Building A Community

 The past couple of weeks have been so exciting for PhotogLife. Starting up a company isn't always easy. There are always going to be challenges and people in your way. I have seen it first hand. That is why I know that building this photography community is even more important. I know that helping others is what I want this community to be about. In the last couple of weeks, I have seen a few people challenge me and I knew I had to take a deep breath and realize that it is all part of the journey. This is PhotogLife's journey and I can't wait to see where the road will go. I hope that you find the freedom to be open and post in this group. I hope that the feedback will challenge you and open your eyes to doing greater things. 

 Being challenged is what it is all about. If you never have a challenge, how can you grow and learn? How can we adapt to the ever changing photography environment we work in? I recently was in another FB group and this topic came up. A "seasoned 40 year photographer" was commenting on how the new age brides are just so demanding. It lead into some great conversations and I really felt for him. He was full of so much information, but that information had never evolved with the "times". Instead of embracing a challenging millennial bride, he chose to decide that type of client was too demanding and not for him. He no longer wants to work them. In my eyes, it felt like he gave up. Maybe he has, but would you? I think that with the digital age that has surrounded us, I would want to learn what, why, who, and when and everything there is to know about what is going on in my profession. Now, I am in no way picking on him. I think that what he is experiencing runs deeper than just adjusting. I wanted to share and make this point. We have to evolve. We have to be challenged. We have to embrace the clients and their wants and needs. We also have to learn to be confident in ourselves and our work. We have to value our art. We have to stay educated and educate others. 

 This is why I started this group. I want to stay educated too. I want to grow. I learned years ago, you will never stop learning. I think that if you can truly digest that, you will will always be able to adapt to change. 

Heatherley Bloom Doan

PhotogLife