Waikato River, Hamilton

Waikato River, Hamilton
Low Water Waikato River, Hamilton NZ

Saturday, September 25, 2010

TIPS FOR BUDDING FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS


Posted by Judy@ Gallery21  

“A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into
the world and work and make mistakes”. - Sam Abel l (American Photographer)

Professional photographers will all have different stories about where and how their photographic careers began.  Mine began with an interest in writing developed during a previous career.  After formalising my writing skills with further training and qualifications, I opted for a complete career change 15 years’ ago, contracting as a Freelance Writer to newspapers, magazines and businesses.

It wasn’t long before it became apparent to me that the majority of my work was either not being illustrated or was being poorly illustrated with photographs taken by others. Often those images fell well short of the mark in relevance and quality and did not depict at all what I had in my mind.   I decided there was only one thing to do.  I needed to be able to illustrate my writing with my own photographs!

I set about honing my photographic skills, becoming thoroughly familiar with my equipment, with plenty of practice and experimentation.  Marketing, business and financial skills (essential for successful freelancers) and a formal qualification were also added to the mix.  This equipped me well in the dual career in freelance writing and photography that followed.  These credentials and good contacts opened doors to work opportunities.

One of my more interesting assignments was a stint as sole journalist/photographer for a Community Newspaper.  Although an extremely satisfying and creative role, it was also challenging, requiring a wide variety of subjects to be photographed in many different environments.  I certainly had to think on my feet and outside the square big time!

Having to often work at a moment’s notice at odd hours and meet tight deadlines and not having a regular income may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed the flexibility freelancing offered. 

Here’s some of my tips for budding freelancers:

1) Have a real passion for what you are doing
2) Get a portfolio together to show what you can do
3) Develop a really good contacts network
4) Be determined and motivated enough to pursue opportunities
5) Always be reliable, well organised and flexible
6) Have a good working knowledge of your equipment
7) Keep perfecting your photographic skills and experimenting
8) Be realistic about what your start up costs might be
9) Identify and develop your niche as this will influence your equipment needs
10) Develop good marketing, business and financial skills 
11) Enrol in a small business management course
12) Keep up to date with new techniques and technologies
13) Enter photographic competitions
14) Join an online forum or a photographic club
15) Practice, practice, practice and never stop learning

Nowadays I specialise in photographing mainly landscapes, nature and the built environment and exhibit and sell my work in Gallery 21, the photographic art gallery I co-own. 

Photography has given me a much better appreciation of the world around me and allowed me to share my own unique perspective.  One of my greatest motivators is the belief that I can always do better.  Even for Pros, photography is a continuous learning experience.  

Leave a comment, inspire others, share your photographic journey and aspirations.


Friday, September 3, 2010

WHAT INSPIRES MY PHOTOGRAPHY?

 Post by Judy @ Gallery 21

"Photography as a powerful medium of expression and communications,
offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution".  Ansel Adams

  
In this, my very first blog, let me introduce myself and give you a  brief insight into the environment I live in, as this provides the inspiration for much of my photography.

I'm Judy a  photographer, writer, wife  and animal lover.  I specialise in photographing landscapes, nature and the built environment.  I also co-own with my husband,  Gallery 21, a photographic art gallery, where I exhibit and sell my work.

Home for me is Hamilton, New Zealand.   It is the largest city in the heart of the lush farmlands of the Waikato region in the North Island.  This wonderful countryside constantly inspires me, no matter what season of the year.  The mighty Waikato River, New Zealand's longest,  flows through the city and it's variety of different moods are also the focus of many of my images.


I am fortunate to live close to this wonderful scenery and this has many advantages for a photographer - but that's a topic for a future blog!


There's a link  from this Blog site to the official tourism website for the region if you wish to know more about Hamilton and the Waikato. 

I'll look forward to sharing photographs, tips, insights and great Blogs with you in the future.