Photographer Burnout: The Real, The Raw, and the Ways to Avoid It
A Masterplan of 14 Rules for Staying Functional When It’s All On You
Warning: the deluge of words that follow is basically a book. Either clear your schedule for the day, or take this sucker in increments. But either way, I hope my personal experiences with burnout management resonates with you.
They say that 50% of small businesses fail after five years in business, but man do I wish they would do a study specifically on the failure rates of self-employed photographers because I feel like it’s so much higher.
There’s a standard rhythm to it — from start to finish it takes about 4.5 years for a photographer to go from excited newbie joining the realms of the self-employed, to emotionally exhausted ex-photographer looking for a full-time job and blaming “all the damned newbies” for their burnout.
It’s an unnerving process to watch, and it happens with such regularity that I warn each new photographer I meet about the dangers of burnout, in hopes that they don’t fall victim to it.
Because the fact is — I once burnt out on this industry, myself.
In 2008, I was so sick of the god-awful trends of the imitation generation and the sudden influx of new photographers that I just kind of… gave up…for a minute. I didn’t feel like going to networking events. I didn’t even feel like going to weddings anymore. I didn’t feel like hearing the same comments from drunk guests, and watching those same people lose their damned minds over the freaking idiotic “Wobble” dance.
I needed a reset.
So I took one. And after I did, I came away with some valuable insights about how not to burn out quite to that level again, which I’m sharing with you in the hopes that we can stop the cycle of burnout.
Rule 1: Create a Morning Ritual
Everyone is different when it comes to mornings. Some people love them, some people hate them. (I fall on the “love” side — I’m literally sitting here writing this as the sun is preparing to rise and I’m a very happy girl.) But no matter if you love or hate them, the way you go about your mornings sets the tone for your whole day.
Your wakeup time will differ depending on your sleep habits, if you have kids, an evening job, etc; but if at all possible I recommend going to bed a bit earlier and waking up before the sun rises. I can’t think of a single more inspiring thing than watching the day come to life with the arrival of the sun.
Keep your mornings calm. Avoid checking your notifications on your phone in bed first thing. Practice mindfulness. Make your to-do list for the day while drinking your warm lemon water. Exercise. Whatever it is that makes you feel happy, calm, and productive. Do that.
Rule 2: Make a Smarter “To-Do List”
You know that “hamster on a wheel” feeling of never getting ahead which often comes with being self-employed? That’s the byproduct of being reactive with your to-do list, rather than proactive.
Carve out a full day for yourself to put together your yearly to do list. Yep. Yearly. Are you going to offer boudoir specials for Valentines day? You’ll need to start promoting that in December. Are you going to offer Holiday Mini sessions? You’ll need to promote that in September. Clients not ordering enough print products? Make a print promo plan. Etc.
You’ll always have editing and invoicing and standard things to do, but once you know the big things you need to tackle, you can see how to spread out your work throughout the course of the year to make it less stressful on yourself.
There are a million cute to-do books out there that you can buy if you’re so inclined, but personally I’m in a never-ending love affair with Excel spreadsheets to track my progress.
I created a master document that lays out my yearly obligations. I reference this document when a new month starts and I put together a monthly to-do list. Then, I break that down into a weekly to-do list at the start of each week. Then, I break that down into my daily to-do list each morning.
It’s the only thing I’ve found that keeps me sane and keeps my head above water — and lets me actually get things done.
Rule 3: Sleep For Success
There is so much research to support getting a healthy amount of sleep each night. Weight gain, trouble thinking, high blood pressure, and weakened immunity are a few of the many side effects of sleep deprivation.
We’re told there’s nothing glamorous about boasting that you got a “full 8 hours of sleep last night.” Many self-employed people feel like they need to embrace the famed CEO lifestyle of “4 hours of sleep, nose to the grindstone” life. We’re told they’re the real go-getters, and we should be like them.
Well, good for them. But the vast majority of us aren’t superhuman and somehow impervious to the detrimental side effects of sleep deprivation.
Get your sleep. Get 8 hours, if possible. Start your day feeling ready and refreshed. It’s kind of important.
Rule 4: Exercise Isn’t a Luxury — It’s a Strategy
The biggest thing I’ve heard self-employed people say about working out is that they just don’t have the time. As if working out falls into a “luxury of time” category that they can’t afford.
So let’s re-categorize working out.
1. It’s a Strategy Session.
The endorphins released during a workout have a mind-clarifying effect that will help you strategize any pressing business issues. I like to set one problem I need to solve as my “intention” for my workout. I keep it in the back of my mind for the moments during my workout when I need to think of something — anything — other than my total disdain for working out.
And it (almost always) works. “The Problem” powers me through my workout, and the workout gives me an answer to my “Problem.” Boom. Workout just became a Strategy Session.
2. It’s training.
Being a photographer takes a serious toll on your body. You’re running for 8+ hours at a wedding, squatting to get the right angle, lugging heavy gear everywhere you go, etc. It’s a physical challenge that your body needs to be prepared to take on. You can’t go from sitting all week editing, to suddenly lurching into that kind of strenuous work without hurting something. You can’t.
Just do it.
Rule 5: Mindfulness = Literally Everything
Want a better brain and less stress? Take a few minutes every day to meditate. If you can meditate for half an hour (or more) that would be awesome, but let’s be honest, most of us don’t have that kind of time. Even taking 10 minutes a day to practice mindfulness can have long-term positive effects.
Meditation increases the gray-matter density in the brain’s hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection. It also reverses your stress response, helping you with the effects of chronic stress.
When you start your day with meditation, you’re normalizing your blood pressure and setting yourself up for calm productivity. Take a deep breath in. Take a deep breath out. Namaste.
Rule 6: Eliminate Toxic Relationships
This is a hard one. I love all people, and I want to be friends with literally everyone I meet. I also, however, have the complete opposite schedule that a lot of my friends with “normal day” jobs have. Because of this mis-match of schedules, I often need to turn down invitations to hang out.
Most of my friends totally understand this, but there are also occasions where a friend decides to take offense and they find subtle ways of guilting me. ‘I know you’re busy and don’t really have time for me anymore, but can we maybe hang out soon?’ Or, ‘Oh! You actually answered your phone this time! To what do I owe this honor?’
Passive aggressive guilting is the fastest way to get me to shut down completely, and can often make me burn out in general.
So what do you do if you have a toxic relationship?
For me, the best thing I can do is just to give myself some space from the person for a bit. (ie: I get really, really busy.)
Maybe avoidance isn’t the best of advice, but for me it has 2 benefits:
First, it never really goes over well to confront people who place demands on your time. If they’re caustic enough to make you feel bad for trying to support your family, then they’re not going to handle a frank conversation about it very well. And I really don’t want people to not like me. (See: 1st paragraph above.)
And, second, giving them some space and time will allow them to form new, healthy relationships with someone whose schedule and interests matches their own.
By allowing a toxic relationship to quietly fizzle, I get to still love that person because we never actually had a fight, and I get to still be honestly happy to see them in social settings.
…as I said, it’s not perfect. But it’s what I’ve needed to do and for me, it works.
The main point here is: it’s okay to make your mental health, your family, and your business your priority. Having friends and hanging out is wonderful, but only if it’s relieving the stress in your life — not adding to it.
Rule 7: Embrace a Weekly Unplug
How many times in the course of reading this (admittedly lengthy) article have you checked your notifications?
It’s an addiction.
And when you spend that much time consuming information, you’re severely restricting your time to create. My best ideas come to me on the back of our motorcycle when we’re taking long Sunday drives. My best sources of inspiration have nothing to do with Instagram or Pinterest — but with going for a long hike and seeing something in real life that inspires me to think completely differently.
With the non-stop barrage of every form of media that our brain is processing, it becomes even more important to give your brain a break from time to time. Let it breathe. Let it rest. And then let it create.
Our industry is suffering from homogenization — a byproduct of perfectly curated IG feeds, popular Lightroom actions, and poses devoid of personality. We’re viewing sterilized product day in and day out. Our brains and therefore our styles are adapting to it.
So give yourself the gift of getting back in touch with your vision. Take one day a week (or even a half day) and GTFO.
Your business deserves it, and so do you.
Rule 8: Decluttering Allows Your Brain to Breathe
Along those same lines, designate some time every week (or every day in smaller amounts) to de-clutter your home and work space.
One of the biggest challenges for self-employed people is working from home and feeling the weight of the undone household chores crushing them when they’re trying to get work done.
If you take the simple first step of merely putting things back where they belong, you’ll be taking a huge first step in setting your mind free. If you have kids or other reasons why your home is in a permanent state of chaos — work somewhere else. Find your productive place. Love it hard.
Rule 9: Reject the Myth of the Niche
The word “niche” is freaking everywhere these days. Stories like “ Why Niching Down is the Most Important Business Decision You’ll Make”, “Niching Down To Stand Out”… etc.
In addition to the standard controversy that follows the word (is it pronounced neesh, nish, or nitch?), I’ve got one more curveball to throw at you: I believe — at least for wedding photographers — niching down is the kiss of death.
I crave variety. I love taking beautiful romantic photos of our wedding couples, but if I only ever got to take photos of a woman in a white dress I would lose my damned mind and burn out in 6 months.
We shoot boudoir, newborns, families, lifestyle, portraits, commercial, product, architectural, musicians, political events, galas, festivals, holiday parties… you name it we’ve shot it.
Every single thing that we shot informs everything else that we will shoot.
We don’t just half-ass these shoots. We fully research the types of images to get and techniques to use before ever accepting any new assignment. So by deep-diving into these various genres, we broaden both our experience and our ability to be adaptable for our main genre, which is weddings.
Wedding in a gorgeous cathedral? We have the architectural experience to make that shot look amazing. Politician at a gala? We can make her look fabulous.
We’re flexible. We’re experienced. And — most importantly — we’re not burning out. (Oh, and side bonus: we’re also making money.)
My last word on this topic: it’s totally pronounced neesh.
Rule 10: Comparison is the Thief of Joy
If I could have one wish for you, it would be that you could be indifferent to what your competition is doing. With Facebook and Insta and all the other socials thrusting other photographer’s fabulous lives into our faces, it can be a challenge. But everyone needs to stop, take a breath, and realize that what you see is a polished representation of what their lives actually are.
I have dear photographer friends that come across as incredibly successful adventure wedding photographers who have admitted to me that they’re hemorrhaging money and looking for day jobs.
I also have dear photographer friends that don’t share much online but are killing the game with crazy high-end jobs.
You can never really know.
There are studios doing better than you. There are studios doing worse than you. None of it matters. If you’re spending your time staring at another studio, then you’re neglecting your own.
Focus. Grow your talents. Stay the course. And be freaking proud of your own accomplishments.
Rule 11: Raise Your Damned Prices
There have been a few totally eye-opening things I’ve learned since becoming a photography educator, but none more surprising than the prices some of you are charging.
I totally get that we all have to start somewhere. I also understand it takes time to develop your work to the point where you can start charging higher prices. That’s all well and good.
The issue, though, is when you’re working like crazy and not making enough to cover your costs of living.
The rules of the game are fairly simple.
- If you’re not busy enough with photography work to cover your costs of living: get a part-time job.
- If you’re crazy busy with photography work, you should be able to cover your costs of living.
- If you’re not able to cover your costs of living but can’t get a part-time job because you’re too crazy busy with photography work, raise your damned prices.
It’s common sense. Use it, people. #stillloveyoutho
Rule 12: Outsource Your Time Suckers
There are few things in this world I despise more than accounting work. The idea of doing my own taxes cripples me with fear. It is, very decidedly, not my strong suit. Because of that, we just keep really good records and send it all to an accountant to figure out for us.
Would it be cheaper if we did it ourselves? Sure. Would it also take away half of my life and leave me crying on the floor?
Abso-freakin-lutely.
We all have things we’re good at, and things that we suck at. If you’re spending hours doing something that you’re not good at, you’re taking that time away from using your strengths to grow your business in a positive direction.
Whether it’s accounting or editing or social media or whatever… figure out the one thing you NEED that you can’t do, and outsource that shiz.
Rule 13: The Power of Saying “No”
Apparently it’s an unwritten rule that the moment you go into business for yourself, you become beholden to everyone you know to do freebies or offer special rates.
I’m pretty sure there’s a tiny elf living in hell (go with it) that sends out tiny elf-sized postcards to every person you know saying: “Ask <insert your name here> for a free shoot! Make sure you include the word “just” in there so they think it’ll be easy!”
Let me go ahead and set the record straight real quick: unless they birthed you or paid your college tuition, you don’t owe anyone a damned thing.
If the friend is a good friend, they wouldn’t even ask for a discount.
If the charity is a legit charity, they’ll have a budget.
On the flipside, if the friend is a good friend going through a tough time, give them a discount even if they don’t ask. And if you have spare time and it’s a cause you’re passionate about, give the charity a discount anyway.
You can still be a good friend and a good business person. You just need to know where the line is, and when to draw it.
Rule 14: Remind Yourself Why You’re Doing This
It is so easy to get lost in the stresses of running a business that you might begin to forget why you’re doing it in the first place. Take a moment to refresh your memory.
Did you do it because you love people? Because you wanted to work from home? Because you hated having a boss? Because you had something you needed to prove to yourself?
Going from the security of a steady paycheck to the stark reality of not knowing when you’ll book your next client is a major leap — and one that you made because you had a powerful reason.
Remind yourself of that reason, and congratulate yourself on surviving the self-employment life. Look back at where you were 5 years ago and pat yourself on your shoulder.
Ya done good, kid. Now take the time to take care of your mind.
You’ve got this.
Are you doing all of the things above and still need a breather? You should check out our yearly retreat: the Boho Foto Camp. We go to the mountains for a few days, unplug, take photos, and talk about life around the campfire. Campfire Cocktails included. You should join us. It’s fun.
