Working Within Your Limits

Taking on new projects is always an exciting part of freelancing. When you start, there’s a tendency to always go after as much work as you can. So when I started freelancing every project thrown at me, I gave my 100% and always said YES. Every project got me excited, so it was always hard to say no as well. Although as time continued, with every project I took, I learned many things and honestly there were many times I was faced with minor issues during those photography gigs and post-editing. For example, the batteries I had were not enough to last for an hour, my SD cards didn’t have enough storage, some files were deleted for unknown reasons, and much more that I honestly hate to think too much about.

Just the other day I had the opportunity to shoot and document an event and a graduation pictorial and ceremony. The idea got me so excited that I saw yes right away. It was after talking to the client even more about their expectations of the shoot, I began to look at my equipment and started looking ahead for all possible mishaps. I realized I was under-equipped to cover the shoot if it rained and the sun’s natural light would be blocked. I had no lights in case of that happening and I didn’t want the photos to reflect on me in case they didn’t turn out any good.

It can be tough when you’re given a new project and you have this urge to say yes right then and there, but I’ve learned you always have to work within your limits. It’s always better to say yes when you’re confident in executing the project, rather than just winging it and seeing what might happen. Every time you partner with your client, it’s always an opportunity to show what you can do and make that great impression for them to higher or recommend you to a friend. So it’s best to make sure you are giving your 100%.