Do you ever feel like you're being pulled in a different direction?

As a business, do you ever feel as if you're being pulled in a different direction other than where you want to go? For instance, you're personal goal is to mainly work with high school seniors and yet you keep getting clients wanting you to do baby photos? Or maybe it's weddings and special events you want to do but you keep getting calls for portrait sessions. Maybe you're capable of producing great results in these other areas but it's not really your passion.

I put my marketing efforts towards one thing and often find myself booked with something totally different....something I don't even actively market but they heard about me from a friend or past client. As a full time photographer, I usually can't afford to turn down good paying work so I'll take the jobs and provide the customer with my absolute best. I often wonder if I would be better off just giving in to the tide and putting my marketing efforts towards what I keep getting requests for....even if it's not my greatest photography passion.

Anyone else ever feel as if they are being pulled in a different direction other than what was initially envisioned for their business? If so, how did you deal with it?

If someone is willing to pay you to take pictures, why care about the "direction?"

DC Fan wrote in post #12152060
If someone is willing to pay you to take pictures, why care about the "direction?"

LOL....that's certainly the way I look at it It just gets a bit frustrating sometimes when I keep getting booked for jobs that I would really prefer to avoid given the choice. On the upside...I guess it's better than a "real job"

DC Fan wrote in post #12152060
If someone is willing to pay you to take pictures, why care about the "direction?"

Simple - it's not what you want to do.

I had to get "pulled" into doing T&I for leagues, i.e. they kept asking and asking and I kept saying no - until finally saying yes and realized I liked doing them. Still don't do many and mainly concentrate on what I want - but that's not always the choice. I do sports, only sports I want to do at this point in time - but can definitely see it happening someday to not only be "pulled" away from shooting it as a main source of income, but being out of photography all together. Reasons are endless, but have seen others go through it and will see more go through it as time goes on...so you never know.

How to deal with it, haven't found a need yet - still do my own schedule and only book what I want to book. The weddings I get offered I tell them plain and simply I'm not a wedding photographer. Senior portraits I tell them not that guy either, just straight up with them (though I'd like to get into those if the time ever happens, it just hasn't).

1 - Make sure and charge enough to make it worth your time.
2 - Continue to market what you really like and if word of mouth gets with other types of business, so be it, and accept it. You must be doing something right.