Working with Your Spouse, Part 6

This is part 6 of a 6 part series on husband and wife photography teams. In this series I highlight many of the struggles Geoff and I faced as husband and wife business partners and how we overcame them. 

This goes without saying, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. It’s a process. Compromise in your business means a number of different things. Sometimes you have to compromise on your ideals.

Learn to Compromise

It can’t always be perfect. Sometimes 90% is good enough. Sometimes you won’t agree on things, and you have to learn to trust each other. By having clearly defined areas of domain, we have been able to take ownership of certain areas of the business as our personal area of expertise. This allows us to work well together but also feel a sense of pride in our individual accomplishments. You have to accept that each of you have strengths and weaknesses. If those skills are complimentary, then consider it a blessing to have all skill areas covered.

By the same token, accept that your spouse’s flaws may be your strengths, and use that as an advantage. Recognize each other’s strengths and learn to accept the weaknesses. Not easy by any means, but it simply must be done if you intend to succeed.

Get a Portrait Session for Yourselves

It’s something we do for our clients but not ourselves. Trade services with another wedding photographer for a couples session for the two of you. It’s a great way to celebrate your marriage and experience the treat of having beautiful images to cherish.

It is a gift to you as a couple, one that you should personally experience. Plus you’ll understand what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera and you’ll be able to help put your clients more at ease if you know what it feels like. There’s no better way to reconnect with your love of photography than to gift it to yourself.

Get Away to Get Perspective

Sometimes it can be hard to think about issues when you are surrounded by them. In the studio, it can be hard to problem solve and see an issue when it is two inches from your face. Take the time to get out of the office together to stay connected about the growth of your business.

Geoff and I do occasional lunches out specifically to discuss challenges facing our business, consider new strategies for wedding marketing or get some clear perspective on an issue that one of us is struggling with. We have great discussions and generate our best ideas this way. It’s a way of taking stock of the business itself, and its critical if you want to keep growing and moving forward.

If you want to read the rest of the series on photography teams:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Tagged as: husband and wife business partners, husband and wife photographers, husband and wife photography teams, working with your spouse