Hear more from Sandra Coan at WPPI 2022, where she’ll be sharing her insights on standing out in a saturated photography market at the RF Lounge (Tuesday, March 1 at 1:30 p.m.), as well as teaching a class on building a six-figure photography business at the Baby Summit (Sunday, February 27 at 2:15 p.m.)!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Standing out in today’s saturated photography market is possible, and it’s easier to do than you probably think.

You see, standing out from the crowd isn’t about spending a ton of money on ads or coming up with elaborate marketing strategies. It’s about figuring out what you do, and then doing it.

Let me explain.

We all have things that we are drawn to—unique interests, unique points of view, unique ways that we see the world. In fact, you are the only person on the entire planet who can see and capture something exactly the way you see and capture it. That is why when you’re at a conference or a workshop, you can be in a room full of other photographers, all photographing the same thing, and everyone’s images will look different, saturated photography market be damned.

[Read: How to Imitate & Enhance Natural Light, Indoors and Out]

As visual artists, this is an important fact to remember: We all have something special about the way we see. Sharing your way of seeing is probably what inspired you to pick up our camera in the first place! 

But for some reason, as soon as we start charging for our work, we too often stop trusting our unique point of view and start comparing ourselves to others. We look at what our competition is doing. We notice the trends. And we think maybe we should do those things as well if we want to be successful.

[Read: What To Do If You’re Not a Busy Photographer During the Busy Season]

This is the number one business mistake I see photographers make in a saturated photography market. And it all comes down to not trusting our creative instincts. When you trust your way of seeing and lean into what you are naturally drawn to create, a few things happen:

1. Your work becomes unique. Again, you are the only person in the world who can see and capture something the way you do.

2. When your work is unique, it becomes instantly recognizable, which will establish a signature style.

3. Having a signature style makes your work consistent and predictable. Clients and potential clients know exactly what they are going to get from you when they hire you. 

4. That makes you trustworthy. And trust equals sales.

Creating work that is unique, instantly recognizable, consistent and trustworthy is how you build a strong photography brand. And having a strong brand is the only way to stand out in the saturated photography market.

[Read: The Right Way To Do Mini Sessions—Special for Clients, Profitable for You]

Your brand isn’t just your logo or your color pallet or your website or the packaging you use. Those things are important parts of your brand, but they are not the most important part of your brand.

Your brand is your style. Your passion. Your voice. Your personality. It’s what your clients think of when they hear your name or your company’s name. And most importantly, it’s the work you produce.

Honor the things that only you can bring to your photography. Value what makes you different. Remember what made you want to become a photographer in the first place. Stop comparing yourself to others. Divorce yourself from the trends. Figure out what you do, and then do it. Fearlessly. 💪🏼

Sandra Coan is an industry educator and award-winning newborn and family photographer specializing in studio portraiture, artificial lighting and fine-art film photography. Catch her at WPPI 2022, where she’ll be sharing her insights on standing out in a saturated photography market at the RF Lounge (Tuesday, March 1 at 1:30 p.m.), as well as teaching a class on building a six-figure photography business at the Baby Summit (Sunday, February 27 at 2:15 p.m.)!