There’s no shortage of technical advice out there on how to go from being a good photographer to a great one. 

When we’re in the building phase, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by what the pros have to say about equipment, lighting, editing and composition, that you may be tempted to just put your camera back on the shelf and leave them to it. 

Overwhelm is the enemy of progress, my friends, but it’s completely natural to feel it while you’re finding your groove. (And you know I’m all about taking the overwhelm out of building your photography business.)

So when the advice you’re consuming starts to consume you, there’s one thing you need to remember:

Excelling at Lifestyle Family Photography is all about how your work feels NOT how it looks. 

Learning how to establish a connection with your clients is a thousand times more valuable than any piece of fancy equipment you’ll ever buy. Because every bit of information they share with you is a window into the love they feel for each other. When you’re able to capture the depth of those feelings in your photography, you’ll have clients who come back again and again, with each family milestone.

Maybe the parents struggled with infertility before they were able to bring the baby into their lives. Maybe both have been married before and they want to capture the joy and energy in their beautiful blended family. Maybe the family dog — their first baby — has been around longer than the kiddos and they want to be sure to remember what a great family protector she was when she’s gone in a few years. 

You don’t need a high-powered lens or expensive software to capture these things — because chances are, you’ve felt what they’re feeling. Your experiences with your own family give you a competitive edge!

So when, in your quest to be the best photographer you can be, you find yourself bogged down by how much there is to learn, just think about the first time you looked at your work and thought, “this is what I’m meant to do.” 

That’s what it’s all about.