The Mentor's Corner
Business and Marketing for ProsStop Being the Best Photographer No One Knows About
There was a time — maybe 10, 15 years ago — when having a solid portfolio and being a decent human being got you work.
Word-of-mouth. A few referrals. Maybe a feature in PDN if you were lucky.
That time is over, gone, never coming back.
The creative world now runs on attention — and attention doesn’t stick to people who blend in.
If you’re a photographer, especially those over 40, this isn’t about becoming an influencer or slapping your name on a hoodie.
It’s about taking control of how the world sees you before it decides you’re irrelevant.
Let’s get a few things straight:
A personal brand isn’t a logo.
It’s not your color palette or your signature on emails… you DO have a signature on your emails, right? Right?
It’s the experience people associate with your name. That experience is how they see you when you are not there in front of them.
And in a noisy, algorithm-driven, AI-saturated market, you have to shape that experience.
If you don’t, someone else will.
Why This is So Important
(Especially for You Over-40 Creatives)
-
You’ve got skills. You’ve got stories. You’ve got work ethic.
But you’re competing with 26-year-olds who were raised on Reels, don’t need sleep, and call themselves “content ninjas.” -
You’ve got taste. But taste doesn’t trend. You need strategy.
-
You’ve got experience. But experience doesn’t mean shit if nobody can see it or feel it in your presence, your website, your writing, or your social feed.
Screw Reinvention, This is About Revelation
Dan Koe writes: “Your personal brand is simply your character publicly displayed at scale.”
For you, this means
-
Choosing how you show up visually (wardrobe, headshot, vibe)
Take your time, but not too much time. Work with a consultant, or GPT/Gemini, to develop a brand outline, then get it done. Spend only what you must. (And if you spend more than a few hundred bucks at this point, you need to rethink the plan.) -
Making sure your site, emails, PDFs, and posts match your level of work.
This takes diligence and commitment. Commitment in blood, I once read, is how you make it real. Without commitment to being on point at every point, there will be too many ‘points of failure.’ -
Having a point of view — and sharing it in your voice.
This is the consistency that is needed to establish your work as a viable choice for clients seeking your specific look and vision.
Too many great photographers let their work “speak for itself”, and then wonder why their bookings slow down, or why art directors stop calling.
Your work cannot speak for itself if it is never allowed to speak at all.
And your personal brand can hinder that more than you realize.
While your work can be excellent, if the person behind it looks dated, unengaged, or creatively dormant… well, we know how that story ends.
The Power of a Sharp Personal Brand
What you’re really doing is signaling.
-
You signal professionalism with clean emails, consistent type, and strong design.
And add consistency to that list as well—consistent professionalism. -
You signal confidence with a clear message and updated portraits.
This is where you must be consistent with both your message and your images. Keeping your work fresh and engaging is a constant effort. -
You signal relevance by showing up and speaking up.
And relevance is something that boosts your brand in many different ways.
This doesn’t mean “curate yourself into a robot.”
It means get intentional, deliberate, and focused.
Hell, even the way you dress on set sends a message.
Show up looking like you give a damn.
If you’re still sending out estimates in Word docs with Times New Roman and no branding, you’re telling the client: I’m not keeping up.
And if you’re afraid to write or share because you’re not “good with words,” get over it.
The camera can’t be your only tool anymore.
Bottom Line? This is Survival.
Without a strong personal brand in 2025, you will not be found, will not be remembered, and will absolutely not get hired at the rates they deserve.
Photographers who show up with clarity, style, confidence, and a recognizable voice will stand a better chance because they are taking “chance” out of the equation.
They build trust.
They command respect.
They get called first.
Photographers don’t need followers. They need believers.
And that belief starts with how you show up.
Got Questions? Let’s Talk.
If this stirred something, that’s good.
That means you’re paying attention.
Drop your thoughts in the comments.
Ask a question.
Disagree with me.
Share your wins, your stumbles, your in-progress branding tweaks.
Post a link to your about page and ask for feedback.
I hate lecturing, but I love conversations.
Recent Business Posts
Permission VS Ownership
Permission vs Ownership. Have you ever thought... gee, I wish I could do that. Or, I wish I could I could just do something the way I want to do it. Without the fear of rejection and a flood of ad-hominem critics? Are you asking for permission to be a photographer, or...
Julie Clegg Logo Project.
Julie wanted a whimsical, yet very accessible logo for her commercial side of the business.
Julie Clegg Launches a Transformative Website
Photographer Julie Clegg is currently transitioning from consumer photography to a more commercial approach. Her old website was far too consumer oriented and I wanted to show here work big, juicy and full of life. The opening page has mostly new work on it,...
Steve Burger’s ProDigitalImage Gets a New Business Section
We recently helped set up a new business section for ProDigitalImage. The "TurnKey Post Production" has been a hit for Steve Burger. This new addition to his website allows for people to hire him to work on their images. We used a very simple and easy solution of...
THE “WORK HARDER” MYTH
YouTube is full of them. Facebook memes fill your inbox. Books, articles, and myriad Ted Talks discuss them. The ones who are now great but once were not. We all know the stories, almost legends. Einstein failing math class. Clint Eastwood being fired from...
IN ORDER TO WIN WE HAVE TO EMBRACE FAILING
One of the things about riding a big motorcycle is that is hard to go really slow. The motorcycle I ride weighs in at about 900 pounds with a full tank. Add my big ass to it and we are well over a thousand pounds. Physics, like inertia, balance, motion,...
FOCUS ON BEING DELIBERATE
I could barely make out the song playing in the little bar in Ouray. I knew the melody, but it was damned hard to hear it over the clanking of glasses, conversation, and the air conditioning. The chorus did it for me, and I smiled big enough...
“YOUR LIGHTING SUCKS”- MY GUT WAS CRUSHED!
OK, she didn't exactly say that, but it is what I heard. I was standing in her little office - 'her' being the art director of a major retailer in Los Angeles. The transparencies were scattered over her lightbox and she was looking at them very closely....
FINDING THE PERFECT PLACE IN A SEA OF CHOICE
We sat outside at a little cafe on Coronado Island. It was one of those simply awesome days with temps in the high 70’s, and a soft breeze off the ocean. To my left was the grand old Coronado Hotel. To the right a huge expanse of sand with surprisingly few...
MY RULES FOR SHOOTING FOR FREE
Do I want to do this photograph? This is very important to me. If it is something that I think could be a great piece in my portfolio, then it gets consideration. Have other photographers been paid for this same shot? If so, then why are they not wanting to pay me?...