The Pros And Cons Of Being A Photographer.
BTS shooting for Baharé
Model: Marie-Laure | MUA: Kenza Igoussimène
The pros:
You can easily create and express yourself by showing your perspective through visual storytelling. There are no specific rules or ways. As long as it makes sense to you and of course to your clients, that’s totally fine.
It allows exploring new places, meeting new people and growing your network. It’s very enriching and interesting. Especially if you are an entrepreneur, getting out of the comfort zone is a must !
As a photographer, I capture emotions and create visuals. I have the opportunity to make a positive impact on my clients and the society.
What I have to say really matters on set because I am the one who will deliver the end results to clients (not saying that I am the most important person). In other words, people really care when I give advice or when I give suggestions.
Post-production. For me it’s a way to express my creativity by playing around with the color-grading and editing. I cannot simply take pictures and not editing them afterwards unless the clients want to use them raw (it happens sometimes).
You can be flexible and make your schedule. You can work when it suits you best, whether it’s early mornings or late nights. Not only does this give you more freedom and control over your own time but it also allows you to have a better work-life balance.
The cons:
High initial investments… If you decide to become a photographer, be ready to make big investments. Some people don’t realize the equipment costs when they see photographs because pictures can be taken simply with a phone. I wasn’t aware of that until I bought myself a camera back in 2019 and kept growing my equipment so – camera as I wrote, lenses, lighting equipment, computer etc… See here my photography equipment.
The photography industry can be competitive (but it doesn’t mean that you have to be discouraged !). You may find yourself in periods of income fluctuations. Some months you’ll have very high incomes and some lower.
Photography sometimes requires long hours on your feet, carrying your backpack with your equipment when shooting outdoor. This may lead to fatigue, discomfort and physical pain (especially the back).
Client demands and expectations… That’s a big one ! Clients may have specific requests or high expectations (when they have the budget, that’s fine but when they don’t, that’s another issue) for their photographs or videos. This can add pressure and stress to the job. Meeting client demands while maintaining your artistic vision can be a balancing act.
Post-production (yes, it can be a con too). Editing and post-processing can be time-consuming. For example, I already found myself retouching 16 beauty pictures for 48 hours. Meaning, 3 hours for one picture ! YES ONE ! Adding to the overall workload and may require additional skills and software knowledge.
With market trends and technological advancements constantly changing, the photography industry can be unpredictable. This may lead to feeling insecure about the business and future.
If you would like to be both, like me, a photographer and a model, or if you want to become one of them, it’s up to you to decide what would work best for you. I would say for me, it is fun being on both sides, and it’s difficult to tell which I prefer. But I can tell you this… being both a photographer and model has opened up some opportunities for me. If you’re thinking about pursuing both roles, don’t let anyone discourage you from doing so. It’s important to follow your passion and do what makes you happy. Who wouldn’t want more skills under their belt ? So take my advice; if modeling is something that interests you as well as photography then go ahead and pursue them both ! You won't regret having two amazing talents at your disposal – trust me on this one !
