Mountain bike shoot for Peak Performance

The question I get asked a lot is how do you stand out and make a living as a creative in the outdoor industry. The short answer, I’m not sure.

I say ‘I’m not sure’ as the long answer can be somewhat contradictory and frustrating, but I’ll dive into it…..and it will divide people, but that’s ok……it’s ok to disagree. If I can help creatives find their voice, then it’s worth it.

To start with, I love this industry. I like the people, the nature, adventure, the unpredictability and the fact I get to inspire others to get outside and explore is the kind of reward that runs deep in the soul.

There is a larger issue at play here though, which I’ll go into first. It’s no secret that social media has diluted the demand, and integrity, of what a creative does. What I mean by this is that changing your instagram description to photographer, does not make you a photographer in the professional sense. In the same way I once built a box out of wood didn’t make me a carpenter . Yes I can do it but that doesn’t mean I understand it in the professional sense and fancy a crack at building a house.

This may come across as negative or ‘gatekeeping’ as I believe the modern world likes to use, but to be honest the truth is harsh and it needs to be. To be a photographer, or any creative, isn’t just to take a nice photo, it’s the 95% of what happens to get to that point.

I’m not a hater of Instagram, I love seeing peoples work and it acts as a source of inspiration for me and is a great tool for building brands, but this article is about what’s affecting the state of the outdoor industry, of which social media impacts negatively for a photographer. We are overwhelmed with content now, in excess of 66,000 images are shared on instagram every minute, combined with clever algorithms makes for a very saturated market that the brain now struggles to deal with.

Studies from the Hence 2025 Research Study

So let’s get down to it, what is a photographer?

It’s a person who is a great communicator, a logistical whizz, location scout, talent scout, helps a business find their tone, has the patience of a saint and an eye for details and seeing the unseen. Throw into the mix negotiating skills, contract nerd, admin, marketing, the ability to write countless pitches that never get a reply……..all while not losing the love of taking a picture.

You will hear people talk about how social media has encouraged a ‘work for free’ culture, to which it has. The reality is it undervalues all of the above skills and eventually a brand or business gets accustomed to not paying the going rate. This is because there is no industry standard for fees, and so often a potential client won’t understand why an experienced photographer commands a higher fee compared to an aspiring one. A ripple effect then happens where the ‘something for nothing’ culture becomes prominent and in outdoor recreation this has become an issue.

The term ‘no budget for marketing’ has become a popular response to a creative pitch at a time where public interaction in outdoor pursuits is at a high. Often marketing is where a brand will see an area they can cut, and can be genuine reasons, but often it’s because there will be a creative who will jump on the ‘exposure’ bandwagon. And so the cycle continues.

Ski photoshoot for Forward Outerwear. Whistler, British Columbia

Ski photoshoot for Forward Outerwear. Whistler, British Columbia

Ski photoshoot for Forward Outerwear. Whistler, British Columbia

A photographers quote doesn’t just represent one shoot, it represent a lifetime of building experience to be able to do said photoshoot……and that’s how pricing should be approached.

So, how does an aspiring photographer learn the above and build the required experience? The best way is to find a mentor and shadow them. A lot of professional creatives always need assistants, so reach out and enquire. Most working photographers are open and welcoming, we don’t see each other as rivals but instead as a strength in numbers.

I have reached out to many creatives over the years and had discussions about how to move forward and more often than not it’s been a positive experience. Shoot with your mates in order to build the technical skillset and practice photographic techniques.

Next up is to learn the business of being a creative. Nowadays we are overwhelmed with youtubers telling us how to ‘expose properly’ or ‘what gear to buy’ but this is algorithm based content that never really helps.

Contrary to popular belief, you can be just a photographer. There was a phase where we were being told you need to be a videographer and photographer, I can confirm that is not true. If you are working with a brand, do you think it’s a good use of time to be running around trying to capture both stills and video? Or do you think the client will get more value from dedicated creatives who are focussed on their craft? If a client needs video then I will bring one on board and pitch to the client why the best value is having both on set.

Learn how to run a business, how to chase down leads, how to pitch, learn about image licensing and copyrights. Most importantly, learn to communicate with fellow humans and be a problem solver. All these are assets you can provide to future clients.

Combining these skills with the art of taking a photo makes a great foundation to becoming a professional creative. It will also teach you why your time and skillset is valuable to a business and how you leverage that to land paid gigs, or how to turn an opportunity into a job.

It can be quite the conundrum. The outdoor industry literally relies on the very storytelling It has underfunded in order to stay relevant. People need to be inspired to get away from their homes and devices, and that is achieved through brand and businesses supporting creatives in order to tell these important stories. I have seen a slow rise again in quality imagery and longform articles which is great news. Consumers seem to be shunning the quick scrollable content in favour of immersing themselves in captivating stories that foster a deep lying sense of adventure. We live in a world that moves at a million miles an hour and people need to escape from it and ground themselves in nature. Forward thinking brands have noticed this and are reaching back out to creatives to be the stewards of adventure, carefully guiding the consumers in the right direction.

A brand who sells outerwear isn’t just selling outerwear, they are selling an experience that their outerwear allows people to do and that’s where we come in. To build that bridge to the consumer.

Lastly, never forget why you want to be a creative? Most of us can’t function in a regular, structured world……and being a creative is very far removed from that. It has more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, but it’s that uncertainty that can be the source of so much inspiration. We get caught up in the hustle and grind trying to get the next paid job and it can be exhausting especially as it’s more often than not a lonely career. So take time to get out and shoot with your mates for fun, keep that passion alive and the stoke high.

Journal

Posts tagged with photographer

The state of photography in the outdoor industry