Photography is a competitive business. Around here in Orange County, California, the wedding and portrait photography market is saturated. Any one who has a camera calls themselves a photographer – many of them offer sub $1000 unlimited wedding packages and Groupon deals for dirt cheap prices.

As a working photographer, it may be discouraging to be just one in the sea of hundreds of other photographers and try to make a living from the craft that you love, while your “peers” are undercutting your prices. Is there a way to differentiate yourself from the droves budget photographers and friends with a camera? The short answer is yes.

[REWIND: VEMODALEN: THE FEAR THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS IDENTICAL TO YOURS]

The following CreativeLive video is a clip of part of a 30 day Master the Business of Photography class with award winning photographer Sal Cincotta. In the 7 minute video, Sal talks about identifying your competition and how you as a portrait photographer should respond to them. Among them he points out The Picture People, a friend with a camera and Groupon as primary competitors and asks, “how do you in the portrait market compete with that?”

These companies offer free to cheap sitting fees, portraits, discs, etc that attracts the volume business, but how do you differentiate your brand and business and be able to charge $500-$1000 a portrait session vs. the $19.95 that the studio in the mall charges? One of my favori