We are regularly contacted for advice by new photographers, typically they come from our old school, The Brooks Institute of Photography. The same questions are always asked so I am going to just “go off” with my thoughts so I can just refer people to our archives.
Rule #1 : Commit, dedicate, love it, and work your ass off
Oversaturation is an understatement for photography. For every photo need there are countless sources, many of which are very good. Why should they use your photo? They need to know you. They need to like you. They need to trust you. You need to provide solid imagery.
Notice that may of these things do not necessarily involve being a photographer, they require being a business person. I wonder how many hours we’ve spent emailing, on the phone, in meetings, etc… vs. actually making photos. Remember, the phone will not ring when you leave school, no one knows you, you are one amongst countless others. Your “job” is to change all of this.
There are many photographers who are great but no one knows and who make little to no money from what they do best. They are terrible business people. Meanwhile, there are others who are very mediocre photographers with incredible business & people skills who are booked solid. We all want to be both. The point is, think of yourself as a business with all the responsibilities that go along with it. Do your best to excel at everything you do.
Marketing? This is different for everyone, I have no answers for you, only what works for us.
- 1. Solid website, less is more is a good approach
- 2. Mailers in the form of electronic and print
- 3. Regular phone calls
- 4. Always having new work to show, again, less is more – quality is best
Have a plan but be flexible and willing to adapt. When we started out we had to shoot some fashion and portraiture for a regional magazine where we were based. It was not what we wanted to do, but we saw it as a launch pad, and I learned much about working with people. It was a positive experience.
Be careful of guidance from other photographers. I am regularly shocked and horrified of what I see in online forums. Advice, counsel, etc… that is static, and inflexible coming from people who are much like their websites; full of cliches made mid-day.
Overall, think for yourself, be true to your vision, stay focused, work hard, and really, apply the golden rule while remaining savvy and head’s up to the world of
business.
And did you notice there was only one rule?
3 Comments
Dan,
Nice to see the blog up. I’ll be checking in to find out what country you’re in and what you guys are up to.
This post is great! You’re telling it exactly the way it is. I’m a photo editor at Backpacker and constantly get emails from photographers, or people who think of themselves as photographers, asking to work with the magazine. To become someone we want to work with takes a lot of work. We have to know your photography and be able to trust you to accomplish the task. Your dedication to our satisfaction needs to be known.
A lot of times we’ll start by sending beginner photographers our stock request list. You can use the subjects on the list as ideas for what to shoot until you start getting assignments. Use your stock submissions to create a dialog between yourself and the photo editors you’d like to work with. Ask if they have comments or criticism for your images and find out why they think the photos that run are the best. Don’t take criticism personally and try to convince the editor of your talent in that moment. Listen and try to understand more about the editor and their publication in those times. If you’re going out to shoot stock for a specific need ask the editors for any extra details before you go out. Even if we don’t have any more info than was on the request you’ve communicated your commitment to creating images that will work for the specific publication.
Your website is the most important tool showing your style and your work to the world. If it’s good the link may be passed around the office as editors are talking about your abilities. Here are the top 4 things to keep in mind when creating your website: 1. Only show photos that make you look good. 2. Show the images large enough to look beautiful. 3. Don’t make your website design so fancy that it distracts from the photographs. 4. Don’t use a program that is slow to load. People are often in a hurry and do not have patience for websites to load.
Remember, photo editors are picture people. We’re always excited to see a great new photo. Instead of keeping in touch with lots of words or phone calls, the best way to gain attention is to regularly send your newest favorite shot with a quick note about capturing it.
Good luck! And as Dan and Janine said: work hard.
Thanks for the advice!
You two are a huge inspiration to me! Keep up the great work!
Here’s to livin’ the dream!
aloha,
-chris
http://www.hunterimagery.com