THE LIFE OF AN INFLUENCER

Instagram star Mike Will demystifies what it means to be an influencer and how it can become a sustainable career for a photographer

- Mike Will

Influence

Noun

The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone

The role of the influencer

Funnily enough, I've never really classed myself as an influencer because there's more to the role than many people realise. There is more than one route towards becoming an influencer and the word means something different depending on what you do and how you interact with your audience.

At its most basic, I create either photo or video content or some sort of artform, which is then posted on my social media channels. These happen to have grown a large following over time. In that sense, it is influencing people because I'm promoting a product or a brand. People start to follow you because of your work and you build a large community of like-minded people.

This can have the power to encourage positive change - I'm friends with several fitness influencers, for example, and they change lives because of the way they interact with the people who follow them and it can lead to paid photography work. I consider myself more of a content creator - a broad term that more accurately describes what I do for a living.

Mike Will

Mike Will is a multi昊 genre photographer, video creator and brand ambassador for both Sony and Adobe. He is the founder of World Shooters (@world.shooters) and UK Shooters (@uk.shooters) communities and has worked with some of the biggest brands around the globe.

To explore Mike's portfolio and keep up to date with his shoots, follow him on his immersive Instagram (@m.visuals) or visit his website (mvisuals.net).