Commercial photographer Sophie Traynor

Commercial photographer Sophie Traynor. Her fashion, culinary, and beauty photography brings her throughout the world from Liverpool. Adidas, Collection, Primark, and others are her clientele. After graduating, many photography students specialise, but she chose commercial photography since she gets bored. She like working in waves and was busy for a year.  

In this case study, she recounts her journey from university graduation (2013) to 2020, detailing how she became a commercial photographer.

Her address included several friends. These friends assisted her throughout her career and shaped her. She has met helpful people at each stage, proving that a commercial photographer needs connections and a solid team. She can also shoot and edit images. Strong PR and sales promotion skills, along with assistance from the photographic team, are essential. Business cards and Instagram can advertise the business. Post more work to gain publicity and clientele.

Later, she discusses how money kills many photographers and brands. Many photographers think their work is worth it, but the brand won't pay them and they don't work together. However, Sophie Traynor believes that lowering the pay tier can help her win the job because it gives people a chance to see her photography. Her friend said that even though the brand doesn't have money, as an unknown photographer they don't have clients either, so why not keep it cheap to get the work and gain more out of it.

She also discussed how to keep friends satisfied with pricing. When you shoot something for a friend, they often bail when you propose payment. The layman thinks the photographer owns the camera, so why should they pay for it? In her discussion, she explained that a photographer requires a camera for her job, but someone coming to a photographer for a picture shoot cannot because the photographer already has it. She believes that if one shoots a project at low cost, one will get more than if one talks about it and at high expense. Because photographers shouldn't value dollars at the start. Even if a photographer has a first-class degree, without a business investment, they will fail.

Next, she describes how she gets concerned when approaching new clients and then doubts herself when she sees less skilled people doing better. She should be blindly confident and not think about anything to overcome imposter syndrome. But not in other people or times. She believes that humility is key to success, hence she is never overconfident. She often succeeds by being humble, thankful, and kind to clients.

Sophie Traynor discusses the three things that have shaped her as a commercial photographer. She is an independent commercial photographer with a studio, team, and regular clients.

Commercial photography is advertising. Commercial photographers must photograph objects and subjects for many objectives. Commercial photographers follow branding and shot lists. The client usually decides artistic matters. Commercial photographers must capture client needs and thoughts in their photos. 202/MasterClass crew Sophie Traynor thinks this demands a humble approach to all clients to find out what they want to achieve to create a client-satisfying shot.

Commercial photographers need portfolios. Commercial photographers must create a portfolio of their best work. Always include your greatest work in a photography portfolio to attract clients. After finishing your portfolio, get photography business cards to give to potential clients. (MasterClass 2020) To get found and gain clients, you need publicity.

Sophie Traynor's blog discusses three key points: commercial photographers require relationships and a solid team. This helps her run herself, advertise her professionalism, and attract clients. Second, she thinks photographers shouldn't worry too much about money because they often get recognition, which is more valuable than money. Third, she discussed how to combat imposter syndrome while working with new clients. She advised against 'blind confidence' because it doesn't work for everyone. She wanted to stress that being humble, thankful, and polite with clients is extremely essential. These ideas inspired her creativity and career.