Cover Feature: Edwina Moutray - The ‘Why’ and ‘Who’ of being a photographer

So you’ve got this passion for photography. You kind of think it might be worth pursuing and so you start a small business, hoping to make enough money to at least pay some bills and you wait for the clients to roll in because your photography is really beautiful.

Maybe you live in a small town and you’ve given all your neighbours free sessions and told them to ‘spread the word’ about your new business but still, nothing really happens.

Maybe your passion is landscape photography or like me, rural lifestyle photography and you take hundreds of glorious pictures, post them on the socials and people seem to like them but still, nothing really happens except the gratification of getting a few ‘likes’ on Instagram.

Do you feel like you’re just taking pretty pictures to fill up a social media grid? Do you feel totally rejected because the photographer down the road seems to be getting all the clients and you’re not? Do you feel like you have to manipulate your work to make it look like that popular photographer (you know, use the same brown wash presets or buy a goddess style client wardrobe) so people will start knocking down your door?

Well, if that’s you, then I’m right there with you sister! I have felt all these things in trying to establish my small business. Let’s not sugar coat it, starting your own business is bloody hard and success (whatever that looks like for you), sure doesn’t happen overnight. So, I’m here to give you an honest and professional reminder, that even when it seems like you’re shouting into a void, remember the ‘why’ and ‘who’ you are as a photographer. Stop seeing your work as content and start seeing it as making art. Even if you feel like it’s ‘not good enough’ or you won’t get any ‘likes’ on Instagram. Art is never ‘perfect’ but it needs to be shared.

“But I’m no good at selling myself or marketing” I hear you cry. Then get onto a marketing course and learn! Despite what you may think, artists are good at business. We know how to connect, how to be impactful and tell stories. There is absolutely a market for your art and you are capable of finding it! We need to stop wasting our energy in comparing ourselves to others but instead, focus on our own unique brand of creative expression.

So, with all due respect, let’s get over ourselves and SHARE OUR ART! Photographers are a niche market; we each have our own style, we all see our world in different ways and therefore, potential clients will be drawn to this. It may not be happening right now, but every image you capture, every time you post, every time you write a comment or engage with your audience, you are working towards building the future that you dream of and a business that you can be proud of.

So when you find yourself suffering from Imposter Syndrome, or feel like you’re drowning in marketing strategies that don’t work, or you only have one booking for the next six months, keep in mind your ‘why’ and remember ‘who’ you are as a photographer. Be authentic. Be tenacious. Be unrelenting in showing your dream client exactly why they should be hiring you instead of that other photographer. Trust that your work will find its audience. Trust that you will survive rejection. Trust your creative process and that your journey will not look like anyone else’s. And that is perfectly as it should be.

Instagram: @e.m.images_ | Faceboook: Edwina Moutray Images

👉  This story excerpt is from Issue #19 of Kickin Up Dust magazine: June 2024.