The client rejected my photos and then I thought let me try to use them for Stock Photos and I happened to make more money than the Photosession itself.
YES! You heard it right. I ended up making more money ( in long run) with few photos than I was offered for the photo session itself.
Before we dive into all the details and takeaways, I share a little pre-story to understand it better.
PRODUCT/LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY + SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT.
I am a marketer, and as many of you who follow me or know a little bit about me, they know that I LOVE marketing.
I must say I feel pretty comfortable in this field, and the best part is that MARKETING is never the same as it was TODAY or YESTERDAY. It is always changing, growing, etc. ( You need to embrace the trends and algorithms)
As of now, I have been working with so many clients across the world. I realized that one of the BIGGEST issues when working together is that my clients do not have enough VISUALS ( content).
Small businesses can’t afford monthly photography sessions or expensive content creation, and due to that, their content doesn’t stand out and their brand/business is not growing.
As part of my marketing journey, I also learned about /lifestyle/mood pictures, and from there, it grew out all in one: Photos + Social media Management. This solution helped me as a marketer bring better results, and my clients were making sales; I was able to charge more & WIN-WIN FOR ALL OF US.
AND THIS HAPPENED ALSO THIS TIME, The client reached out to me, we had a brief conversation, she had seen my portfolio, and we were ready to go.
BUT THEN, Once the first set of pictures were ready, she told me that they are not at all her style, and she has no interest in moving forward.
I offered to see a second set which was still in the editing process and but she was clear that I didn’t understand her style: “Monochrome look.”
While I had put the work and time into it, I thought. I am not just going to delete them, let me try to upload some on the Stock Photography sites and maybe some people find it useful for their brand
AND FOR MY SURPRISE,
Within the first days, I had more than 100 downloads, and they kept on coming in.
I also decided to put out some new pictures for free on Unsplash. It turned out that within 24 hours, I had over 4000 downloads and a couple of tips on my Paypal account.
Suddenly, a guy from Korea reached out to me asking if he can print and frame my pictures and sell them to cafes in Korea.
Then I also decided to share them on Canva and had my Sales over there.
And this all happened within few days after I upload them.
First, there was a moment where my client rejected my pictures, and then all of a sudden, there was a new moment where I made more money/impact than the whole project would have made me.
Is it QUICK RICH SCHEME?
No, it is not. And I never said that Stock Photography is now the MONEY-making way to go. Also, I am not going to tell you that you should sign up for Stock Photography and etc.
But I am trying to tell you that if one door closes, get ready to open up another one.
Your mindset is key in everything. The moment I decided to take my pictures upload them on WEB, many things literally changed for me. And most probably for others who bought the picture license. ( at least I hope)
How many times we have heard that Successful Actors, Scientist, and so on been first rejected. It’s life, and you will be rejected, but the most important is finding your way over it.
If you are a photographer or designer, I recommend using SHUTTERSTOCK to upload your pictures and graphics.
I know many of you may say That stock photography is oversaturated, and it is hard to make money as a photographer, and that “stock photography is dead.”
The truth is that all the social media channels are becoming more strict about using pictures, videos, music without a copyright license. And this again means that marketers, newspapers, online magazines, and so on NEED to use photos/videos with copyright.
3 TAKEAWAYS from this experience.
- Believe in yourself. It sounds again so “cliche,” but this is the truth. When you feel that you LIKE what you see, hear, or read, then go ahead. Because it is not the validation from others, it is validation and mindset from yourself. You trust yourself, your decisions, and your inner voice.
( in fact, I couldn’t be more thankful for my client that she canceled the contract, as the outcome I have today is more impressive than I could have ever expected)
2. Always push your boundaries, as your best work is just about to come out from it. It sounds odd, but when people criticize my work or disagree with me or the way I see it, it makes me work harder. And when this happens, always SOMETHING magical happens. Something that I never thought I am caple of doing or making. And I guess this is one reason we need mentors or coaches to push us to another level, as the comfort zone is the worse zone.
3. One NO or negative feedback should be your FUEL. Same when you are writing an article, blog post, or trying to get a job. When you get rejected, it doesn’t always mean that you are not good or you shouldn't try again. Instead, you SHOULD try even harder.
Do you know how many times J.K Rowling got rejected the first book of Harry Potter? If you know the answer, then you also know that you need to keep going.
No, I am not the best Photographer in this world. And also, if you wondered if my EGO got hurt. No, absolutely not. In fact, I discovered something new in me; I found that instead of obsessing over something, I found other ways. I didn’t sit at the office and thinking about it or looking for validations from others, such as: “Yes, B — you did a good job.”
Instead, I changed the direction, and new doors opened.
So I hope this encourages you to keep on going, despite some rejections, different opinions, or life itself.
Keep going and making things happen. And like I said if you are a photographer or like photography try out: Shutterstock
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