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Why You Must Become a Global Photographer
To increase your chances of success, become a global photographer.
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER: Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER is your new philosophical and practical primer to succeed as a modern photographer in today’s digital world.
What does it mean to be a global photographer?
To be a global photographer means to think big. Don’t just think locally — think on a larger scale.
For example, I have personally benefited thinking big by wanting to create the best online street photography resource, to empower all photographers from all around the globe.
In terms of business, I’ve also benefited by teaching photography workshops and experiences all around the globe. From San Francisco to NYC, to Stockholm to London, Tokyo to Dubai, Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur.
The whole world and globe is your oyster… why think small?
Thanks to my friend Fred for this concept of ‘global photographer.’
Start small, then scale up
Practical tip:
To succeed on a global scale, first aim to dominate a small niche.
For example, I focused on the small niche of street photography. From 2011-2017, I’ve written over 3,000 blog posts, and have done hundreds of videos on YouTube. Slowly but surely, I’ve been able to build up my own personal empire. And I’ve also built my own kingdom on my own platform (this blog), instead of on quicksand (social media).
Now, my personal ambition is even greater: to become #1 in Google for ‘photography’. But before that, my next step is to conquer the field for photography business and entrepreneurship— to give photographers the tools to succeed as modern photographers, and how to make money.
Practical tips to become a global photographer:
- English first: English is the global language of the internet and business/commerce. If you start your own photography blog or platform, I’d recommend you to write in English, to tap into a global following of photographers. For example, my friend Marcus Puschmann started a street photography blog titled ‘Streets of Nuremberg’ and instead of writing in German (his first language) he wrote in English. This benefited him, and helped him to build a much larger global audience.
- Access the power of the internet: The more open your information, the better. For this blog, I’ve kept everything ‘open source’, and I let everyone have access to my information. The more open and free I have kept my information, the more my information has spread all over the globe. In developing parts of India and Africa, I’ve been able to build a strong following — because all my information is free. My practical strategy: don’t aim to monetize right off the bat. First aim to build a global audience, and you can always figure out how to monetize later (the Google and Facebook model).
- Think big: If you imagined that people from all around the globe looked at your pictures, or followed your photography blog — how would you change how you present your work, or communicate? For example, I generally avoid words and text in my pictures — because what if my viewer doesn’t know how to read English? Also, when writing on this blog, I try to keep my language simple. When I use more ‘advanced’ words, I always try to explain my lexicon (vocabulary).
As a caveat, we don’t need to become global photographers. But it certainly helps to extend your reach, and can help you have more opportunities for success.
Don’t over-fish the same pond
Another example:
I earn 80% of my income from teaching workshops and leading travel experiences. If I always stayed local, and only taught in one city or location, I’d eventually ‘over-fish’ my market, and tap it dry.
In agriculture there is a concept of ‘crop rotation’. You cannot keep farming the same plot of land. You must let that land go ‘fallow’ and let the soil regain nutrients.
The same into your photography and business:
You cannot suck your own local market dry.
Therefore, to become global means to increase your opportunities for success. To increase your potential market for teaching workshops in different countries or cities. Or to expand the potential places you can sell your products, pictures, or photographic services.
Conclusion
To conclude:
Don’t think small, think global.
THINK BIG,
ERIC
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER: Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER is your new philosophical and practical primer to succeed as a modern photographer in today’s digital world.