If you’re a photographer trying to stay relevant and profitable in 2025, you already know just being “good with a camera” isn’t enough. The photographers who thrive today aren’t just capturing images—they’re building trust, solving problems, and promoting themselves personally, strategically, and consistently.

As someone who’s spent decades helping others tell their stories, here’s how I’ve learned to successfully self-promote in a way that builds long-term relationships and opens new doors.

Know Your Audience

Start here: Who do you want to reach?

If you’re like me, your ideal clients are nonprofits, faith-based groups, or small businesses that need strong brand messaging. These clients are often overwhelmed, understaffed, and unsure how to communicate visually. They don’t need someone to “take photos”—they need someone to help them connect.

So make sure everything about how you present yourself speaks to that. Your audience needs to know:

• You understand their mission.
• You’ve helped others like them.
• You’re someone they can trust with their story.

When your message speaks directly to their world, it becomes about them, not just you.

Identify and Solve Their Problems

A promotion that works starts with empathy.

Think about the actual pain points clients bring to the table. Maybe they’re struggling to get donors to engage, or their social media feels flat. Perhaps they’ve worked with other photographers who delivered technically OK photos, but missed the emotional connection.

What you’re offering is a solution. You’re helping them:

• Communicate value to their audience.
• Connect emotionally with supporters or customers.
• Build consistency across their visual brand.

Your messaging should reflect that on your website, blog, emails, and in person.

Structure Your Portfolio for Their Needs

Most photographers build portfolios that show what they like to shoot. However, effective self-promotion means showing what your clients want to see.

Instead of a general “highlight reel,” think about case studies. Break your portfolio into categories like:

• Brand Storytelling for Nonprofits
• Faith-Based Projects
• Event Coverage with a Mission
• Executive and Environmental Portraits

Show variety, but also show depth. For each gallery, include a short paragraph about the client’s challenge, your approach, and the result. A powerful image with a brief story goes much further than a grid of 20 random shots.

Promote Yourself—Consistently and Intentionally

In today’s market, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you must always be everywhere. Instead, aim to be intentional in the ways that matter most.

Snail Mail
Surprise still works. A professionally printed postcard with a handwritten note has a much higher open and response rate than another email in their inbox. Use it to highlight a recent campaign or image series relevant to their mission.

Email
A well-crafted newsletter—once a quarter or once a month—is a great way to stay top-of-mind. Ensure it’s more than “look at my latest shoot.” Offer value: a quick tip on storytelling, a link to a behind-the-scenes post, or a short story of a client’s success.

Blog and Website
Consider your blog your voice when you’re not in the room. Write posts that answer the kinds of questions your clients are already asking:

• What makes a good storytelling photo?
• How do visuals help with fundraising?
• What do we need to do before the shoot?

Ensure your website leads people somewhere: either to contact you, download something helpful, or read more about your process.

Networking and Speaking
This still works better than anything else, especially in the nonprofit and small businesses. Offer to give a short talk on storytelling at a local church, business group, or creative meetup. Speak from experience. Don’t sell. Teach.

You’re not just a vendor—you’re a guide. And the more people see you that way, the easier it is for them to say yes.

Choose the Right Images to Reinforce Your Message

Images matter as much in your self-promotion as in your client work. Choose photos that reflect both skill and purpose.

Here are the types of images to pull from your website and blog:

• Emotion-rich moments from nonprofit or missionary stories. Show connection, not just action.
• Before-and-after branding examples—how a campaign improved with visuals.
• Behind-the-scenes photos of you working, especially in faith or storytelling contexts.
• Photos with real people, real impact—portraits of clients or community members engaging with your work.
• Close-up emotional moments that visually reinforce the message of your post.

These aren’t just portfolio pieces—they’re proof of concept. They show that you understand how to capture images that do something.

Final Thought

Self-promotion doesn’t have to feel awkward or self-serving. Knowing your audience and speaking directly to their needs becomes something much more powerful: an invitation to collaborate.

You’re not just saying, “Look at what I’ve done.” You’re saying, “Here’s how I can help you tell your story.”

And that’s what people will remember.

Great teaching doesn’t just transfer knowledge—it builds trust, invites vulnerability, and creates space for laughter. Here’s a fun moment with students and staff from the YWAM School of Photography in Kona, Hawaii, where we didn’t just learn photography—we learned how to lead by showing up as ourselves.

“The best teachers translate complexity into clarity, not by simplifying the subject, but by personalizing the path.”
— Stanley Leary

Over the years of teaching photographers, videographers, and storytellers from all walks of life, I’ve learned that people don’t just need simplified information-they need relevant understanding. Whether helping someone understand lighting or guiding a nonprofit through brand strategy, I’ve seen that people needn’t just simplified information—they need relevant understanding.

Albert Einstein put it this way:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

It’s a great benchmark. But here’s the next step: just because something is simple to you doesn’t mean it’s clear to them. That’s where personalization comes in.

Teaching vs. Leading: Who Needs to Personalize?

A workshop teacher works face-to-face with learners, adjusting explanations to match different learning styles. One person may need visual examples, another might learn best by doing, and a third might need the story behind the technique to understand its purpose.

Great teachers observe, listen, and respond—not just with answers, but with adaptation. The best ones know the material, sure—but more importantly, they learn the student.

Now, what about leaders?

They may not be teaching aperture or video timelines, but they are guiding people—staff, partners, clients, or donors—through complex decisions and missions. Clarity still matters, and so does personalization.

A great leader:

• Shapes the organization’s message to fit different audiences.
• Communicates vision in a way that each team member can own.
• Understands when to lead from the front and when to walk beside.

Like the teacher, the leader must also personalize the path.

Don’t Just Simplify—Clarify

It’s tempting to take shortcuts: simplify, eliminate the details, and assume people will “get it.” But that often leads to misunderstanding or disengagement.

True clarity comes from doing translation work—not removing the complexity, but guiding someone through it.

That’s what teaching is. That’s what leadership is. And that’s what storytelling is, too.

Whether you’re standing in front of a classroom or at the head of an organization, the goal is the same:

Help people make sense of what matters—by meeting them where they are and guiding them forward.

Friendships aren’t just lovely to have—they’re essential. Research consistently shows that strong social bonds improve physical health, mental well-being, and longevity. Friendships help us live longer, manage stress better, and give us a sense of purpose.

Simon Sinek, the leadership author known for books like Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last, has been thinking a lot about this lately. While he hasn’t yet released a whole book on the topic, he’s shared in interviews and blog posts that he’s become increasingly obsessed with friendship. He discusses how real friendships are the foundation of trust, connection, and good leadership.

As someone who works in visual storytelling, I’ve seen how photography and video can celebrate, reinforce, and deepen those connections. It’s one of the most meaningful uses of our craft—capturing the small, unrepeatable moments that define our closest relationships.

Photography: A Celebration of Friendship

Taking photos of your friends isn’t just about making memories. It’s a form of honoring them. It says: “You matter. This moment with you matters.”

Here are some powerful ways photography and video can strengthen and celebrate friendships:

1. Capture the candid, everyday moments together.
2. Document your shared adventures—whether a road trip, mission trip, or just a weekend lunch.
3. Make portraits of each other that you both feel good about.
4. Show each other how you see one another through your lens.
5. Create albums or reels that remind you how far you’ve come together.
6. Revisit old photos to reflect on growth and shared history.
7. Take video clips of conversations or moments that are often forgotten.
8. Celebrate milestones together—birthdays, graduations, reunions, or just surviving a hard week.
9. Turn ordinary hangouts into documentary-style reflections of your friendship.
10. Being present with a camera says, “This is worth remembering.”

The Real Tip: Photo Reciprocity

Here’s something I’ve learned as a visual storyteller and as someone who archives personal photo collections for families: your collection becomes more powerful when it includes your friends’ perspectives.

Two clients had children who went on the same Spring Break mission trip in 2005. One of the boys gathered photos from all his friends on that trip. I believe he also shared his own with them. Because of this exchange, his family had far more images of their son—photos of him, not just the ones he took.

When we only keep our perspective, we miss half the story. But when our friends take photos and share them with us, we see ourselves through their eyes—and that’s a powerful gift.

So here’s my advice: ask your friends to photograph you. Then swap, trade perspectives, build shared albums, and celebrate each other.

How Sharing Photos Builds Connection

After the rise of Facebook and Instagram, something unexpected happened: we started seeing photos of ourselves we didn’t know existed. Moments from a mission trip, a birthday party, or even just sitting in a coffee shop—all captured by someone else.

This helped us feel more seen, more included. Some studies suggest that people sharing photos with friends feel more connected. Even sharing lighthearted images like pet photos or travel snapshots has increased emotional closeness.

When you see yourself in your friend’s story, something changes. The relationship grows deeper. You start to see how others value you, not just how you see yourself.

Ways to Share Photos with Your Circle of Friends

Here are some easy ways to turn your photo habits into a friendship-strengthening tradition:

• Create a shared album where everyone adds their best photos each month.
• Host a photo night and swap prints or slideshows.
• Send surprise prints in the mail.
• Start a digital picture frame rotation where you preload your favorite moments for each other.
• Keep a running photo journal together in a private social media group.
• Build an annual photo book or scrapbook that you all contribute to.

Celebrating Customers with Photography

This same principle applies in business, too. I’ve visited restaurants that take photos of their guests and hang them on the wall. It’s not just décor—a visual celebration of their community. These walls of smiling faces invite new customers in and remind regulars that they’re appreciated.

Today, that’s moved mostly to social media. Businesses share customer photos online, creating digital versions of that wall.

If you run a business and want to do this well, here are a few tips:

Do:

• Always get permission before posting.
• Use a consistent style or frame to make your images feel on-brand.
• Celebrate your customers, not just yourself.
• Refresh your content often so it doesn’t get stale.
• Make your customers feel like VIPs when they’re featured.

Avoid:

• Posting without consent or using photos out of context.
• Letting the feed get outdated or inconsistent.
• Posting poor-quality images that don’t reflect well on your brand.
• Ignoring customer engagement in the comments or messages.

Done right, these photos can turn casual customers into lifelong fans.

Final Thoughts

As a storyteller and brand builder, I believe professionals don’t tell some of the best stories—they’re lived and captured by friends.

So don’t just take photos of your friends. Ask them to do the same for you. Share them. Celebrate one another. Archive your friendships as you would a legacy—because that’s what they are.

Want to build deeper bonds? Please pick up your camera and hand it to your friend.

During one of our early scouting trips for the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop, Jeff Raymond and I are overlooking the Pacific in Lima, Peru. Like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road, this journey wasn’t one I could walk alone. Jeff and I spent more than a decade building something bigger than ourselves—training creatives to tell meaningful stories that would help missionaries connect with supporters. This moment reminds me: the best strategies are rooted in shared purpose. You invite others in—not just to help you reach your goals, but because they’re on a journey too.

I recently heard Seth Godin share a powerful metaphor; it hasn’t left my mind since.

He talked about Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz—how she started her journey alone, heading to see the Wizard. Along the way, she invited the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to join her. Each one said yes, not because she was offering a service, but because they were on a journey too.

That hit home for me as a creative and solo entrepreneur.

As Creatives, We’re All on a Road

Like Dorothy, we start with a vision. But if we’re honest, the road gets long, and we can’t walk it alone. That’s where our customers come in.

They’re not just hiring us for photography, video, or storytelling. They’re looking for something more profound:

• Like the Scarecrow, they want clarity—they feel stuck in the weeds.
• Like the Tin Man, they want to connect—they’ve got the structure but need heart.
• Like the Lion, they want courage—to speak up, be seen, and lead.

And just like Dorothy, we invite them to walk with us.

Strategy Isn’t About You—It’s About Us

Seth’s metaphor reminded me of something I often tell others:

You cannot reach your business goals without your customers.
And they can’t reach theirs without you.

This is the heart of strategy for creatives.

We’re not just offering a product or a service—we’re extending an invitation.
We’re saying, “Let’s go together.”

When we understand what our clients need and show them how we’ll help them achieve it, we build trust.
We build something better than a transaction.
We build a shared mission.

The Takeaway

Dorothy didn’t wait to be fully prepared. She started moving, saw people along the way, and brought them in.

That’s what I’m learning to do, too.

So thanks to Seth Godin for the metaphor and Dorothy for the example.

If you’re building a brand, trying to tell better stories, or just finding your way down the yellow brick road…
Ask yourself:
Who can I invite to walk this path with me?

Want me to help you tell your story along the way?
Let’s talk.