Here's how you can leverage networking to advance your photography career.

Photography groups are great. Also seek out groups that attract people who are your ideal clients. For example, a wedding photographer should look for groups that cater to people planning weddings in their area of service. Always give value by offering your advice and perspective without being salesy. Be careful to read and follow the group rules about posting links to your website and/or offering your services - they will be different for each group and breaking them may get you removed.

Hay que participar en grupos en línea y comunidades fotográficas donde se pueda compartir nuestro trabajo, hacer preguntas y conectarnos con otros fotógrafos. Plataformas como Flickr, Facebook y Reddit son excelentes lugares para encontrar comunidades fotográficas activas.

Instead of just engaging with other photographers, look for businesses who serve the same clients you do to build relationships with. Someone who does newborn sessions, for example, might want to engage with and eventually partner with a locally owned store for parents of babies.

While some professionals are open to mentoring for free, you should never assume that is the case. Many people charge for their mentoring services, and many others have limited time to give even if they do want to give back. When approaching someone you are hoping to learn from, be prepared to be redirected to more information about their services, and if that is the case, be gracious. If they are open to working with you for free, you should still approach the relationship in terms of what value you can bring to them. Be prepared to carry gear and hold camera bags before you expect to second shoot and be allowed to use the images for your portfolio, for example.

Mentorship is the best way to gain access to knowledge and skills of those more experienced, which will inevitably fast track your career growth and trajectory. Start by building relationships with mentors and work alongside them. Be a sponge and take in all their knowledge and learn on the job with them. The learnings gained from a mentor are invaluable.

I would like to share some resources that I find helpful to get better and to get inspired. All of these can be found on YouTube. I think that getting insights into other people's thoughts and work can be a good approach to improve and grow: - Daniel Milnor: HE was a photographer and works for Blurb. In his channel (which unfortunately he discontinued) he talks about how to grow as a photographer and shares insights into the industry. - Allan Schaller: He is a photographer and talks about various topics and how he deals with these tasks. - Check on what the big camera-manufacturers have to offer. They give hints of how to use their equipment better. Nikon e.g. regularly hosts the "Nikon Day" where they bring professionals to the stage.