As a business owner, I am following quite a few people on social media who breathe and sleep business. Soaking up a lot of what they have to say and applying principles to my own business. One thing I notice, and it’s probably because I am a photographer and visual person is the images they have on their site. People like Lewis Howes, Small Business Strategist Tara Gentile, Dale Partridge of Startup Camp, and the king of media content Gary Vaynerchuk. All have images of themselves doing the thing they do or showing their personality. Their brand is very much who they are as a person. Many of us, as artists and entrepreneurs, can relate to that, but guess what they were not the ones taking the pictures.

So when are you ready for professional photography? I would say you are always ready for an update of your visual content. Spending that little extra time and money to have images that accurately represents you and your brand or art can make a world of difference as to how the world sees you. Remember, the images on your website are like your audition. Even the New York Times is noticing this trend with an article from back in 2014, titled When Selfies Won’t Do.

Think of it this way. You are really good at what you do, and people hire you for it or buy your products. Investing in something that will save you some time so you can do what you do best sounds pretty appealing. Lets face it not many people have the same eye as a photographer nor can they capture personality or expression. With knowledge of lighting and composition and experience doing the thing they are good at can make a photo shoot seem like a breeze. Instead of you having to set up a camera, run back and forth and try to get the right expression, and then not being satisfied with the result. I’ve even been there as a photographer. I understand. It gives you the freedom to be the person behind the business and channel that philosophy and personality that your customers see and want. Without the added hats of stylist, photographer, photo editor, and the like. Wearing lots of hats can get heavy and takes you away from the real work that got you in this in the first place. Get back to your roots. Be the professional person, or brand or business, that world sees you as.