Featuring Robb McCormick
For long, there has been this idea of specialized photography in people’s minds — be it the clients or the photographers themselves. The misconception is that someone who carries the title of a professional photographer should just be an expert in one genre. However, time and again photographers have proven their mettle in different forms of photography. One such professional photographer is Robb McCormick.
Robb, who has an exemplary line of work calls himself a “lover of light.” Based in the Columbus, Ohio area, Robb is known for his modern and stunning wedding photography. Besides this, he is also into Corporate, Real Estate, Portraits and Headshots photography and he is excellent in all. When you Google his name, you will find some incredible reviews about his work and also him as a person. He’s even been rated 5/5 by The Knot and The Wedding Wire.
So we at ShootDotEdit thought of sharing his journey so far as a photographer and also why he decided to diversify his craft. Robb was kind enough to take some time for us to share his experiences and advise other aspiring photographers.
Robb McCormick’s Journey & Diversification
There was a time when Robb McCormick decided to be a professional photographer but ran out of people and resources to support his passion. Though, destiny had other plans for him. Besides photography, he was a musician and used to attend events. He started taking his camera along and capturing moments on his lens. It was not too long when people took interest in his photos. He even made 300 Groupon sales. One thing led to another and Robb started getting offers to photograph senior groups. From there it graduated to engagements and then to weddings. “You know, early in my career I got my first wedding and charged $600,” Robb told us.
Robb suddenly found himself neck-deep in work. He was so overwhelmed that he began fretting over editing, keeping track of the photographs and delivering them to the clients. Gradually, he learned about the workflow of this business.
As he started to settle down with work, he realized there was less business for nearly six months of the year. From November to April, the wedding work was slow and this affected his business. So in order to keep himself busy and generate income, Robb took up a few non-wedding projects. Robb told us how he had never even thought about diversifying, rather it had happened by chance.
Robb was asked to photograph a local band and found the perfect place for the shoot — the Columbus Center of Science and Industry. Days later, he got a call from the center’s manager, requesting him for a photoshoot for the center itself.
Today, Robb McCormick says, it has been 10 years with them and many projects stemmed from them. Later, he was offered a chance to capture some architecture photography. And though he said it wasn’t for him, he was happy to give it a chance.
Robb McCormick’s Mantras to Success
1. “Say yes to everything.” It will help you know what you are good at. It will help you practice and learn. It will keep you busy and known in the market. It will provide you with the money to keep your passion alive. Being too busy is a far better thing than not having any work.
2. “Practice to make your own bag of tricks.” Robb says he has done hundreds of weddings and felt confused many times but practice is what has brought him here today. He says, “It’s not just talent but hard work that makes a truly great photographer.”
3. “Make good relations with clients.” They are the ones who will help you secure many more leads. Robb says, “The power of referrals is incredibly strong.”
4. “If you give a little bit, you’re going to get so much more in return.” “Be a good human being,” Robb says. “Leaving a good taste in someone’s mouth at the end of the day — just doing that one extra thing, giving that extra little something is going to make you different from the others.”
5. “Wear the right clothes and be on time.” The virtue of punctuality can never be ignored and when it comes to clothes. Robb says, “No one would like a photographer in casual jeans and flip-flops at a corporate event or at a wedding. It is simply a huge turn off and looks unprofessional.”
6. “Always embed metadata into your photographs.” Robb emphasized the need for metadata and keywords to keep people away from stealing credits and also highlighting your name whenever someone uses it. One might catch the eye of biggest brands this way.
Help From His Wife & Outsourcing To ShootDotEdit
Robb told us how his wife had, until now, been handling everything for his business. He calls her a pillar of strength and a great support in life. He said until last year, she had been doing everything, from invoicing, contracts, conferences, editing, blogging, emailing and what not.
It was last year they realized that outsourcing would be the best way to give them some time as a couple and relax.
This is where ShootDotEdit came in. Robb says he is glad to have stuck with ShootDotEdit as it has come a long way and doing really well. He is happy to get all that valuable help his business needs.
Appreciating ShootDotEdit, Robb says, “The great thing about ShootDotEdit — the reason I like ShootDotEdit so much is because you guys do 80% of the heavy lifting and I get to do the 20% of the fun stuff at the end.”
Keeping the large amount of work in mind, Robb also has some trained employees and subcontractors to manage his work.
He says, “I think being too busy is a far better problem to have than the alternative of that terrible feeling in your stomach when you just don’t have enough money to pay your bills or you don’t have enough work coming in, you know?”
Thanks a lot, Robb for all the time that you took out for us and the great advice you shared with the huge amount of experience that you hold.
To see more of Robb’s work, check out his website or follow him on Instagram and Facebook. We at ShootDotEdit are honored to have Robb as a valued customer.
Want more inspirational features? Check out COULD DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY BE THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF WEDDING PHOTOS? and “BE YOURSELF — THE REST WILL FOLLOW”.
If you’re interested in letting ShootDotEdit take care of the “heavy lifting” of your photo editing, CLICK HERE to see what we can do for you!