Dear Jasmine,
I started doing photography, the very basics, in high school. I over-edited, used weird angles. All that jazz. I was young and didn't really have a clue what I was doing. After assisting one of the best photographers in town for this past year, I am beginning to develop my own style. But, it's hard to get the “picture” out of people's heads of what I used to do.

How do I regain people's trust? I've been trying to leverage social media, and that helps, but Facebook is plagued with up and coming photographers. How do I show potential clients that I've grown up, and so has my photography.
Sincerely,
All Grown Up

Dear All Grown Up,
You want to talk about weird angles, over-editing, and not having a clue? Oh, yes, let's go there. Why? Because every photographer has been there before, so rest assured you're not alone. And just for the sake of transparency, here's a walk down Memory Lane, from my first year of shooting on my own…what I like to refer to as What-The-Heck-Was-I-Thinking phase…

Who doesn't want a horse in their wedding photos?!

Apparently I wanted to show that their hearts were on fire…

Blades of grass were so artsy. Trust me…

A crooked, over/under exposed, extremely saturated photo of elongated shadows? SIGN ME UP!

Note to self: if you can see up a bride's nose, it's never a good angle…

The fact of matter is it'll take time to show you've improved. But time is a good thing, consistency is a good thing, hard work is a good thing. The more consistently you show your growth, the more confidence you'll build with people who've been watching your business from the sidelines. So often we crave the quick, Alice in Wonderland type growth, but slow and steady improvement is proven improvement. In light of this, continue sharing your photos via social media, update your blog, update your website…ensure that your online presence shows only your best work.

In time, people will forget the past and commission you for the present. Trust me, I speak from experience.
Shine On,
j*