| “Photography is the art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Nigel Barker |
This is the most useful reframe for any photographer who’s ever lost a booking to someone cheaper.
You and the photographer down the street are not photographing the same things — even if you’re standing in the same room. You’re each bringing a different way of seeing. A different set of instincts about where to point the lens, what to wait for, what to ignore. The output reflects that difference in ways that a side-by-side portfolio comparison often fails to capture.
The client comparing you purely on price doesn’t understand this yet. Your job is to help them understand it — ideally before they’ve already decided based on the numbers.
Who Is Nigel Barker?
Nigel Barker is a British fashion photographer and model known internationally for his role as a judge and photographer on America’s Next Top Model. His career spans commercial fashion, documentary photography, and media, and he’s been consistently vocal about the artistry and observational skill that separates great photography from competent photography. His work — particularly his documentary projects on social issues — reflects a photographer whose way of seeing is fully shaped by what he cares about.
The Business Lesson: Describe Your Way of Seeing, Not Just Your Services
Most photographer websites describe services. Packages, deliverables, turnaround times, licensing terms. All of that is necessary. None of it differentiates.
What differentiates is your way of seeing — and the challenge is that most photographers have never put language to it. They know how they see. They experience it every shoot. But they’ve never had to describe it to someone who doesn’t share the experience.
Start here: what do you notice that other photographers miss? What are you paying attention to when you’re not actively shooting? What draws your eye in a room before you’ve even raised the camera?
For a family photographer, it might be: the moment when the youngest child forgets they’re being photographed and starts doing exactly what they always do. For a commercial photographer: the way a product looks in the exact second the light shifts from studio to window. For a wedding photographer: the expressions on the faces of people watching the couple, not the couple themselves.
That observation — made specific and put into words — is the most powerful thing you can put on your website. Because it shows the client that your way of seeing is a skill they’re buying, not just a camera they’re renting.
Real-World Application: Write Three Sentences About What You Notice
Finish this: “When I’m at a session, I’m always looking for ___. I notice ___ when most photographers are looking at ___. That’s how I get ___.
Fill in those blanks honestly. Put that on your About page, your inquiry response, or your next Instagram caption.
When clients can see your perspective, price comparison becomes less automatic.
Take the Next Step
OTODEO’s Follow-Up Script Templates include an inquiry response framework designed to communicate your perspective — not just your packages — so the price conversation starts in the right place. Get them free at otodeo.com/follow-up-script-templates.
Read Next:
- Quote of the Day – Chris Burkard on Curiosity, Exploration, and Turning Your Photography Journey Into Content That Books Clients
- Quote of the Day – Martin Schoeller on Proximity, Clarity, and Why Photographers Who Niche Down Book Better Clients
- Quote of the Day – Platon on Trust, Safety, and the Photographer-Client Relationship That Drives Referrals
- Quote of the Day – Jeremy Cowart on Creative Responsibility and Why Photographers With a Mission Book More Referrals
- Quote of the Day – Lindsay Adler on Lighting, Transformation, and What Photographers Get Wrong About Highlighting Their Best Work