6 ways to get noticed as a photographer in 2016

As a photographer, it’s very hard to stand out from the ever-growing herd at the moment. There have never been so many skilled photographers clamouring for attention, breaks, publicity, or even just to get paid for their work – yes, things have gotten that bad.

So it’s tough for photographers at the moment but rather than wallowing in self pity, what practical steps can you take to get your work noticed?

1 Keep on keeping on
This is the first, and probably the most important tip. It’s easy to allow negative emotions to prevail, in which case it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You get discouraged as your photography is not being noticed, so you do less and less of it and don’t promote it as strongly.

The result is entirely predictable. You have to stay positive and keep working. Who knows what will happen in the future? If you run out of steam and slack off, though, your chances of breaking through will steadily diminish.

SEE MORE:Inspirational Pictures: 8 ways to get your photo mojo back

2 Get your name out there
A big part of the challenge is just getting your name to stick in people’s minds. Try entering some competitions and publicising any success you achieve. Try pitching some articles to magazines or photography blogs.

The most important thing is to research your market properly, so don’t call just up a busy magazine or blog editor and say “got any work?”

They are expecting you to come up with ideas and suggestions, and be proactive. Pitch as many ideas as possible, but make sure you can deliver.

SEE MORE:How to get your pictures featured in the best photography magazines

3 Find a unique angle 
There is no point just copying another photographer’s style. Who needs another travel photography working in a similar way to Steve McCurry, or another landscape specialist in the style of Charlie Waite? We have Steve and Charlie already.

Many enthusiasts are happy to emulate and prove that they have reached a certain technical standard, but it’s not enough to get you NOTICED. So what is special about you as a photographer?

What is different and unique about your viewpoint, subject, approach etc? What parts of YOU are in the images, your experience, emotion, insight and perspective.

A good way around this is to shoot what you love. That way you at least doing work you are passionate about, and passion is infectious.

SEE MORE: 13 tips to ensure your photo project is unique

4 Explore alternative processes
Without wanting to sound cynical, it seems that the more obscure, exotic and old-school the image-capture process is at the moment, the more likely your work is to get noticed.

Wet plate collodian, 5 x 4 film cameras, disposables from the 80s and 90s, pinhole… it’s ironic indeed that as digital camera technology hits new heights of sophistication, images taken with quirky or old fashioned processes seem to be getting the most attention.

So think about different ways to make images – obviously the images need to be strong and eye-catching in the first place, but having an interesting story around how they were taken could give you an edge over somebody just using a standard D-SLR.

SEE MORE: How to make a digital pinhole camera

5 Build up a strong social media following 
It’s really important you make full use of social media to help get your name out there. Facebook and Twitter are one thing, but if you aren’t on Instagram, you are missing a major trick. It now supports different formats beyond just square, so you have a lot more flexibility (it’s also become easier to post videos that weren’t taken via Instagram apps). Again, you need to make sure you have a strong story – maybe an interesting 365 project or an interesting new take on your home town – but a steadily growing social media following will really help to get your name out there. US photographer Vivienne Gucwa got a book deal based on the success of her Instagram feed of images about New York city, and is now a Sony ambassador.

SEE MORE
Scott Kelby photography tips: the secret to growing a loyal legion of followers

6 Get mentioned on the right sites 
As well as being featured in top magazines such as Digital Camera – remember what we said about being proactive and pitching strong ideas to editors – getting mentioned on certain sites can help your career too.

If you have a strong, interesting story with arresting images, bigger sites will often pick up on your projects, too, potentially exposing them to a much bigger audience. The Daily Mail is a great example.

Again, though, you will need a strong angle to get their attention. So don’t expect ANOTHER series of long exposure shots of the coastline or of your trip to India to get picked up.

Set yourself the challenge of describing what’s interesting and different about your work in 30 seconds – if you are struggling after 15, then it’s time to consider another project.

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