Struggle to get video clients

I hear you, I having been doing photography professionally for over 25 years, video for over 15 years, I have an amazing portfolio and yet there are many shitty photographers and videographers making a killing it looks like and I do not think there is a "formula" or course that can teach you to get clients as far as I am concerned. I work in fashion and advertising and just recently after just putting as much effort into trying to do everything myself, Filming, producing, editing and color I have finally, after 2 hard years struggling due to the plandemic has work started to pick up for me. It also really started gaining ground after Instagrams reels favoritism started. I hate the rebel format but video has become increasingly more important where as before the reels boom, videos hardly got any likes or interest at all for some odd reason, being short attention span people were after I imagine.

 

Im with you on the plandemic killing stuff. I've been trying to boost things but it's tough sometimes because I still have to maintain the day job unfortunately. Some days I feel like I'm THIS CLOSE to a client and then something happens. Hell Im even struggling to give work away for free. I don't have a corporate or business portfolio so that's what I'm trying to build because I want to get out of photos and weddings and focus solely on video for business like small local companies in the region. Alas, we'll find a way so long as we can survive the impending doom of globalism and climate terrorism.

 

A large percentage of it, believe it or not . . . is networking; and a bit of the old: "In the right place at the right time."

I've seen so many "photographers" hanging their tile out there as professionals and have no clue about lighting or shooting other than AUTO mode. I shit ya not: some don't even know how to manually focus . . . and they are making a tonne more money than myself.

I've additionally seen crappy Pros circle themselves with "influential" idiots - but even idiots hump and have kids and widen that circle - and thus create more business for themselves. It's a tough game if one is relying on this as sole income.

I've shot certain shoots as a hobby and given the customers the edited JPeg files (in final large size) after making test prints for initial review (and these were on display for the tentative customers) with them later coming to me and asking to have prints made because they were so good (not my words; theirs - I have some humility) - and I'd tell them they already have the original final and best quality for printing - just choose a print house and order . . . so many just didn't understand what to do. There is money to be made out there so just keep plugging along at it . . .

. . . and Covid did screw a lot of things up . . .