As a young photographer, I felt like I had no real way into the creative industry. But the game-changer for me? Posting content online. It completely flipped my life upside down and helped me carve out a path I never thought was even possible!

My name is Serena Yang, and I’m a concert photographer and content creator based in Ottawa, Ontario. Where I’m from there aren’t many opportunities for a creative career and as passionate I was about my photography - I was equally worried about how I could turn my hobby into a viable career.

I kept myself busy doing all kinds of gigs - shooting local corporate events, club nights, model test shoots, and of course, live music. But it wasn’t until I started posting content online that my career really started to take off, and finally felt sustainable as I started to amass a supportive virtual community.

Now, if you’re a photographer, you probably already know - vertical short-form videos are king right now. I had to figure out how to turn my still photos into something that worked in video format. At first, I posted videos showing my photos on the screen - basically slideshows. A couple of them managed to go viral and I hit my first 10k followers after a month of literally posting every single day! I was proud of this accomplishment but soon I realized the whole slideshow video format was getting less and less engaging. Sure, my photos looked cool, but what value was I really offering my audience?

I noticed I was getting tons of comments asking how I became a concert photographer, so I thought, “Why not teach them?” I started posting educational videos - shooting tips, camera settings, gear recommendations, editing tutorials - and that’s when the growth really started happening. This content is more valuable to a viewer, thus giving them incentive to engage with your post and follow your work. Plus, brands noticed too and realized I could be a fitting creator to authentically share their products.

I totally get it, social media algorithms can be confusing, frustrating, and even a little bit soul-crushing at times. But it's also equally a powerful tool. Fifty years ago if you took a beautiful photo, your best shot was hoping some curator or magazine editor would see it and publish it for the world to see. Nowadays with social media, any post has the potential to go viral and be seen by millions. It’s all up to you to figure out your unique voice and what value you can provide your viewers - whether that be education, humour, relatability, aspiration, or entertainment. Every successful content creator started posting on the exact same apps that we all use - you could be next!

See more of Serena Yang on Instagram @photographyserena and Sony Alpha @sonyalpha.