3 of the best investments I’ve made on my photography business

In a one year quest of narrowing down my decision of which product to invest in, a Nikon 85mm 1.4 Lens or an 85mm 1.8 Lens, I realized that we can really screw up when it comes to putting our money where it counts as a photography business. It took me one year of testing and researching to finally decide on purchasing the Nikon 85mm 1.8 Lens over the 1.4 because there wasn’t enough justification after testing/research to validate its $1000 price difference…at least for me there wasn’t.

This really got me thinking on how we can make the wrong investments in our business if we aren’t careful and if we only listen to what others say we should do. Before I go into sharing some of the things I’m grateful I invested in over time-be sure to test things out for yourself before just taking my word for it. This is my business and I run it a certain way and I believe you have to invest in the areas/products that feel right to your business per season.

Over the course of 11 years of doing business, I’ve invested a lot! But here are the top 3 things that I’m still really happy I invested in and have made a huge difference in my quality of work and value of business. In no particular order:

1. Path of Profitability Workshop with Jasmine Star. This investment was under $1000, I know that if she does it again, it won’t be priced that way. I was in a season of my life where I was ready to grow and take my business a little more seriously. I was eager to learn and shift and this moment helped me shift my mindset. I’ve shifted several times since then, but I would not be where I am had I not made that investment at that TIME. Tip: Think about YOUR BUSINESS. Be honest with where you are and analyze your next step of growth! What do you need. Invest in a mindset shift, invest in KNOWLEDGE, invest in mentorship in the SPECIFIC area you need growth on.
2. Full Frame DSLR. I remember going from a Nikon D300S to a Nikon D610 [$1500] and then my Nikon D800 [$2400]. The biggest change I noticed in this purchase was the full frame instead of cropped sensor. It made ALL THE DIFFERENCE to finally get images of the full view of what I was seeing. Tip: Aim to have a full frame camera as fast as you can afford to!
3. Mac Products. I wouldn’t even call myself a huge Apple/Mac die hard, until….PHOTOGRAPHY. There is no system that operates as good as the Mac’s do. I have a beautiful desktop but my favorite is my Macbook Pro [$2000-$2500+]. It’s the best because what photographer is not on the go? It makes work more accessible when needed. The system [when maintained properly-and kept clear-that’s another investment that I won’t go too much into but goes hand in hand-an external drive] is fast and efficient. I seriously don’t think I can operate with a windows system anymore. It’s as if these systems were created for creative artists. Tip: Get yourself a Mac as soon as you possibly can! Time is money, and the efficiency of these systems will save you a lot of time!

I hope you enjoyed my perspective on some of the best investments I’ve made on my business thus far. I really enjoy making investments, it means that I have a functioning business and that I believe in it enough to invest in its’ grow. When making the right purchases, it also helps me deliver the best work I possibly can to my clients…and well….that’s always worth investing! Wouldn’t you say?