THE ELUSIVE AND SOMETIMES FUNNY QUEST FOR THE PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHER JOB TITLE
ON THE HUNT FOR THE ELUSIVE AND SOMETIMES FUNNY PHOTOGRAPHER JOB TITLE
Are you a Chief Visual Brand Storyteller?
An Editorial and Advertising Photographer?
A Senior Visual Content Specialist?
A Multimedia Photojournalist/Video journalist?
Or, maybe “Lead Picture Guru”?
If you’re a professional photographer, you’ve probably pondered, paused or even struggled to figure out how you should describe yourself on your business card, social media profile, or during an elevator pitch.
How you refer to yourself often depends on your audience. But in person or especially online, you’re both unsure of their specific need and their sophistication with imprecise job titles.
If I introduce myself with the term “photojournalist”, someone may see me as the crazed Dennis Hopper from Apocalypse Now or clueless Jimmy Olsen from Superman, depending on their Netflix history. Getting past the strange depictions of photojournalists out there, there is a huge creative difference between a photojournalist who uses studio lighting for location portraiture, and a conflict photographer who is a pure documentarian.
I may introduce myself as a “storyteller” – if they understand its potential for advertising and marketing. If not, I might get invited to the next meeting of the National Storytellers League.
Of course you have a niche but you’re also quite capable of applying your talents to other projects. Labels can seem limiting to the person who does many things well.
But there’s that persnickety little acronym, SEO. Why turn away traffic when keywords can make the difference of being found, even within online directories? For kicks, you can call yourself “Lead Bottle Washer” at “XXX Pictures”. Or maybe “Visual Widget Maker”. I’ve even seen “Photographer Extraordinaire” and “Creative Genius” while browsing social media. They’re funny relief from titles that can seem bland and rote. But searchbots being robots, they don’t get the joke.
Most would agree that in the marketplace, it’s not enough to be a “photographer”. Top dollar and creative respect goes to the specialist. Photography has become differentiated, specialized and segmented, so the market has responded. There are specialties of specialties.
As trends continue, it won’t be enough to say you’re an adventure photographer. You’ll have to say something like, “I’m an extreme polar arctic photographer specializing in aerial drone photography shooting 360 degree virtual reality – in HDR! ”
To which a client may say, “Oh that’s too bad, I have a huge project for an extreme polar arctic photographer specializing in aerial drone photography shooting 360 degree virtual reality – in black and white! Can you recommend someone?”
As your business grows, your photographic specialty and the market ideally mesh in a glorious symbiotic relationship. You have all the business you need. No fuss, no hassle. That is, until your high-key, sun flare, blown-out photos become dated, forcing you to regenerate like Dr. Who.
So my best (and perhaps unsatisfying) advice is this,
Be specific, but not too specific.
Be general, but not too general.
Of course, this is all coming from someone whose business card succinctly reads: “Alex Garcia: Photographer”.
I’ll explain more in person…