Two years have passed since I started charging for this hobby of mine, and there is a lot of things I have learnt over this period of time that I wish I had known before I started, so here’s a few of them for your reading pleasures guys.

1. You will get there. There will be a moment in your life when you stop feeling like a fraud and being embarrassed of your work.
2. Always, always wipe kids snotty noses before you pick up your camera. It’s a time consuming bitch to Photoshop.
3. Don’t be afraid to suggest to clients what they could wear, but don’t get your pants in a twist if they come over wearing latex pants and fluorescent nails with fake diamonds. They are paying you to capture them, not your idea of “them”.
4. If in doubt, always give great customer service. Arguing over an extra print or two is your means to an end. It’s really not worth it.
5. IPS if you can, and if you think you can’t, ask yourself “why not?”.
6. Don’t waste your time bitching about “£20 togs” online. This is their business model, find yours, make it better. They may think that’s what they are worth, or that may be all they are worth. Neither of those is anything to do with you.
7. Before you decide to invest in training with someone, check their goddamn work. It sounds logical, yet a lot of people pay for training just because someone offers it. Do you even like their work? It does help.
8. Talk to other togs, they are not always competition. They may end up your being your best buddies (because who else could listen to photography related shit all day every day?!).
9. Family is only going to support you so far before they are sick and tired of you always editing. Make time for them. No matter how many clients it will cost you.
10. If you don’t want to photograph a certain genre, don’t bloody do it. It’s better to excel at a couple of things than be mediocre at many.
11. Don’t buy cheap props. They will rarely look expensive, no matter how much gold dust you end up sprinkling on them in PS. A turd in glitter is still a turd.
12. You cannot save every photo. Sometimes you have to let them go.
13. Wash baby poop from white backdrops as soon as you have a chance. It’s nuclear.
14. Use a light meter. Your eye is not as good as you think.
15. Only get new gear, when you hit the wall with your current one. Only then if you consciously know what improvement it will bring to your work, not because everyone’s got it.
16. Never buy vinyl backdrops in a dark colour. They always reflect light, no matter how great you are, they are unpractical.
17. Portraiture will probably save you around 5 hours each month if you shoot 4+ sessions a week.
18. If someone tells you they don’t use any actions, step away from those people. They are crazy.
19. If you don’t have a website that ranks on Google, you will struggle, no matter how great you are.
20. Being an artist is not the most important quality of a great photographer who earns a living. Being business minded is.
21. Double back up your family photos. Memories are priceless.
22. Just because you’ve done something one way, doesn’t mean it cannot be done better and faster in a different way. Try it. You may like it.
23. ..except for Wacom. I’m never going to like it.