In this industry, your clients usually know what they want — but not always what they need. And after you’ve spent some time in adventure photography, you start to realize that sometimes you actually know more than the people hiring you. That’s where the tricky part begins: educating your clients without coming across as a know-it-all.
I’ve learned that how you communicate this education makes all the difference. Instead of mansplaining or lecturing an art buyer, I ask questions. It’s about being kind and unassuming, guiding them toward understanding rather than pushing your expertise down their throat. Because if you mansplain? You’ll probably lose the job.
Let me share a personal story. Would you turn down a “free trip” to Antarctica? I did. If you read The Adventure Photographer’s Playbook, you might remember chapter 1, “Selling Shoots Not Your Soul.” This particular project ticked a lot of boxes on paper, but I just couldn’t say yes.
Sure, a dream trip for my girlfriend and me, no doubt. But the reality? I would have lost nearly $35,000 to make it happen. I sent a counteroffer to the company, but they said no. That was disappointing, but not surprising.
Was it hard to walk away? Honestly, no. I ran the numbers against my Cost of Doing Business. There was no way to make it work financially. The only other option was to turn it into a personal project and find funding, which I chose not to pursue at the time.
The lesson? Know your line in the sand and be willing to walk away from projects that don’t serve you professionally or financially. Stay civil and transparent in conversations — even if it means getting ghosted. Your integrity and long-term sustainability depend on it.
Remember, success as an adventure photographer isn’t about saying yes to everything — it’s about saying yes to the right things.
This comes lesson comes from my ebook "The Adventure Photographer's Playbook" and it costs $10. Why so cheap? The goal of this ebook is to help as many new to mid level photographers go from nothing to getting booked in 18 months as possible:
