We were lucky to catch up with Liam Gordon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Liam, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
This is a great question and one I find hard to answer without a long meandering story of my life so I will try to keep it to the specific things that helped me to get there.
Education – At 24, I had a dead-end job and no university degree. I wanted to leave the small town in Scotland that I grew up in and the only way I could see how was to get a degree first. I stumbled a few times but I eventually graduated with a Business degree and a 4.0 GPA
Working hard and at things I care about – It took me a long time to realize that I was a much better worker and happier human being if I chose work that I enjoyed or cared about. While at university I took summer camp jobs in the USA because I enjoyed camp culture and even though the work was challenging and relatively unskilled, I always felt enriched at the end of the experience.
After university and moving to the USA, I started a photography business because I have always enjoyed creating things and I do better in jobs where I have autonomy. I am a better photographer than any other job title I have had because I am excited every day to grow my business and photograph people and their events. Each time a client puts their trust in me to photograph their wedding day or their elopement, I get a big boost in confidence and self-esteem. When I show up to their event, I work my butt off to make the best photos I can for them.
Listening to and surrounding myself with people I admire – While I had wonderful people around me growing up, I did not have the guidance I needed to show me how to figure out what I wanted to do and how to build my confidence. I began listening to podcasts about business, self-improvement, and wedding photography. That was where I was able to surround myself with people I admire and who I could draw from. I also began to meet new people, ask them questions, and learn from their experiences. There is a saying – “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. I don’t know who said it and I don’t exactly agree but I use the idea behind it to try to surround myself with good information and wisdom of people who are further in their careers than I am.
Practicing positive thought – I don’t know how this works but the more I have practiced positive thinking, the more I tend to feel more positive about life and the future. One of the ways I practice positive thinking is to photograph seemingly mundane things in my life. I observe the light and try to recognize interesting things in my daily routine. I find this helps me to feel more positive each day. Even as I write this there is a tree casting a shadow on the wall outside my house and as it sways in the wind it’s a little mesmerizing to watch.
I should note that through all this I have felt huge ups and downs in my confidence and self-esteem. But thanks to a few of these tactics, I am much more confident than I used to be.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a wedding and elopement photographer based in Colorado. I am completely obsessed with photographing couples in love on one of the biggest days of their lives.
I help couples to look and feel amazing in their wedding photos. Most of my couples say they have reservations about not quite knowing how to act in front of the camera and I get it. I guide couples as much as needed and help to bring out their personalities and love for each other in my photos.
Alongside all of the pretty aspects of a wedding day, I also focus on the beautiful messiness that comes along with families and friends and all of the complex relationships that are involved. Because those candid, unscripted, in-between moments are what truly makes a wedding unique.
I obsess over the final images that I provide. With so much access to photo editing and filters today I work to create bold and professional images that look true to life rather than trendy. So that in 30 years those images will have stood the test of time.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Communication – Improving my communication skills has been one of the biggest drivers of my business over the last few years. It is an area of particular weakness for me and I make incremental improvements constantly. The better I feel I communicate with a client, the more likely it seems to be that they book my services especially as the prices have gone up. I’m sure there are many ways to improve your communication but for me, listening to wedding photographers’ podcasts and writing down my answers to commonly asked questions has helped me to clearly and concisely communicate to clients.
If you are not sure what the most commonly asked questions are, search “questions to ask your wedding photographer” and write down your answers to those questions.
Work Ethic – Many of my weaker qualities are propped up by a strong work ethic. Even though wedding days can be tiring, I find the determination to produce the best images I can for a client leaves me feeling more fulfilled about the images I deliver and more excited about my business going forward.
For anyone earlier in their journey, understand that in a competitive industry having a strong work ethic may be the variable to your success.
Confidence – I know I spoke about this earlier but it does seem to be an important quality to work on. The more confident I feel, the better my images get and the more clients will give me their trust.
A great way to build confidence is to know your craft and get as much experience as possible. If you don’t have paying clients to photograph, draw from your friends, family, or co-workers and use them to build that experience and confidence.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed (which I often do) I write down the things I need to get done in order of importance in a sort of master list, usually in the notes app on my computer.
Each day I write down 8 things I need to get done in a little pocket notepad. Sometimes that list includes basic things like cleaning the house or walking the dog but it will always include work tasks too. Checking things off the list feels good and little by little I chip away at the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tartantrewsphoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tartan_trews_photo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liamgordon85/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLiamGordon
