Photography Jobs
The Lessons About Photography
If there is one thing that years and years of practicing photography helps us understand, it is ourselves and the wider industry we work in. Of course, along the way there are a multitude of technical facets that we learn to craft, but the holistic observations are far more pertinent to the success of our business and our career. These are some of the important lessons about photography. Real World Experience Makes All the Difference Although there is some merit in taking a course and studying photography, nothing quite compares with the reality of the job. There are endless variances in what you learn in a class room compared with being out amongst the elements, not to mention, schools don’t quite prepare you for the business side of things and dealing with clients. Love What You Do It might sound cliché but if your heart isn’t in it, then you… | Read the full article
Identify a Nightmare Client Before it’s too Late
During the early stages of one’s photography career, we often take what we can in terms of available work. Even if perhaps the nature of said work, or the client aren’t exactly aligned with our vision, we feel as though the experience will serve us well and help round out our versatility and complement our portfolio. As time progresses however, and we start to receive more interest from prospective clients, we realise that it’s actually beneficial to be selective regarding the work we perform. That is, choosing work where we share a vision with the client, and declining work where we are not on the same page or believe things might be more complicated than they need to be. Therefore, it helps to spot a nightmare client before it’s too late, so keep an eye out for these behaviours. They Speak About and Compare You Against Past Work It’s one… | Read the full article
Why is My Photography Business Failing?
Despite what we think are our best efforts, at times things go against us and we fail to make headway in our pursuits. This may be in a personal context, or alternatively, in a professional setting concerning career aspirations. Photography businesses are one of those very career aspirations that may ultimately struggle to succeed. However, contrary to what you might think, the reasons behind a failing photography business are not merely related to bad luck. Often, failure stems from underlying problems that are not recognised by the business owner. Not Putting Learnings into Practice It is one thing to conduct extensive research – to the point it may even be exhaustive – but if you’re not actually applying these learnings and putting them into practice, you’re not developing your business. In fact, all you are doing is extending your knowledge, which is great, albeit won’t necessarily get you clients… | Read the full article
Setting up a Photography Studio
Having your own dedicated studio is an essential aspect of running a professional photography business. While some opt for an external studio, provided you have ample space and privacy, you can also set up your own studio at home. Let’s take a look at some of the steps involved with a home studio. Find a Suitable Room This is the first and most important step. Fundamentally, if you don’t have a large enough room, or it lacks privacy, then your best bet is to consider an external studio. The measure of this should really be whether you have space to work different angles and also zoom with a wide angle lens where suitable for things like full body shots. Overall, for a broad range of photography sessions, the bigger the better. Suppose however that you do have sufficient space. First you want to make sure that the walls are white… | Read the full article
8 Things Photographers Hate
Photographers are generally considered a tolerant bunch. What with an endless number of amateurs devaluing the work of professionals, patience and persistence are defining traits of a successful photographer. Having said that, there are an assortment of things that make photographers want to tear their hair out. No doubt you’ve experienced some of these, or others, but let’s glance over the worst offenders. Hearing How ‘Easy’ it must be to Take Photos for a Living There’s nothing easy at all when it comes to being a photographer. Boundless competition, price pressure, difficulties securing long-term clients, a general underappreciation of the industry – the list goes on. But just because a photographer happens to follow their passion and enjoy what they do, it doesn’t mean it’s an easy job. Praise for Your Camera This one is all too common. Photographers should and do take great pride in their abilities… | Read the full article
Getting Your First Photography Job With No Experience
Starting out in the photography industry is an experience that places photographers straight into the deep end. Like many of today’s high demanding professions, it’s often expected that you’ll have a wealth of experience under your belt before applying for jobs or taking on new clients. But what are new photographers to make of this catch 22 situation? Build a Network One of the common themes of today in just about any line of work is your network. There are no shortage of options when it comes to networking events for professionals, and photographers are also afforded the benefit that their work is discussed online and in the community via forums and message boards. Of course, there’s always the tried and tested method of doing work for friends and family to begin with, which in turn has the potential to snowball to third parties. Furthermore, educational courses, workshops… | Read the full article
Earning Extra Money as a Photographer
Even at the best of times, making a career through photography can be challenging. From an abundance of competition, to price sensitive clients, or even the growing trend where anyone who owns a mobile phone now considers themselves a photographer. You can see, it’s not easy. With that, photographers should consider diversifying their offer by extending into other services. Here are 5 ways you can earn extra money as a photographer. Run workshops There’s two different angles you can approach this from. If you’re a veteran photographer who has developed a skillset and portfolio that is the envy of your peers, you’re well positioned. This is because you have considerably greater flexibility in terms of your target audience and the prices you charge. On the other hand, if your career is still a work in progress, there may be opportunities to share your insights about the industry with beginners… | Read the full article
News Photographers, The Times They Are A-Changin’
The legendary Bob Dylan put it best when he penned the infamous song, ‘The Times They Are A –Changin’. The tune, which has been used as an emblem of protest and uprising in recent decades, speaks volumes about where we are at today with news corporations and photographers in Australia. Last month, News Corp made the announcement that it would be cutting jobs across its offices throughout the country, with photographers facing the prospect of redundancy. The company initially distanced itself from the gravity of the claims by downplaying the impact of the job losses, saying the business would transition from a “one hundred percent in-house model to a hybrid model where we retain a core team of specialist photographers combined with freelance and agency talent”. In recent days however, the number of photographers facing redundancy has been quoted as being up to 70. What we’re seeing are… | Read the full article
Presenting Your Portfolio for Review
Portfolio reviews may be used as a showcase to prospective clients, and as appraisals that offer photographers an invaluable mechanism to receive feedback on their work. They can also form a critical step for photographers who are looking to monetise their work through art or digital enterprises. One of the first steps a photographer needs to acknowledge however, is whether they are ready to showcase their work for evaluation – be it by peers, partners or clients. After all, it is in our nature to create a lasting impression from our first encounters, so you want to be sure your work is a representation of your true abilities. At the same time, you also need to be prepared to discuss your work and create a strong bond with the other person. It goes without saying that you should put in the necessary preparation. But what exactly does this… | Read the full article
Why are my Photography Leads not Converting into Clients?
Despite our best efforts, sometimes we’re left scratching our heads pondering why our leads didn’t convert into clients. While this isn’t an issue restricted to the photography industry, the sheer volume of competition out there exacerbates this problem, particularly for new photographers who are yet to fill their books with clients. With this in mind, we consider three of the common reasons that photography leads don’t convert into clients. Too Many Options Ever been in a situation where you’re presented with so many options, you have difficulty making a decision? You haven’t? Well, perhaps surprisingly then, it’s worth knowing that too many options can confuse or overwhelm prospective clients. Contrary to what you might think, trying to cater for too many possibilities can be detrimental. This is most evident when clients are relying on you for your expert judgement. Consider simplifying your core offerings and pricing structure based on… | Read the full article
