A few months ago I did a post on how to become a photographer, in this article I’m picking up with a few tips on how to get paid work.
Alright sparky so now you’re good and ready for the world to realise it owes you a living after all! WAKE UP, it’s not going to happen because now the marketing begins … by the way are you still practicing????
Decide what it is you are good at For this example I’m covering corporate work mostly – Build a portfolio, the best way to do this is to visit websites of popular photographers both local and international (Google and see who comes up), see what they are showing then try to select the same types images if you have them.
You’re someone’s bitch like it or not! Remember when it comes to any commercial photography you need to show what your client wants not what you like. I’m fabulous at lighting but my corporate client knows that business people just won’t feel the “arty vibe” when it comes to the annual report, having images that match their expectations in my book is therefore very important. That being said including one or two shots of your more creative work in the genre shows range.
Research rates: Find out what other photographers are charging, the easiest way of doing this is to find photographers websites or or to have a look through the yellow pages. Get your partner to email or call them for pricing and find out what else they offer, the reason I say get your partner to do it is that not too many photographers are going to blurt out their rates to someone who is potentially their competition… it’s cheeky but it’s got to be done if you are serious.
OOPS You don’t have a big enough portfolio? Shoot for free but be careful who you shoot for, if you would like to do corporate make sure you shoot the types of people that look the part, remember you are only doing free work to build your portfolio. There are many companies out there who don’t have the budget for a proper shoot and they will snap at the chance to make themselves look good.
ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES FOR SHOOTS FREE OR NOT!! I can’t emphasize this enough, decide what it is you are prepared to offer and communicate this clearly to the company, preferably in writing, let them know exactly what it is they are getting no more, actually give a little more but just a little! Giving too much will often result in either them taking advantage of you or you kicking yourself as you edit late at night or end up shooting at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning with a huge hangover!
Never discount the possibility of your “free” client turning into a paying one, if you have not established boundaries from the beginning the chances of this happening in the future are difficult to impossible. The boundaries also portray a professional aspect about you which automatically gains respect.
Be professional: I’ve already touched on this a little but I’m going to again, be professional! No matter what you are shooting, arrive on time, dress the part, if you move something to get a shot move it back, treat the location like it’s your own perfect home, after all you want them to recommend or even like you enough to pay for your services in the future don’t you?
Setup a website or blog! Put your work online, make sure it is easy to navigate and that the site is attractive, a little computer literacy coupled with a resourceful attitude will have a free good looking website up and running within a day! If you have budget rather have someone setup your site with your own domain, if not then try: www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com
Print your portfolio: in 6×9 images at a lab NOT from your printer! Mount each image individually so that if you are in a room full of potential clients the images can be handed out randomly. NB! Mount the images properly on proper photographic board, glue stick is not going to make the client warm and fuzzy inside! Do it properly and your first job will easily pay for it.
Getting leads: You can do this by cold calling or asking people you know who’s who when it comes to hiring photographers. For cold calling in South Africa I’d recommend www.bizcommunity.com/ Try to make appointments with people directly, emailing a few images does not have the same effect at all.
Deliver professional: Most of the time all the client needs is a bunch of jpg images for their PR department or graphics company, don’t be a dumbass and hand them over on a disk with either nothing written on it or some permanent marker scribbling, it looks scrappy as hell.
Get hold of a CD printer they really are not expensive these days, setup a professional looking template that has your CONTACT DETAILS CLEARLY DISPLAYED and a few blank lines to write the job info, you never know where that disk will end up and who may hire you as a result. (My writing is awful so I tend to print the job details directly to each disk.)
I usually put each disk in a plastic folder designed to be filed, I personally don’t like CD covers as they take up space and end up cluttering up someone’s draw, if they can file them they often will.
Don’t undercut: Don’t try to slit the market’s throat by undercharging, sure charge a little less in the beginning but don’t give your work away, at the end of the day it makes you look fly-by-night you will also have shot yourself in the foot by earning less than everyone else as you become more popular, less work more pay sounds a lot better that more work less pay!
Reliably deliver a good product every time and existing clients will return while new clients will find you.
I hope this has helped you even if it’s just a little, if I’ve missed something give me a shout!
© 2009 – Greg Lumley
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
As always a very informative and generous post. Thanx!
Hey Greg. As usual, you managed to answer all the questions I had been thinking about the last couple of days. It is much appreciated. Thanks a million
Hi Greg, thanks for all the useful info. I am looking getting into photography full time, so every bit of info helps soooo much!
Thanks!
Pleasure… I know what it was like when I started