How to balance your photography career and family life never used to be a problem in the past, but in the modern fast-paced world it can now be a real challenge getting that balance right.
In the 20th century people envisioned the future with every home having , travelling about in and vacationing on the moon. Whilst 21st century technology has certainly helped us with some things, one thing it鈥檚 generally not helped is time management. Sure we can do everything faster now, but with that comes a requirement for us to speed up and increase productivity.
We鈥檙e doing everything faster, but we鈥檙e also doing more and at all times of the day. We鈥檙e technology rich, but time poor.
This isn鈥檛 isolated to having a career in photography, but pressures on being a professional photographer in the 21st century has taken a big hit from the rise in technology. On the one hand digital has massively helped in the production of photography, but on the other hand that鈥檚 meant almost everyone is now a photographer and competition is tough. It鈥檚 also meant there鈥檚 little to no downtime.
In the past carrying around a camera was the exception, now it鈥檚 rare for anyone not to be within arms reach of a camera of some sort.
With we鈥檙e also never that far removed from our office/website/email. Many photographers work freelance, self employed from a home office/studio, or even have fulltime jobs in another sector and work part-time as a photographer. Again all these make work more flexible and have many positives, but when do you actually switch off from work?
This blurring of the lines between your career and your family life can either work for you, or can have an impact on your family and your general standard of living.
Here are eight of my tips for how to balance your photography career and family life:
1. Set and agree limits with: yourself, your other half and your children.
If you block book time to dedicate to your photography, then don鈥檛 go beyond that. Eating into time that should be spent with family is a slippery slope. If that means saying no to work then so be it. Saying no to one job might seem negative, but overstretching yourself and not spending downtime with family can have an impact on the quality of work you鈥檙e producing, which can lead to no one offering you work. If you plan to work after you鈥檝e put your children to bed, then limit what you鈥檙e working on to a time or task. You need downtime from work鈥 and from the kids.
2. Try and set aside part of each day when you stay clear of technology.
Turn off your computer, stick your Smartphone on flight mode and divert your calls to voicemail. Devote this time to your other half and/or your children and give them your full attention.
3. If you can, also set aside part of your week for 鈥渕e time鈥.
If you鈥檝e been spending a lot of time editing or working on a project that鈥檚 not that exciting then get out and take some photos for you. Yes, photography is your business, but remember why you started it in the first place. If you鈥檙e passionate about what you鈥檙e taking photos of it shows through in your work. If you鈥檙e just doing it for the money that can sometimes show through in your work also (and that鈥檚 not a good thing!).
4. Think about outsourcing some of your tasks.
Whether that鈥檚 marketing, editing, post-production, keywording or another part of your workflow that doesn鈥檛 require your full attention; with the internet now you have a world of resources within your reach. Finding a low cost alternative in your workflow could free up time to spend with family.
5. Proper planning and organisation of your work is key!
Set yourself a timetable of tasks and time limit each, this will focus the mind and help create a rhythm and flow to your working week. For example, Monday mornings doing two hours of stock photo keywording, Tuesdays photo editing, Wednesdays shooting, etc. Make sure at the end of each day you write a to-do list for tomorrow. If you go to bed thinking about work and fretting about what鈥檚 still to be done it鈥檚 likely you won鈥檛 sleep well and/or you鈥檒l have your Smartphone or laptop in bed (that鈥檚 never a good thing for a marriage).
6. Involve your family in your workflow.
We all need help at some point and if outsourcing some of your workflow isn鈥檛 an option, then consider the cheap labour around you. If the thought of working with your partner leaves you in a cold sweat then maybe this isn鈥檛 for you, but there鈥檚 many ‘couples’ photography businesses out there. Some of which also pass on their knowledge, run courses, teach, write and give out some tips from their own experiences.
7. Involve your family in your photos.
If you don鈥檛 want your family involved in the technical side of your work then consider involving them in your photos. Adding people to landscape, or even still life photos gives the scene extra depth and human interest. There鈥檚 also a great demand for 鈥渞eal people鈥 lifestyle photography which is almost anti-stock. Your family can be a good source of cheap/free (you negotiate rates with your own family) models that offer the diversity and 鈥渘ormalness鈥 that customers are looking for.
8. Set goals , boundaries and have clear vision.
You can choose work, but you can鈥檛 choose your family. Family planning is probably a blog for another site, but planning where you see your business going will help you make strategic decisions both big and small that don鈥檛 impact on your family life. If you don鈥檛 have clear vision, you can make split decisions that end up having larger repercussions down the line.
Whilst I work within the photo industry itself I don鈥檛 work as a photographer per se, so the above should just be viewed as ‘take it or leave it’ advice. I am however a professional husband and father, avid amateur photographer, have been working with professional photographers for 10 years and for 12 years I’ve been listening to my wife… so…. a lot of this advice comes from personal experience.
Whatever works for you is best, but remember work is important, but not as important as family, so make sure you get your balance right.