We all start somewhere
If you’ve been meaning to start a watch photography account, but haven’t quite figured out how, then keep reading!
15 Aug 2021 - the day I started @WatchCalvin.
I won’t lie - I found it intimidating to post on Instagram. I feared that my content would just pale in comparison to all the great creators with thousands of followers, pumping out incredible images of beautiful watches.
Whilst I’m no stranger to a camera, my initial posts weren’t visually captivating. I thought watch photography was as simple as buying a fake surface board, plopping a watch on it, and taking the photo.
It was no surprise that they didn’t garner much attention - maybe a comment or two, a handful of likes, and a couple follows on each post.
Not a great start, but I had started, and that’s what mattered.
I started posting twice a day, consistently, to get the practice in.
I watched Verne’s (@WatchStudies) tutorials to learn more and to increase my repertoire of shots.
I started to follow amazing creators, saving their posts, constantly questioning “what makes that image better than mine?”
I experimented with different techniques, styles, settings, lighting, emulating posts I strived towards being able to create one day.
With enough consistency and the mindset to constantly question what makes a good photo, I dramatically improved the way I created content. I started gaining more and more traction, and had quickly made a name for myself in the Instagram watch fam community.
Within only a few months of ever taking my first watch photo, I was able to collab with multiple brands and be repeatedly featured on numerous other brands’ feeds. Within 4 months I was able to break the 2000 follower mark, a feat that take many of the watch community 2 years to achieve in this highly saturated space.
It was a cool realisation at that point that photographers and collectors whom I initially revered and idolised, became peers and good friends, supporting my content.
I was creating amongst them as equals, and with time and effort, you can too!
Whilst I wouldn’t consider my account big by any means, I wouldn’t consider it small either (perhaps mid-tier), especially since I’m still gaining followers! I also wouldn’t consider my journey to be anywhere close to being done as I strive to continually improve my photography to see where all of this takes me.
The purpose of this platform is to share what I’ve learned over the months to help one or two of you out there that feel a bit overwhelmed or stuck (or to provide ample toilet reading material). My way likely isn’t the most efficient way, nor the only way, but I’m hoping it’ll give you some perspective of what worked for me.
I’ll start by saying that the biggest mindset shift to keep in mind is that often we don’t see or realise the hard yards that someone puts in behind the scenes to achieve their accomplishments. It’s easy to compare, then feel down that your content isn’t good enough. But we all start somewhere. Keep your head in the game and focus on your own growth and development. Let your photography and content speak for itself.
The rest will come.
Don’t compare your humble beginnings to someone else’s masterpiece.
Here are my top tips on getting started -
Find creators you like and follow them. Fill your feed with as much inspiration and positivity as possible to get your creative juices flowing.
Save posts from these creators that you would like to be able to create yourself - whether it’s the composition, editing, or general style that you’re striving towards. It helps to create your own mood board. Manifest, baby!
Emulate these posts! Recreate them! This will help put you into the same mindset as the original creators, and get you questioning their artistic choices. Don’t forget to credit the original creators that inspired you.
Figure out what you’re lacking in your images vs theirs - is your composition off? Is it the camera and lighting equipment? Is it the editing? This mindset will help you pinpoint weaknesses and help you improve over time. Be realistic and be critical. Small tweaks at a time.
Find mentors. You’d be surprised at how helpful the watch fam community are, with a lot of them willing to give their time to answer questions in comments or DM’s.
Get into a frequent, but sustainable, creation routine. This will ensure you put in the hard yards and hours required to learn new skills, without burning out.
Develop your own image “recipes” and keep improving them. If you don’t know where to start, check out tutorials by @WatchStudies and @AverageWatches. Once you get the fundamentals, you can start adding your own flair. You’ll also never be at a blank for what to post.
Take risks - don’t get too comfortable just posting the same type of image as that can get stale for your audience very quickly, especially if your follower count and engagement has stagnated. Keep trying new perspectives and shots!
I promise you that in time, people will be saving YOUR posts. Good luck!