When it comes to being a photographer, our overall mission is to create consistently incredible imagery. But to become a successful photographer, there are four key skills you must acquire. These four skills fall into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. The hard skills are the technical ones that come from being able to use your gear creatively, come up with new ideas, and know how to find and create light, post processing, etc.  The soft skills involve the ability to properly communicate with your clients and understand what they want and need.

Many successful photographers you may come across in the industry aren’t necessarily the best artists, but they have fantastic technical skills. Or you may find some that are incredibly successful because they’ve mastered the soft skills of client relationships and communication, but are not necessarily as technical or artistic.

If you want to become a successful photographer, it’s important to have all four key skills, with a balance between the four.

25% Hard Skills

The hard skills can be referred to as internal skills because you can improve on these skills by simply studying and practicing on your own. These are very important but they’re not the sole means to success. Hard skills encompass the technical side and the artistic side, and should make up about 25% of a successful photographer.