to you!
In the words of Jay-Z:
"Respect the game, that should be it. What you eat don't make me sh-t!"
How do you see it? If you found this interesting, feel free to LIKE/COMMENT and even SHARE. (just try not to steal or rip off my words then pass as your own.)
UPDATE: So just to update and add to this post, it's truly amazing that some of the so-called "competition" or shall I say, "wannabe competition" trying to compete with me comes from Atlanta - A city that I don't even shoot full time in! Atlanta is my 2nd city and I'm only there shooting every few months or so during a year. Yet, there's always a clown or two wanting to compete with/for my business. LMAO. That's got to be the most comical thing considering I should be of little threat to anyone who resides there and does full-time business. The few times I'm in town, I'm fully booked, I shoot and leave. If the 20-30+ clients I shoot each trip are taking away from some other person's business, well then, that photographer has issues that go beyond me being in town. For real though, that's not even me trying to be nasty, it's more a statement about the attitudes of people finding it necessary to compete. JUST DO. Shut your mouth and shoot! If you're THAT good, Christian Webb coming to town every now and then to shoot his clients won't have any effect on your business! Not to mention, when it comes to headshots/photography in general, there are different styles, looks and price ranges. The people paying me for my level of work are a totally different class of people than the the people looking for bargain basement specials. I'm not going to get those clients paying my prices and a photographer shooting semi-professional, cheaper quality work isn't going to get my clients. It's just balance and reality. People, photographers.......try and live and get along.