#1 Keep trying and testing
When you are designing a project, it’s not common to have the picture of life clear in your mind You look for it out of hundreds of shots. It’s a test and try approach. Finally, when you got the right shot it seems by chance, but it’s not.
Lesson 1: Keep on trying and testing and let your mind work to connect the dots at the right time.
#2 Look for the truth
Honestly! How many skilled photographers there are in this world? Hundred, millions… maybe more? So why do we consider only some of them capable of making art? The answer is “telling the truth”. The majority of them are travellers, and they talk about what they have encountered throughout the world. The rest of them are travellers as well but in a different way. Through visual research, they explore their unconscious. However in both cases a great photographer brings on pictures something truly impactful… No way to lie on that.
Lesson 2: Achieving excellent results mean being absolutely true to your feelings… that’s valid also in your business proposition and objectives. You cannot sell something you don’t trust in.
#3 Be interested in people
Think about an unforgettable portrait shot… or about some people caught on the street shoot… you cannot work and create lonely, you need of people. Even if your artistic language is architecture or industrial photography you have to get the best, from people who really know about your subjects. You need to learn how to create connections with people, encourage them to leave veils apart, and most importantly, you need to build a network.
Lesson 3: Running a successful business means being interested in people, building connections with them and engage them in a collaborative and empathetic approach.
#4 Find a Mentor
After you’ve read hundreds of books about technique and shot for several hours, you can say you’ve finally come to understand how to use your camera properly. But if you want to be a photographer, you need (one or more) mentors. That’s close to the circle! The value of experience on the field, the opportunity to see people at work. It’s not only the funniest part of your learning process, but also necessary to bring up new questions that are critical to pull you out of the comfort zone.
Lesson 4: Find a mentor and turn yourself into a professional, right out of your comfort zone.
#5 Follow the need, even if it’s simple
The photography industry is a strange one! In this industry we don’t talk about technology, but about technologies. There is a merging of old and new techniques, such as film, digital, polaroid, and vintage lenses and cameras. But this wasn’t obvious some years ago, when a group of crazy engineers decided to commit to the “Impossible Project”, where the aim was to make polaroid film sustainable again. The common opinion was “who is interested in Polaroid during the Instagram era?” But they got the challenge and the business became profitable.
Lesson 5: Innovation in business does not necessarily have to lead to disruption to succeed. Probably your simple need is a common need enough to build profitability