Lindsay Adler Photography

Toot your Own Horn, Without Looking Like an Ass

Portrait of Lindsay Adler Summer 2009

I always tell people, “toot your own horn, no one else will”.

For some people this comes naturally, but for many it is awkward and uncomfortable. More importantly, most people don’t know how to go about this without seeming cocky and self-inflated.

When I first started out in photography, I used to blush when my mom and dad would talk about my talents and abilities. I didn’t mind showing people my photos if they asked, but in general I was a bit shy and uncomfortable talking about my accomplishments and images. I certainly didn’t go out of my way to show my photos unless I had arranged a gallery showing of some sort.

As years went on, I became more comfortable with myself and my knowledge of photography, and found it easier to discuss. Still, I didn’t go out of my way to ‘toot my own horn’. This saying has a negative connotation, but I have found that is is ESSENTIAL to success.

By talking about your abilities and accomplishments, you help others to take an interest in you and to gain confidence in your work. If you don’t seem confident, why would they be confident enough in hiring you? If you aren’t proud of your work, what incentive do they have to hire you?

There is a difference between bragging and being passionately proud. If you don’t talk about your work, who will? There are very few people who will go out of their way to promote you or get you work.

My trick is passion. I am passionate about my work. I love photography and have sincere excitement about my work and accomplishments. When I ‘toot my own horn’, I am sharing with others because I am so passionate about my job and artwork.

If I talk about a photo I got published, I share about my experience taking the photo and how I am excited to have it published. If I talk about a new teaching gig, I am passionate about my intentions to share my knowledge and the joy of photography.  With any accomplishment or with any of my work, I try to get the people I interact with excited about it too. I want them to feel my excitement and passion, and to feed off it. Ideally, I want them to feed off of it so much that they want to be involved (hire me or help me out).

I never rant or try to convince people of the ‘superiority’ of my work… but instead I simply expression passion. If you focus on your work COMPARED to others, then you look like an ass. Or if you seem to just be rambling off a resume overtime you meet someone, again you look like an ass. We all know the type… their noses held high and their feigned indifference to their accomplishments.

Its all about passion. If you aren’t passionate about photography, you shouldn’t be a photographer. If you are, you should let it show.

Also, if you want to get people actually interested in your photos or accomplishments, try to share some insights or knowledge of value. Get them interested in what they can learn from you. Providing valuable content or insight is sure to gain you attention (this applies with social networking online, real-life interactions, etc)

Be aware that there is a big difference between confidence and arrogance. I try to always exude confidence because I have found it to go a LONG way when first meeting people or trying to get new contacts or clients. When I act confident and comfortable, people sometimes seem willing to hiring me without even seeing my work! When I call up camera clubs or companies to ask them if they want me to teach, my confidence and passion often sell me without even

\a reference or look at my website!

So remember… get out there and speak passionately. Show how photography effects you and your life! Get people engaged and excited with you!

PS: I took a quick poll of my twitter followers to see whether I should use the word ass or not in my title. 90%+ said yes, use it because it shows personality and voice… and effectively communicates an idea. FYI. Hope you didn’t mind!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 1:39 PM and is filed under Tutorials and tagged with Article, Excitement, Lindsay Adler, Passion, Photo, Photographer, Photography, Promote, Promotion, Toot Your Own Horn. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.