WLSchnee
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 p.1 #9 · Just some business questions... | |
Yeah but during down economic times doing the "normal, expected thing" is about all you're gonna get. Like Lee said, your best bet is to get into the business by working for a studio or company who already has contracts and clients. This way, you get an idea of what the deadlines are like, what the work is like, and so on, while learning the ins and outs of the business but not having to rely on doing the business side to keep food on your plate.
I'm about to be in my last year of college here, but when I took a year off I started working for a studio and another photographer who already have clients. The studio has contracts with around 130 high schools, D-II and D-III colleges to shoot their sports, concerts, plays, dances, graduations, and other misc. events. I started off with just a few shoots a week as a per-diem photographer, but I've become a reliable and trusty shooter for them, with which has come increased responsibility (cooler, important shoots, and more of them) as well as closeness to the directors at the studio. If they need to hire anyone in the next year as staff I would be a front-runner, meaning a steady check, steady work, benefits, and so on. My second main client is a photographer who shoots a lot of events, T&I, and candids for boosters, yearbooks, and parents. Again, I've become a reliable and trusted shooter, so I get cooler assignments, more money, and again more opportunity for advancement.
Obviously the cool thing would be to go out on my own and make all the BIG money (/sarcasm) but while I continue to work on my vision, my style, and learning my business chops this is definitely the way to go. The security is better because they already have the trust of lots of clients (schools, clubs, etc.) and they've had the clients for a long time, so there's no worry about any of them jumping ship, even in these nasty economic times.
Another important thing to do is consider yourself a business. When the odd shoot comes along, know what your rates are. Check out the Cost of Doing Business Calculator at NPPA.org, it's a great tool to get your base rates figured out, and carry on from there. Know what your overhead for shooting is and you'll have taken the first step to understanding business side of things.
Enough from me... hope this helps haha.
-Will
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