1. Your attitude shows up before your camera does

Attitude and call time manners are the first things people remember about working with you.

If you show up grumpy, complaining about the day rate you accepted, telling everyone on set that you deserve more, that is what they will remember. Not the pictures. I have heard it on set more times than I can count. The rate is a conversation for before you accept the project, not something to grumble about between setups.

Same with being on time. Know your call time, know exactly where you are supposed to be, and build in a cushion. Traffic happens, family stuff happens, I get it. That is why I leave 30 to 40 minutes earlier than I need to. Those extra minutes make a huge difference, especially on an early call.

2. Stop trying to be someone else

Being inspired by another artist is great. My favorite book, Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, is literally about borrowing from the artists you love. But the second half of that idea is the important part: you have to put your own spin on it.

I see photographers copying other photographers' style, their edit, even how they post. I am guilty of it too. I spent a stretch forcing a style that was not mine, and eventually asked myself the obvious question: why would anyone hire me if I have nothing new to offer?

"You can be inspired by anybody. You just can't be them."

These days I try not to consume too much Instagram. It gives me a mental block and makes me feel like I am doing it wrong. I would rather shoot something the way I want to shoot it and not worry about whether it is on trend. Chances are a brand somewhere is tired of the trend and looking for something fresh.

Find your own style. Set yourself apart.

3. Build a team you trust and love working with

For years I did everything myself. Producing, styling, shooting photo and video, casting, scouting, contracts, invoicing, cold emails, discovery calls. I learned a lot being a one man production company. I do not recommend it forever.

Now I have people:

My girlfriend runs brand outreach Monday through Thursday mornings. We take our coffee out to the patio and go through it together: the brands and agencies we want to work with, who we are reaching out to that week, what came back from last week. That is our coffee morning, and it is one of my favorite parts of the week. We share the same love for photography and for the business side of it, and it feels like we are building something real together. On top of all that, she has turned into a digi tech and file management mastermind.

• Stephanie is the best producer I could ask for. She asks the right questions on discovery calls, builds the sickest production decks, and handles clients on shoot days so I can focus on shooting.

• Carlos, my best friend, is the PA who keeps the day moving. Unloading gear, setting up crafty, moving lights wherever they need to go.

Not every shoot needs the whole crew. Some brands bring their own team and hire me just to shoot, and honestly those are the easiest days. I show up, I shoot, I work the shot list. They are also some of the most useful days I have. Watching how another team runs a set shows me what they do better than us, and I bring that back to my crew so we run tighter on the next project.

4. Underpromise and overdeliver

This one does wonders. When a client opens the gallery and finds more than they expected, they remember it. They come back, and often they come back with a bigger budget, because now they know what you can do.

On set I try to grab extra shots and shoot behind the scenes video the team can share internally. It gets them hyped about the day all over again, and they want to relive it. That is how a one off becomes a returning client. Chasing new clients forever is a lot more work than keeping good ones.

5. Bring great vibes

This ties back to number one. When I am on set my name changes from Oveth to DJ Ove-1. I bring my speaker and my photoshoot playlist and I get everybody moving. I have put on Bad Bunny and watched the whole crew lose it and start dancing.

Shoot days should be fun. That is what I want to bring every single time.

6. Be clear and be honest, early

Be transparent with your clients. If something about the project or the rate does not work for you, say so on the discovery call.

And do not undersell yourself. If the budget is smaller, remove deliverables instead of dropping your rate. If they do not like that, fine, move on. In my experience the clients who do not see the value in your work are the same ones who are hardest to please. I learned that lesson the expensive way, more than once. Now I just decline anything that does not meet my rate.

7. If you mess up, own it

I have dropped the ball on projects. Everyone has.

What I learned is that owning it and offering to fix it goes a long way compared to going quiet on a client. Not every client will be cool about it, and that is their right. But if you did everything you could on your end and they are still unhappy, let the client go and leave on the best terms possible.

8. Take breaks

Hustle is great until it is not. Unplugging is just as important as working.

I know this one intimately. I have burned out to the point of wanting to quit and move to the middle of nowhere in Mexico. Now I schedule quarterly breaks, log off for a few days, and step completely out of the world of production. I always come back with more energy and get more done than I would have by grinding through.

9. Invest in new skills

This past year I put real money and time into getting better: new editing techniques to work faster, new lighting techniques to push my work more editorial, and AI tools that made my workflow 10x more efficient.

Post production used to take me weeks. Now I turn work in less than a day after a shoot. Client is happier and I have more time to focus on the next job.

Switching from Lightroom to Capture One alone saved me an absurd number of hours. Tethering, file management, editing tools, client selects. It is a tool I cannot live without now. I have so much more to add about this topic, but I'll save it the next blog post.

10. Invest in good lighting before you buy another camera

For years I avoided buying expensive strobes for lifestyle and studio work. I am a little embarrassed to admit I ran Alien Bees for a long time and told myself lighting would not make that much difference.

I was so wrong.

Last year I bought a set of Profotos and quality modifiers, and my work has improved more in one year than it did in the previous several. Clients are loving everything I turn in. Good lighting makes everything look elevated, and it is a better investment than the latest and greatest camera body.

One last thing

Be yourself. Find your niche and build your own style. That will take you further than copying anyone else ever will.

And have fun learning and making mistakes. Every professional has made the same ones. The journey and the learning are what make it fun, and what make it feel good when you look back and see how far you have come.