We left off in the previous post on the topic of education because that needs to be set before you can start planning out your business. It’s no different than going through college before you start applying for jobs. So assuming that we’ve got the education portion covered, we’ll look at this from the perspective of someone who has spent a few years or longer studying and practicing photography. Of course there are a few people who make it big fast, but that’s not the norm. So that’s the first bombshell to drop. Did you just purchase a camera, have gone out and used it a handful of times on test shoots with friends or family? It might be a little early to start thinking “business”. Again there are people who fall in love with it at first sight and their dream does come true straight away, but we’re going to talk about the norm here. In reality you’re going to need several years of study and practice before you will feel comfortable charging money and delivering consistent results. The results is what it boils down to. The amateur will deliver an amazing photo here and there, but the pro will deliver them consistently and be able to adapt to changing situations. So with your education in hand, let’s look at options of actually breaking into the photo business. Again let’s remember that to build proper skill and the business itself, should in reality take no longer or shorter than any other business. Want to become a chess master and then start teaching others while touring the world playing in tournaments? It should take you about the same amount of time to master photography and the business part of it. I repeat the message over and over again…simply having the camera and tools of the pro’s will not provide you any more or faster skills than you would acquire in any other business or activity. The majority of my readers are the self-taught hobbyists or newbies to the business side of photography, so these are the basic routes you can go when getting started.
Pure Self Promotion: Unless you have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill, this is one of your slowest methods from both the business side and personal development side. Why? Well because you’re simply sitting around and waiting for folks to call you. In reality to stay competitive you need to constantly be shooting. If you go to your full time job 5 days a week, why would running a photo business require any less work than that? What you end up having is an excessive amount of free or super discounted shoots that you do for friends and family. Which is ok from time to time, but should not be your norm. Every so often I have an idea for a shoot and am seeking out a model to put my creativity to work in which we do a TF (Time For) shoot. The models time in exchange for my photos. But these instances are and should be rare. You should be charging a fair market value for your work. Yes initially you will be building your portfolio with those freebies, but after some period of time you must progress into the monetary side of things. The other downer of self promotion, is that most of us don’t start off as great photographers which means that there’s nothing really to promote. The model or subjects that you shot even for free need to like their images before they mention you to someone else, otherwise you simply end up as just another “whatever” photographer. Stop here and think about this for a second. How many images do you look at per day, in ads, on tv, billboards, magazines, etc…How many of these images actually get you to stop and REALLY look at them? Not many. The image which you created may look amazing to you, but to many or most others it just looks like a “whatever” image that you wouldn’t stop to look at for very long if it was created by a total stranger. When I first started, I thought my photos were fantastic, only to be brought down a few pegs when I asked for critiques. I put so much effort into those photos and wondered how everyone else couldn’t love them!? But just like looking at family trip slide shows or wallet photos of other people’s kids…no one really cares. So if you choose this route, sit and go over all of the planning very carefully.
Freelance: The above method is a slower and more difficult one than the freelance method. Let’s say you decide to become a freelance photographer for a local studio such as Fred Fox or Bella Pictures. You’re actually quite likely to get a job because most of the places will simply put you up on the site and let the clients pick which photog(s) they would like for their event. At the time of this writing I freelance for a local studio myself, and my name is simply up on the site along with 20 or so other photographers and I get picked by the client (brides in my case) if they like my work. The studios often are very willing to hire very very new photographers and throw them right out in the field as a 3rd shooter (basically a backup) to the other photographers on an event. Why? Simple, because they don’t pay very well, so the crop of photographers that most freelance studios draw in are either inferior to the rest of the market or simply there to learn and move on. These studios are often designed for the budget bride and the studio is interested in bulk client bookings rather than individual attention to client detail. For anyone reading this article wondering what you’re really getting for your money when you spend that extra $1000 on a local/boutique studio vs the larger freelance ones, you’re getting personal attention, the ability to go over the photos individually with your lead photographer, and hands down overall better service and attention to detail than you would with a studio that simply hires and fires in bulk. Now it seems like I’ve said a lot of negative stuff about going to work for a studio which just hires freelance photographers, but it isn’t necessarily if you know what your plan is. Doing this kind of work is a great way to get experience fast, learn a few tips and tricks, and simply be out in the field and watch photographers in action. Think of it as a workshop where you’re more on your own. While the sharing of ideas and techniques is encouraged at these types of studios, let’s be real…the better photographers are not going to be giving their secrets away for nothing. Spend a few days as a third shooter for one of these studios for little or no pay and that can give you a quick idea if you want to continue into the business. The drawbacks of this type of work is of course that you pay less attention to detail (you rarely have to edit photos with nice effects and color changes as you would your personal clients), it’s a revolving door for the staff with most photographers passing through in just 2 or 3 shooting seasons, and no one there really cares about you. If you quit tomorrow, even if there were 15 weddings booked under your name for the season, you would be replaced by someone else in a heartbeat and quickly become an afterthought.
Intern: When I say intern, what I’m referring to is going to work for a serious studio or photographer who has a true passion for the craft of photography. These are often more select studios that have a smaller (and more permanent) staff, and you can see a solid consistency in their work. This is often just one or a few photographers who have a number of crew and assistants and perhaps an office manager. So right away the advantages become apparent…you deal with an established work flow, each person brings input and value to the studio, and you’re a much tighter group that works well together. This route is a fantastic choice for someone who is looking to further their education, but the tough part is getting your foot in the door. A boutique studio that charges let’s say $4500 to shoot a wedding and limits the number of weddings they’re going to book for the year, will also be a lot more picky in terms of who they hire. Why should they hire you, the aspiring photographer with little or no portfolio when they can hire a more established photographer or someone who was classically trained in school? This route may be more difficult, but in the end I feel has the biggest payoffs in terms of building your skill and reputation.
What not to be…
The Shadow Master: Now let me state that I actually don’t mind photographers who want to shadow or follow me (on non paid assignments), but that’s not necessarily the same feelings that others out in the field have. It’s not uncommon for me to be asked “Can I come with you on a shoot?” And my answer is “It depends.” If I’m doing a shoot for a client where I’m being paid, then the reality is that my priority is to the client and not teaching you. Ask the same question to someone in another profession…a plumber, office clerk, accountant, construction worker, you name it. What would their response be or countless other professions if you asked to come to work with them? Unless you’re an intern with an established education then it’s not likely that you’ll get a “yes” as your response. So why is it any more acceptable to ask a pro photo studio to tag along with them? It’s not. The only thing you are is one more liability at the event. The freelance studios very often send out 3rd shooters to shadow the other two photogs on assignment and there were instances here or there where it didn’t end up well. The shadow master is also the guy at the wedding who has a camera just like yours or maybe even better than yours! And they assume that with the same gear as you, you must be brothers. Now I’ll admit again that I actually don’t mind striking up a small conversation with Uncle Harry and his entire camera rig that he brought along to show to everyone. I can talk about cameras till the cows come home and it doesn’t really bother me that a guest at a wedding wants to take a few minutes and chat with me. In reality that’s usually all it is, they understand you have a job to do or you simply inform them when you need to move on. I like seeing people enthused about the hobby or business and busting their way in. Some mind the competition, others don’t.
GWC: Stands for ‘Guy With Camera’. And quite literally means it too. The GWC has no skill and little or no interest in gaining any skill, just likes to use the camera to look cool and snap a few images here and there. The GWC should not be confused with the hobbyist. The GWC could be compared to what a car enthusiast would be vs the guy who buys a sports car to look cool. No need to dive into this point for too long. GWC’s often know who they are and hey, if it works for them then fantastic!
So that covers some of your bases of the routes you can take. There is a lot more detail behind the writings above such as picking the direction that you want to go in your photo career, developing a personal style, etc…but those are a few basic routes that can be chosen. So go out there and give it a shot! Or don’t…there’s nothing wrong with keeping photography as a hobby too. You do need to understand that when it becomes a business, it’s a little different than when you did it as a hobby and it truly becomes a business. Either way there’s nothing wrong with going one route or the other. The final decision must be made by you and once that decision is made, surround yourself with people who encourage and support it!
Wow long article, but hope you enjoyed the read. Do you have questions or comments? Feel free to post them in the comments section or email them directly to me at mike@novophotography.com!
Posted in How To / Informational
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