6 Skills You Need As A Photographer | #69

Technical Skills

You’re working with cameras, computers, lights… you need to know the ins and outs of these. A good camera is a complex beast. Aperture, focal length, shutter speed… there’s so much to know here. Luckily YouTube is a gold mine of knowledge.

I recently bought a new camera and was confused what memory cards I needed. CFexpress Type A? Never heard of it. After an hour on YouTube university, I was confident in my knowledge.

Willingness To Learn

Learning never stops. Emerson said it best.

“In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.”

One of the greatest people of his era made a habit of always trying to learn. Be open minded. Assume you’re not as good as you think you are. Always strive to become better.

Problem Solving

A creative project rarely goes as planned. If you can adapt to the issues that pop up via problem solving, you’ll succeed. Is the glass bottle reflecting differently than you expected? Try using a different diffuser, use a different angle of light, or play around with multiple lights. These issues pop up over and over again, and you need to be the one to adapt and solve them.

Attention To Detail

Being a product photographer, you need to pay attention to the smallest details. This means taking the time to make sure the product is in the right position, the lighting is right, the background is right, and the settings on the camera are just right. Even the slightest mistake can lead to a poorly executed photo.

Creativity… Just A Little

Having a creative eye is essential for product photography. You need to be able to think outside the box and come up with innovative ways to capture the product. But at the same time, you don’t need to be the most creative person to succeed in this field. Perseverance and not giving up will honestly take you farther than the most talented and creative person.

Patience

It takes time to get the perfect shot. You need to be patient and not rush the process. It might take 100 emails to get your first client. This is what the successful people in your niche have done. Be patient and trust the proven processes.