Last week as you know I was teaching students in Hawaii photography.  What I realized once again that when you live in community, as we all do, you must have some order or you will create chaos.

Dennis Fahringer, director of the School of Photography at YWAM in Kona, talks to the students about their trip around the Island.  Important details like when they will leave and what to bring are just a couple of the things Dennis talks to them about.

There are always at least two people’s perspectives in community–you and someone else.  The importance of becoming aware of how you carry yourself impacts others is key to the success of a photographer.

While many can and do what works for them, the successful photographer is the one who is concerned about others.  You cannot show concern for a client when you do not show concern for those in your community.  It is much easier for you to learn to live a life that shows how you enjoy serving others than to pick the moments when you decide to care about someone.

Sarah Chapman vacuums the classroom to help keep the place looking presentable and clean.

Self Centered or Client Centered?

You will be either one or the other as a photographer.  I believe the key is to learn to develop a lifestyle that is consistent to which you choose to be.

Now at times we all need to be self centered.  You need to take care of yourself or you cannot be there for others.  The key is not to live your life so that all your time is about serving yourself.

When others take an interest in me, well I just feel good. 

The students are in the studio ready to learn something new.  I was getting ready to teach them some very basic concepts about posing men and women for portraits.

Secret

When I started to understand that photography wasn’t all about me having fun and taking photos that I liked, but rather me helping others get photos they needed I not only started to get more jobs, I was having more fun.

I have found that the more I serve my clients the happier they become.  The happier they are usually means they want to use me even more.  When I have more jobs I find I can pay my bills and I become more relaxed.  As I become more relaxed, my creativity goes up and my clients get better work from me.  I then get more jobs.

When I was more self centered, I shot for me and others may have noticed, but rarely hired me.  I was struggling to pay the bills.  My creativity was diminishing. 

Often from the perspective of the student, they are thinking I have paid to sit here and be served.  However, you are living in a community and as you learn to respect the other students your experience is more enjoyable.  The more you see that your fellow students benefit from your input and you from theirs you start to see how when we serve on another we all grow in our knowledge.

Check your gauges

If you are finding that people are coming to you asking you to do something more than the times you are going to them and offering to help you are most likely self centered.  However, if you are rarely getting asked because you are already doing, then great you are on the way to a successful career.