�ڹϳ���

How to balance your photography career and family life never used to be a problem in the past, but in the modern fast-paced world it can now be a real challenge getting that balance right.

In the 20th century people envisioned the future with every home having , travelling about in and vacationing on the moon. Whilst 21st century technology has certainly helped us with some things, one thing it’s generally not helped is time management. Sure we can do everything faster now, but with that comes a requirement for us to speed up and increase productivity.

We’re doing everything faster, but we’re also doing more and at all times of the day. We’re technology rich, but time poor.

This isn’t isolated to having a career in photography, but pressures on being a professional photographer in the 21st century has taken a big hit from the rise in technology. On the one hand digital has massively helped in the production of photography, but on the other hand that’s meant almost everyone is now a photographer and competition is tough. It’s also meant there’s little to no downtime.

In the past carrying around a camera was the exception, now it’s rare for anyone not to be within arms reach of a camera of some sort.

With we’re also never that far removed from our office/website/email. Many photographers work freelance, self employed from a home office/studio, or even have fulltime jobs in another sector and work part-time as a photographer. Again all these make work more flexible and have many positives, but when do you actually switch off from work?

This blurring of the lines between your career and your family life can either work for you, or can have an impact on your family and your general standard of living.

Here are eight of my tips for how to balance your photography career and family life:

1. Set and agree limits with: yourself, your other half and your children.

If you block book time to dedicate to your photography, then don’t go beyond that. Eating into time that should be spent with family is a slippery slope. If that means saying no to work then so be it. Saying no to one job might seem negative, but overstretching yourself and not spending downtime with family can have an impact on the quality of work you’re producing, which can lead to no one offering you work. If you plan to work after you’ve put your children to bed, then limit what you’re working on to a time or task. You need downtime from work… and from the kids.

2. Try and set aside part of each day when you stay clear of technology.

Turn off your computer, stick your Smartphone on flight mode and divert your calls to voicemail. Devote this time to your other half and/or your children and give them your full attention.

3. If you can, also set aside part of your week for “me time”.

If you’ve been spending a lot of time editing or working on a project that’s not that exciting then get out and take some photos for you. Yes, photography is your business, but remember why you started it in the first place. If you’re passionate about what you’re taking photos of it shows through in your work. If you’re just doing it for the money that can sometimes show through in your work also (and that’s not a good thing!).

4. Think about outsourcing some of your tasks.

Whether that’s marketing, editing, post-production, keywording or another part of your workflow that doesn’t require your full attention; with the internet now you have a world of resources within your reach. Finding a low cost alternative in your workflow could free up time to spend with family.

5. Proper planning and organisation of your work is key!

Set yourself a timetable of tasks and time limit each, this will focus the mind and help create a rhythm and flow to your working week. For example, Monday mornings doing two hours of stock photo keywording, Tuesdays photo editing, Wednesdays shooting, etc. Make sure at the end of each day you write a to-do list for tomorrow. If you go to bed thinking about work and fretting about what’s still to be done it’s likely you won’t sleep well and/or you’ll have your Smartphone or laptop in bed (that’s never a good thing for a marriage).

6. Involve your family in your workflow.

We all need help at some point and if outsourcing some of your workflow isn’t an option, then consider the cheap labour around you. If the thought of working with your partner leaves you in a cold sweat then maybe this isn’t for you, but there’s many ‘couples’ photography businesses out there. Some of which also pass on their knowledge, run courses, teach, write and give out some tips from their own experiences.

7. Involve your family in your photos.

If you don’t want your family involved in the technical side of your work then consider involving them in your photos. Adding people to landscape, or even still life photos gives the scene extra depth and human interest. There’s also a great demand for “real people” lifestyle photography which is almost anti-stock. Your family can be a good source of cheap/free (you negotiate rates with your own family) models that offer the diversity and “normalness” that customers are looking for.

8. Set goals , boundaries and have clear vision.

You can choose work, but you can’t choose your family. Family planning is probably a blog for another site, but planning where you see your business going will help you make strategic decisions both big and small that don’t impact on your family life. If you don’t have clear vision, you can make split decisions that end up having larger repercussions down the line.

Whilst I work within the photo industry itself I don’t work as a photographer per se, so the above should just be viewed as ‘take it or leave it’ advice. I am however a professional husband and father, avid amateur photographer, have been working with professional photographers for 10 years and for 12 years I’ve been listening to my wife… so…. a lot of this advice comes from personal experience.

Whatever works for you is best, but remember work is important, but not as important as family, so make sure you get your balance right.