088: Martin Cheung – Why AI is a Game Changer & Top Tips For Running A Successful Photography Business

February 10, 2023

“Don’t believe everything you read on social media.”

MARTIN CHEUNG

Hey everyone! It’s Sally here, from Studio Ninja. Today’s episode is all about Martin Cheung!

Martin is a full time wedding photographer based in the UK with over 10 years of experience. He loves to capture a mix of documentary wedding photos alongside stunning portraits. For over seven years, he has managed to juggle a full time job with shooting over 50 weddings each year before finally going full time in 2021. This is made possible through his focus on outsourcing and automation, allowing him to focus on what he does best – capturing beautiful memories for his clients.

Martin is well known in the wedding photography community and is always happy to help out his fellow photographers with any advice they need.

Check out some of the biggest points from Martin’s interview below:

  • Martin’s journey in the Photography Industry
  • How he got started

  • How to juggle the day job, weddings and still have time for family!

  • Top Tips for saving time
  • Martin’s AI experience

  • Hints & Tips to get more bookings in your diary

  • What he would do differently if he could start his career all over again
  • The importance of detaching from Social Media

  • What extra things you can do once you’re a full time photographer

  • The one thing that made a difference to Martin’s business!

What are your tips for photographers just starting out? 

I guess things have changed now from when we first started haven’t because when we first started it was just spam as many Facebook groups as you can pop a photo on Facebook and then inquiries would come rolling in. Or that’s how it felt anyway. So I think if I was starting out today, knowing what I know now, I think the first thing I’d say is I definitely just pay for the marketing. Like I said, we were spoiled back in those days, but now the competition for attention is so high. And SEO competition is so high now. I remember six, seven years ago, it was so easy to get to the top of Google for multiple regions. Come up with a marketing plan, put some budget against it and just put an advert on Instagram or Google ads or somewhere because it’ll save you so much time.

What do you find that you can do now that you definitely couldn’t do before? 

Yeah. The first one has to be the lifestyle change. It’s so nice just to be able to do things when I want to do them not be tied to a certain time. And just being able to take a random day off. For example, now if we want to go shopping, we’ll go on a Monday or a Tuesday because we know it’s going to be a lot quieter than on a Saturday because obviously now is the off season for us in the UK. Just last week, some photographers and I, we all just met up somewhere and we had breakfast and a coffee and a chat and a little bit of networking, but mainly just a chat and some food really. Yeah, well I couldn’t do that before because I would’ve had to book it whole day off for that.

And the last one I think is really not having to set an alarm alarm clock anymore to make sure I’m in the office. When I first went full time, I had an irrational fear. I was starting to take on more and more and more again. And then eventually, my wife stopped me and said why are you doing this? What’s the point? Why quit your job to have a better lifestyle and then take on so much work that year back in the same position again?

If you could add one final piece of advice, something that’s made a difference in your personal life or your business life, what would that piece of advice be?

Don’t believe everything you read on social media. If you believe everything you read on Facebook and Instagram, then everybody’s living their best lives, getting a hundred inquiries a day. Couples are throwing money at them and begging them to be their wedding photographer. Very simply, just don’t follow all the wedding photographers. I used to get really anxious when every time I opened up Instagram, I would see everybody there living the best life and I’d see posts from other photographers saying ‘I’m fully booked now and it’s only February’ – not everything you see is true.

Thank you!

Thanks again to you all for joining us and a huge thanks to Martin for joining us on the show!

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, I hope you all enjoyed this episode.

See you soon,

Sally

About Martin Cheung

Martin is a full time wedding photographer based in the UK with over 10 years of experience. He loves to capture a mix of documentary wedding photos alongside stunning portraits. For over seven years, he has managed to juggle a full time job with shooting over 50 weddings each year before finally going full time in 2021. This is made possible through his focus on outsourcing and automation, allowing him to focus on what he does best – capturing beautiful memories for his clients.