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.  

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