As I look back over the last few years, I’ve been very intentional about investing back into my business. As a newer photographer, I heavily invested into my equipment, because I knew that I needed a certain caliber of equipment in order to be competitive in this industry. More recently, I have chosen to invest in online courses and workshops in order to learn from some of the best industry leaders. The return on your investment into your business is so much more than you could possibly imagine!

To start out, I would recommend reading as many blogs as you possibly can, signing up for every free webinar that you come across, watching all the youtube videos. There is SO MUCH free content out on the world wide web (like what you’re currently reading!) and it can do wonders for your business. Once you’ve found that the information you’re looking for isn’t free, I recommend looking into courses that your favorite photographers are offering. The content that you can learn from other photographers who have gone before you is invaluable, and doing it in an online course is much more affordable than an in-person workshop. However, if you have the funds available to attend an in-person workshop with other photographers, I highly recommend them for a few reasons! First of all, you get to meet and network with so many other photographers who are at similar stages in their business. Often times, those photographers will become close friends, and it is such a blessing. You’ll also get to ask as many questions as you want, and the host of the workshop will answer all of them (plus you’ll get the input from all of the other attendees as well!). Finally, there’s often a styled shoot portion of the workshop that is really valuable, especially for newer photographers that are still looking to build their portfolio. While workshops are most often one of the most expensive forms of education, they can be extremely valuable in the growth of our business.

Finally, for those of you who are looking for some of the benefits of an in-person workshop without the price tag, there’s something else that could be perfect for YOU! There’s something called community styled shoots that are a great opportunity to get to know and learn from other local photographers while still gaining beautiful images for your portfolio. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, then you are in the right place! Another location photographer and I are planning a community styled shoot, Phellowship, for this April 30th, and we would love to have YOU! This will be an opportunity for up to 10 photographers to come, get to know other local photographers, shoot a BEAUTIFUL styled shoot and swap headshots. If you’d like to sign up or learn more about this incredibly opportunity, click here for more information!

While there are so many sources of free education content, I HIGHLY recommend that you monetarily invest in the growth of your business. I promise you that it will be so worth it!!