Freelance photography?

Question

Anyone with experience have any tips?

Answer 1

I did freelance for a short time so I'll try my best to help.

First of all, decide what area you are goign to get into. Usually freelance deals with stock photography (which is what I did).

Take some time to pour over stock photo sites and see what all they offer. Images are crisp and sharp. The ones blurred have an obvious intent and usually consist mainly of motion blur to convey a sence of movement.

Research contract agreements. I had a couple contracts that went with every noninternet sale, 1) For organizations that planned to resell my images for calendars, posters, etc and 1) for organizations that planned to display my images and not resell them.

You need a lot of photographs. One or two photographs isn't enough. I have a DVD collection with close to 5,000 high-res images. Professional freelance stock photographers will have 20,000 or more high-res images. Especially if you plan on selling online.

If you are seeling online, belong to like 2 or 3 online sites that sell stock photos. Not just one. Your revenue will increase faster.

Answer 2

Freelancing is a tough life. When the economy takes a turn for the worse the boss starts looking for ways to cut costs. Trust me, photo is one of the first things to go. They will reuse last years images (hopefully the photographer has a contract that requires additional compensation for this usage) or use drawings.

It requires a significant upfront cost. The cameras required are getting cheaper but they are still expensive. And remember you have to supply everything.....lights, cards, CDs or DVDs software, power cords computers.....ect. You MUST determine what is your Cost of Doing Business. You need to know what you have to charge to make a profit. You must learn how to negotiate! You have to learn when to say NO to a bad deal. If I have one regret about my college education is my school's lack of courses on the business of photography.

Check out Editorial Photographers. They are a group of shooters who have a wealth of ideas and techniques to make you more successful in photography.

I know...I know....you just like to shoot pictures and it's great when someone actually pays you to do it.....BUT.....if you plan on making a living at it you have to learn how to deal with clients in a professional/business-like manner. There are no short cuts to this. It is time consuming and a bore but good business practices will protect you and your work in the future.

Learn about copyright....how to apply for one and what it means.

A friend of mine said that there are generally two kinds of freelancers.....one is a shooter who has developed extensive contacts in the industry by years of working on a variety of publications. They have researched the market and understand what clients want and expect from their photographers.

The other is the one who decides one Saturday afternoon after a few beers that photography looks like fun and they travel to Best Buy and get themselves a Canon and a CF card. Yes they may make it with a lot of hard work and a lot of luck....but I will put my money on the first guy.

Answer 3

Get everything in writing first. This is probably the most important thing. Too many times people won't be paid for their services.