T
he modern business landscape is
varied and exciting, offering a huge
scope of opportunities that previously
didn’t exist. As working photographers,
the internet allows us to extend our
commercial reach beyond our base region
and exploit new revenue streams as new
photographic trends take hold. But there’s a
catch – while startup businesses may find this
fluid market a stepping stone towards success,
established photographers can feel left behind
their emerging competition.
As photographic technology opens up new
image possibilities, customer expectations
also shift. This has had the effect of redefining
many genres. For example, while wedding
photography was once largely fixed and
formulaic in its execution, many customerstoday favour lifestyle and reportage-type
imagery over more traditional, formal setups.
For a photographer who has been working
in the wedding business for decades this
may be unsettling, as it demands a change
in working practises. These range from the
new skills required for certain contemporary
image styles, both at the shooting and post-
processing stages, to the shooting schedule for
the wedding itself.
Lifestyle and commercial photographer
Holly Pickering explains some of the
fluctuations in her sector of expertise. “One
of the main changes that has impacted
lifestyle photography over the last few
years is the increased need for brands to
create high-quality social media imagery,
so a lot of campaigns now need to workLEAD
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Adapt your photographic style and business
strategy to changing market trends and win
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