How To Make 2026 Your Most Successful Year Yet
episode
The Carty Method Podcast - the Art of Making a Living with Your Camera
32 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Why should photographers stop chasing tricks and focus on building systems?
This is The Cardi Method Podcast. Find your creative and business genius with The Cardi Method.
If I could sit down with every photographer who wants to make a living with their camera, I'd tell them the exactly the same thing. I would tell them exactly the same thing. Stop looking for the next trick. Stop thinking that cameras take pictures and realize that photos come from here, your brain, ideas that you execute. Stop looking for that next YouTube video that's going to magically change everything. None of these things are going to build your career. What will build your career is making the right decisions consistently over a long period of time. That's what today's episode is all about. So number one, we have to stop chasing. We literally have to stop chasing and we have to start building systems.
The biggest shift I made when I was trying to really, really do this in my third decade was not, I'm gonna be a better photographer. It's I'm gonna build better systems. and building systems that book clients, systems for follow-up, systems that deliver work, systems that collect testimonials, maybe even a system that automatically organizes your content every week. Goals are super exciting. I love goals, but systems, systems are profitable. And if you're relying on motivation, by the way, you're already behind. Motivation is an external source, meaning you're looking somewhere else for someone else to get you going. If that's your vibe, you're looking to YouTube for motivation to go shoot photos, you're already finished.
Should be out there already shooting photos, literally. So number one is you need to build better systems. And if you haven't built any systems yet, you need to start building them. It's very important. number two the whole idea is we have to be known for one thing we're gonna play a game we're gonna play a google game you're gonna open google right now you're gonna type three words into google you're going to type editorial portraits toronto three words editorial portraits toronto and what you're going to see no matter what country you're in is you're going to see steve cardi photographer First, whether you know my name or not, you're going to see Steve Carty photographer and try this at home. Type editorial portraits Toronto.
You know why? Because I'm known for one thing. I'm known for being the best editorial portrait photographer in the country, said by people. Generalists compete, okay? That's what generalists are doing. Specialists get remembered. When someone hears your name, what do you want them to think? Do you want them to think corporate portraits, restaurants, editorial portraits, personal branding, maybe families? If the answer is I shoot everything, you've given your potential clients absolutely nothing to remember, nothing. i shoot everything everything poorly by the way everything poorly because if you think that you can shoot everything at the highest level the top one percent level your ego is too big for youtube bro seriously if you think you're that good that you can shoot everything
or you think that you're gonna shoot everything and the thing that you're supposed to shoot is just gonna magically appear if that's you oh my god neither one of those things are gonna happen by the way you need to specialize that's the only way the only way that you get insanely good so I specialize.
How can specializing in a niche (like editorial portraits) make you memorable?
I specialize in editorial portraits, magazine style portraits. And this is Colin Firth a week before he won his Oscar. I shot this last week of Gabe. i'm always pushing i shot this when amand was here last month we're always always are at the beginning of the month always this is pete rock this is legendary director romeo romeo George Romero is his name. My apologies. Pete Rock. I'm a specialist. I shoot magazine style portraits. Much of the stuff that I shoot is for magazines, but you also can't tell whether I'm shooting for a magazine or I'm shooting for myself. So editorial portraits is what I specialize in. Now, being specific isn't limiting. What it actually is, is memorable.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why should photographers stop chasing tricks and focus on building systems?
0:00–5:18
2
How can specializing in a niche (like editorial portraits) make you memorable?
5:18–7:59
3
What does it mean to sell solutions instead of photographs to clients?
7:59–11:14
4
Why is building authority before you need it crucial for a photography business?
11:14–14:42
5
How do retainer clients create stable, recurring revenue for photographers?
14:42–18:27
6
What are the best practices for networking and relationship‑building in photography?
18:27–22:54
7
Why should you own your audience (website, email list) instead of relying on social platforms?
22:54–27:14
8
How can pricing for value rather than time increase your earnings as a photographer?
27:14–32:29
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The Carty Method Podcast - the Art of Making a Living with Your Camera
The Journey from Beginner to Pro Photographer
Staying Motivated When Things Get Really Hard
Building a Photo Business in the Creator Economy
Photographers Have to Believe in Possibilities That Do Not Exist
Raise Your Value Instantly With Magnetic Messaging
Build Once, Get Paid Forever Annual Content Explained