Why Education Is Important For Photographers

As past educators we strongly believe in the incredible impact that education can have on small businesses.

Today we are going to discuss one of my very most favorite topics, why is education so important. From attending conferences and networking with others, to doing online courses and reading books…there is nothing that can help you grow faster than pouring into yourself and helping yourself learn more.

It really doesn’t matter how much you know or how long you’ve been in business, there is always something else that you can learn. Even if it is a course or an offer that is for someone that is a beginner. Maybe it is not a piece of education that is mind blowing to you but maybe it is something that pours into a separate idea that you can use to up level your business.

So let’s take a deep dive into why education and what types of education you can do to help you level up. 

1. Attending conferences and educational communities. Being able to connect with other people who are like minded and are also hoping to level up in their business is absolutely invaluable. We have found so much connection and growth by talking to others and walking through the same issues that we have together. When we are able to bounce ideas back and forth or even feel the ups and downs alongside another other business owner, it allows us to recognize that we are not alone in this journey and that we have others to help us push forward. There is something so important about having a strong community to lean on and help lift you up when you are navigating new challenges. You have a group of people that you can reach out to and just get second opinions to help you thrive.
   
2. Online courses can be hard to digest sometimes but I think they are incredibly impactful because you can do them at any point in time. Even in your pajamas with a bowl of ice cream in your lap, and that my friends, is pretty amazing! We believe that even if it is a beginners course that you still listen and pull little ideas. I strongly believe in the impact of pulling small research from multiple different locations so that you can then shape it together and make it your own.
3. Let’s take it to the NEXT LEVEL: a long term Mastermind. In a long term mastermind you’ll be able to not only connect and learn new content but also have a group of people who have your back. You’ll create long lasting relationships and have a business coach in your back pocket. Growth doesn’t happen over night so this is a wonderful way to keep yourself accountable and constantly pushing forward!

When I was a music teacher I often had to sit through hours of professional development that had nothing to do with being a music teacher, but instead of being too upset about it I would look for ways that I could implement the methods I was being taught into my classroom even though it did not directly relate often at all.

If you go into a classroom or an educational setting with this mindset you are going to be able to walk away with so much more growth. So when you’re taking an online course you may have a whole intro topic on what that person’s journey was and what they’ve learned and things that you are already familiar with, that’s okay!

Take the time to listen and think about how you can take those life lessons and that knowledge and wisdom that they are giving you and transform it into something different for yourself. 

 

How do you get the most of your educational opportunities…

When we were in college learning how to do a research paper or when Robert was doing his masters thesis or when we were doing our honors theses together, it was very clear that when you were learning about a topic, even a topic you already felt you were a pro at, it was very much essential that you were reading every single book ever written on said topic.

So in our industry it is often seen as silly once you already know how to pose. Why are you going to learn from five other people if you already have a method of editing, or organizing your business, or sales, why would you look into other methodologies?

I am a firm believer that it is always important to look for new ideas and new ways of doing things so that you can fine tune your craft. When I was a music educator I had to constantly look for other people who said almost the exact same thing, but you would always find little things that you can tweak in your practice. We highly believe that you can do that as a photographer as well. 

If you were looking for a mastermind to join, we absolutely love the space that we have created with The Cannons Coaching Mastermind.

We more than tripled our prices in 3 years — from 4k to 12k — and continue to grow today. Now, we want to help you serve your couples with an experience that allows you to level up and soar within our Mastermind! This is the most in-depth education and coaching that we offer so that we can dig in deep to your business with refined higher level education and accountability.

Within our mastermind you’ll learn to define your numbers and set achievable business goals, get 6 real time higher level lessons, have endless Q&A time to get all of your questions answered, have group calls with specialists in our industry and you’ll receive individual “hot seat” time to look over pieces of your business together.

Because we truly believe in the power of one on one support, you’ll also have individual time with Courtney to to ask questions, go through your systems, set goals, overcome mindset blocks, and dig deep into where you can focus your time to begin setting yourself up for growth and success.

We are incredibly selective with who we accept for each round of the mastermind group to best foster an incredible community and bond in the group — you’ll walk away with business friends for life.

To cap off the experience at the end of our 6 months together, we’ll have a two day in-person retreat! We will hold in person hot seats and cover a variety of educational topics to wrap up the experience. Lodging and meals are included so you simply have to bring yourself and your camera.

The community has come together full of truly kind hearted wedding photographers at The Cannons Coaching Mastermind and we would love for you to reach out and ask any questions that you might have. We encourage you to see if it is a great fit for you!

Courtney and Robert Cannon are husband and wife wedding photographers located in Ohio service kind hearted wedding couples.