I just read this article this morning, “What You Can Learn From The World’s Best Violinist (And His $32 Pay Day),” and it made me think about how often photographers believe it is all about their images.

I have to photograph a lot of meetings, and even in a room, I find many people checked out. Of course, they are a captive audience, but those running the conference still have to do even more to get their attention.

As photographers, we often think our images alone will get jobs for us, and as long as we continue to produce great photos, they will hire us over and over. I hate to break it to you, but that isn’t the case.

This is an interview I updated recently with Greg Thompson on what corporations look for when hiring photographers. Listen and see how many things he mentions, other than important photos, and why they are essential.

https://youtu.be/gD9xiQvdZNo

The total package is more important than any of the individual parts.

So how do you turn people’s heads and keep their attention?

Parts of the Total Package for the photographer

1. Distilled message: You need to understand who you are and what you want from others.
   1. Elevator Speech
   2. Know who your audience is — Not everyone is your audience.
2. Eye-catching
   1. Your images need to be strong enough to engage the viewer
   2. Your image needs to be good. Being well-groomed and in fashion can help.
   3. Presentation – Your materials from business cards, estimates, invoices, and emails all need to be visually solid.
3. Ideas  —  You need to know what you can do for your audience. The more specific this is to your client, the better. 
4. Voice and Tone  —  No question that many people rise to the top due to the quality of their voices. Having James Earl Jones (Darth VaVadar’soice) is quite commanding. You need to speak clearly and develop a tone that engages depending on the message.
5. Relationship-focused  —  people detect if you are using them. It would be best if you were interested in the audience to engage them genuinely.
6. A collaborator  — is someone looking to help your clients reach their goals which intern enables you to get yours.
7. Pricing — Your pricing needs to be clear and understandable from the client’s perspective, meet their needs, and maybe even create desire.
8. When and Where? — You need to target your audience to find them when they have the time to give to you.

You may think of more things to add to the list. But the point is simple; you cannot make it as a professional photographer or as a career with great images alone.