Confidence & Value in Your Work.

Well friends, it’s been a long time coming. I have a BRAND NEW PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE, hooray! It’s so sparkly and shiny and new and I love it.

This new website is great for a few reasons:

1. I finally get to use my gorgeous new photography logo, created by the one and only Liz Grant. Isn’t it pretty?

2. It gave me the opportunity to take a step back and look at every photo I’ve taken for the past few years so I can slim down my portfolio to be truly representative of my current style and aesthetic.

and last but certainly not least,

3. It gave me a reason and much-needed confidence boost to finally raise my prices.

I’m apprehensive to admit this, but I have been charging the exact same amount since I first started taking photography clients. Say whaaaaaaat? I know. It’s crazy. My super amateur/beginner rates are what I am currently charging people. I have two thoughts on that: 1) I was probably charging people too much in the beginning (seriously! who hired me?!) and 2) I am not charging people enough now. Because your pricing should change and evolve as your talent grows, right?

I have known this for a while but refused to do anything about it because of one thing: fear.

What if people think I’m a fraud?

Do people know I am completely self-taught?

What if everyone thinks my prices are too high?

What if my clients start hating their pictures?

Self-doubt is a beast.

All the signs were there, and I ignored them. I ignored the fact that other photographers were charging double (if not more) than what I charged. I ignored the fact that every single inquiry I received turned into a “yes!” less than five minutes later. I ignored the fact that I was averaging 2-3 sessions a week even though I didn’t want to be doing that many. All signs pointed to: raise your prices—it’s time, it’s time, IT’S TIME.

And I guess it all boils down to: if I want people to respect and value my work, I have to respect and value my work first.

So, I’m working on that. I chatted with some photography friends, who all gave me great advice, but ultimately, I adjusted my prices based on what I believe my work is worth. I’m sure some people think my work is worth more and some people think my work is worth less. Hopefully most people think it’s just about right.

Have you ever struggled to find value and confidence in your own work? How did you overcome it?