How to market yourself

Jon Devo Jon has been a professional photographer for 19 years, specialising in commercial, marketing and sports photography. Alongside his photography, Jon also works as a writer and technology journalist. Find him at Instagram.com/Gadgetsjon

You’ve made the leap; you want to be a photographer full-time. Perhaps you’ve been making photography work as a side hustle for years. Perhaps you’d never considered it, but the past year has helped you discover a hidden passion and talent for taking pictures. Whatever has brought you to this decision, I’d like to share what I’ve learned about marketing oneself for success in a challenging climate.

I’ve worked in marketing and technology journalism for approaching 14 years cumulatively. My focus has been on communications, brand storytelling and gadgets. I like to think of everything that companies and individuals do to ‘sell’ their goods and services, as a process of finding an audience, connecting with them by appealing to their sensibilities and then delivering or speaking to the needs and desires of that audience. Professional photography is no exception as a business in that regard.

However, the tools we have to use and the ways we garner the attention of our paying audience is unique in a sense. Largely because our audience is often seeking an audience of their own. It could be a couple who wants to capture their timeless wedding or family photographs, or a commercial client who’s aiming to create sales-driving campaign materials. Regardless of the output, our audience – paying clients – want to invest in someone who can bring their desire for eye-catching imagery