I’m pretty certain that we all do it – that is, we look around our city or town at all the other photographers that are out there and wonder at how we can survive. When we realize just how many photographers there are, our first thought can be to wonder how we can succeed amongst so many, especially when business might seem so sparse.
Surely there can’t be enough clients in our town to go around… Well, maybe there can.
Take a closer look at the other photographers around you, but perhaps just as importantly, take a closer look at yourself and your target market in particular.
Do you offer a specific type of photography? For example, are you a child or pet photographer? If so, then you can immediately scratch off the list all those who specialize in commercial photography or weddings. Now the list is getting a little smaller.
What about your prices? Are you charging the same as the local Walmart or Sears portrait studio? Hopefully, you are significantly more expensive than they are, so you aren’t really competing with them for the same segment of the market. To anyone who has been in the photography business for any length of time, it soon becomes apparent that the client who is willing to spend $10 for a Walmart portrait is not very likely to spend several hundred dollars on a custom portrait, although it can happen.
Your product range also determines which clients you will attract and also who will be competing with. An example of this is the photo DVD that some photographers offer with their packages. If you don’t offer a DVD then you aren’t truly competing with those who do (even though you might feel like it), because you are dealing with clients who work under a different paradigm and don’t see the DVD as valuable as the finished portraits. Another example might be portrait photographers who specialize in painterly canvas prints – by the nature of their product they are not competing directly with those who offer more contemporary prints.
I think you can see that as you find more ways to differentiate your business, you actually reduce the number of photographers you are directly competing with. By having fewer true competitors, we’re able to maintain the prices we want to charge for our work. After all, if every photographer offered the same services and the same products with the same quality, the only way we could compete would be as the cheapest, and who wants that?
Focus on your differences
So, take some time to analyze your business, your approach and philosophy. How many ways can you find that your own business differs from those around you? This isn’t necessarily about being the best photographer (what does that even mean, when you think about it?); it’s about being a specialist in your chosen field. You might find that you are one of only several photographers in your area that offer what you do.
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This is a short overview of Photovision #73, hosted by Ed Pierce, a periodical educational DVD for professional photographers. To be clear about this article – I am not affiliated with Photovision in any way and the overview is intended as my opinion only. [Learn more about 
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