I’m working on a behind the scenes post about my workflow and as I’ve been screen capturing the things that I do to share in that post, I’ve started thinking a lot about how I do things, how other people do things, and whether or not I’m doing things the “right” way.  You know, they way you “should” be doing things because “other people” do them that way. Sometimes I almost feel a little bit guilty or a shamed if I admit that I do things differently than other people. And though most of the time people are open minded about how others do things, there have been a few photographers I’ve come across that were pretty mean/rude about the choices I’ve made. So obviously being the worrier I am, I start doubting myself. I’m not shooting with  5DMKII or III (yet), I didn’t go to school for photography, and GASP, I never second shot before I dived into shooting my own weddings. I also didn’t grow up loving photography, I don’t use a fancy pro photo blog, and my proofing site is not the one the majority of people use.  Does any of that really matter though, at the end of the day as long as my work makes my clients (and me) happy? I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think that it really makes one bit of a difference.

The point of this post is not to justify my choices or my path. It’s to tell you that you don’t have to do things a certain way. I recognize that there are a good amount of people who read the blog who are either just in the beginning stages of starting their business and wondering what to do next  and people who are still on the fence about whether or not a photography business is for them at all.  Well, peeps, let me let you in on a secret…there really is no right or wrong when it comes to how you decide to run your business*. It’s all about what works for you.  It doesn’t MATTER if what you do is completely different from anything any other photographers do. If you blog, or you don’t blog, or if you send client gifts, or if you don’t. If you share of your life like I do, or if you’re much more reserved. If you edit every single image in photoshop or if you batch edit with lightroom. Even though it sometimes seems like there is one straight path to success and if you follow what those steps are you will “make it”, everyone is different and so is every business. What worked for one photographer might not work for you. And what works for you might not work for someone else. Follow your heart, go with what your gut tells you is right, and use where YOU have come from to guide how you make your decisions and what you do with your business. Don’t let others (or the “industry”) pressure you into going against what you feel is right for you! Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, try out new things, and make lots of mistakes. Do what works for you, and don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s wrong.

*Unless you are running a business selling crack. Then yeah, you’re wrong;) Crack is wack.