The Slow Season
It is so cold out now all of a sudden. Gone, it would seem, are the days of stripping our layers down to just a tank top in the afternoon.
And thank goodness!
I am a winter girl. Bring on the sweater weather when I can spend cozy afternoons curled up on my couch with my love and my cat. The frozen toes are worth it.
However, this chill in the air also signals the start of a slower season for photographers like myself, so let’s explore a list of still productive things to do during the slow season.
For starters, update your portfolio and website.
You (and me) are bound to have fallen behind in keeping up with refreshing what we show our clients, and it’s important to keep portfolios and websites up to date with our latest projects. Especially if your style has shifted, your website and portfolio should be given a facelift to reflect that so the right people can get all up in your bookings. Personally, I have been developing an “education” section of my website. I love teaching all of my little interns and have been busy developing a mentorship program. This meant adding a whole new portion to my website and doing some revamping to showcase some of my more recent photoshoots.
Start a Pinterest
Another way to display your talents and latest work is to add your photos to Pinterest. While you’re probably familiar with Pinterest as a way to pin others’ photos and create boards to plan your photoshoots, you can also create pins of your own. When these appear on others’ Pinterest feeds, it is a great way to gain exposure.
When I create pins, I have them linked to my social media or my website so that if people like my photo, they can keep exploring and book me easily. I have a professional Pinterest account with keywording in my description, like my Instagram account, so I show up on people's radar. I also have my Pinterest and Instagram linked, so all my posts are automatically uploaded and I need to do is go in and tweak them to Pinterest’s platform!
Workshops, Education, Invest in Yourself
Lastly, a great way to spend your time during this slower season is to attend workshops. As creatives, we always have more to learn, and workshops are a great way to do that in a slightly more formal setting while surrounded by like-minded individuals. I am a huge fan of workshops for so many reasons, the first being it gives me back my creative spark. If I am in a rut, being exposed to new ideas and interesting new shoots and techniques helps get me out of it.
This leads me to the next reason these are so important; networking. I’ve met so many new photographer friends through workshops, and with them, I am able to collaborate on new and more ambitious projects and find creative camaraderie. It’s rejuvenating to be with people who just get you and your style.
Workshops are also great because they are bound to push you out of your comfort zone. Over the course of the day, weekend, or week you attend workshops, you will learn so many new things and be encouraged to try new things you may never have seen yourself trying. Having attended a few myself, I guarantee you will leave as a more capable photographer eager to try out some of the new things you have learned.
That’s all for this week, and despite the constant urge to be productive, remember to also slow down and enjoy this season. It’s a slow season for a reason; we are all enjoying the holidays with our loved ones. Try to remember to put down the camera and close out of Lightroom every once in a while, and make yourself a nice mug of hot chocolate.