Ever walk into a situation and just know it’s not gonna go well?
Over the last 25 years, I can count on one hand how many times I either wished I cancelled a shoot or I did cancel a shoot. Clearly, not many. But when a new incident occurs, I’m reminded how important attitude is.
I KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BROKE AND UNHAPPY. 😔 That was pretty much the majority of my teens and twenties. I know exactly how hard it is to navigate this business when you’re not in a good place emotionally.
And I also know how hard it can be to shift your attitude or change your mindset.
When you’re in a bad place, it’s hard to see how your bad attitude is contributing to bad outcomes in your life. It’s even harder to see that you are accountable.
Andrea Fantauzzi: Office Girl / Love Interest
Brooke McDougal: Midwestern Blue Collar / All American Best Friend
NOTHING HAPPENS TO YOU IN A BUBBLE. Everything is action and reaction.
That’s why it’s important to change your mindset before you take the next step in your career, whether that would be taking new headshots, enrolling in an acting class or joining a coaching program.
Otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure… or worse, wasting a ton of money when you’re not ready to shine. 🌞
I highly recommend listening to
Gary Vaynerchuck’s podcast
to shift your big picture mindset.
Durshara Kirby: Office Girl / Brian Fowler: Suburban Dad
Elinor Keyes: Love Interest / Office Tech / Edgy Heroine
One of my associate photographers recently had a client come in for a session who was clearly in a bad place.
She began to cry during the clothing consultation and again when she saw her photos.
No matter what my associate offered to change, add, with makeup, with hair, with lighting, wardrobe etc., there was no pleasing her. 🙅♀️ His professional suggestions were all turned down.
After it was over, he felt defeated and exhausted for having to play therapist and she wasn’t happy.
FOR ME, THE SHOOT WOULD HAVE BEEN OVER. I would have called it off at the first sign of over the top emotion.
Shortly after, I received the phone call from the client expressing her woes.
Some of the things she said were so distorted from the reality that took place that day, I quickly realized this was an attitude issue.🧠
Gregory Dockery: The Hero / The Best Friend
The only thing I could hope for was that she be happy with her retouches… but even then, everything we did was wrong no matter what we offered to rectify.
IT WAS AN ODD EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST.
However, it’s a reminder that your attitude can make or break your session.
This client had it in her head that she didn’t like photo shoots, and she created a very dramatic situation that became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Her session turned out terribly… for her. Photographers aren’t trained psychologists and we don’t always know how to react when a client cries.
We are taken off-guard, but we want to please.
Most importantly, we are human too and unpleasant attitudes make the shoot unpleasant for us as well.
Guilford Adams: Business Executive / The Entertainer
Jaelin Daily: Hipster / Jason Silva: Gamer
Lynsey Arce: Fitness / Girls Night Out
When a session is unpleasant for us, we can’t do our best work. ✅
This is true for any collaborative setting, whether it would be on-set or in a class. No one enjoys working with unpleasant people and in fact, these people are considered difficult and often don’t get anymore jobs when word gets out.
WHILE IT’S HUMAN TO GO THROUGH HARD TIMES, trust me, I’ve been there, when a person immediately blames everyone else, it’s important to understand their role in how situations transpire.
After the fact, if they were to look inward, hopefully they would see that they are accountable for how things turn out and hopefully they learn how to change their mindset next time. 🤗
Tia Cosey: Middle Management / Edgy Down and Out
Don’t let a bad attitude sabotage your dream photo shoot because it will!
Embrace a positive mindset or know when you’re NOT READY to take the next step because you need to take care of you.
There’s nothing wrong with hitting the pause button and re-calibrating especially in a business like ours, before you move forward in your journey.
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I love helping you by putting out this free information (often written on weekends and evenings) so please help me spread the word by commenting and or sharing this post on your social feed! 🙏
Wow, yes, so important to be honest with oneself if you’re really not in an emotionally secure headspace for a photoshoot, You have to be rested, hydrated, secure in who you are. You also have to trust the other artists in the room (the photographer, the HMUA, etc) It’s a day at work, make no mistake.
That’s a good way to put it. “It’s a day at work”!
Mindset is everything! As an entrepreneur your mindset is the key to productivity and growth! Having a growth mindset goes a long way in business and having the right attitude makes it all the more easier to accomplish your goals.
Thoughtful words, Vanie., that make a lot of sense. Thanks for the blog post.