April 25, 2014
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Free photography? Really?
This blog is for not only photographers but for clients who feel awkward about hiring a person they know who is a photographer.
Hopefully those who read this blog are pretty active in photography. Indeed, there may be some newcomers, but I think for the most part, most of you have been doing this for a while.
So, this week, I thought I would hit a touchy subject…. FREE PHOTOGRAPHY. Other photographers have asked me many times how I handle this awkward subject.
Case in point…A distance acquaintance is having an event and just take a guess who’s phone rings once the invites go out? Or perhaps a friend was blessed with a new grand baby. Because you are a photographer OR are just good at photography, your phone rings with personal requests. How do you deal with such requests?
First and foremost, you have to draw a line in the sand. If you derive an income from photography, more than likely your phone line will ring quite often with requests from all kinds of profit and non-profit groups asking for coverage. For me, I pick and choose several jobs each year that I donate my services to. I am a strong believer in giving back and helping smaller organizations who would benefit from professional photography. I turn down a ton requests every week. Pretty much, it’s gotten out of hand what people ask for.
As a professional photographer, people think you carry your equipment with you all the time. I belong to several business organizations who routinely take photographs at their networking events. I love to chat with folks and make business connections during this time. The last thing I want to do is work the event with my camera. At one networking event, an acquaintance was taking photos with her point and shoot. She sat down next to me and said in a huff… “This is YOUR job!”
If you don’t derive an income from photography and like to do photography on your own for fun, you may want to donate your time to gain experience. It’s a great opportunity to get your name out there. To throw a word of caution out there for you. Once your name is out there doing frequent “free” jobs, your phone handle will be so hot, you won’t be able to touch it.
I left the touchiest subject of all for last…. FRIENDS and FAMILY. Lets, for a moment, replace the word “Photographer” with say…. “Plumber”. Would you ask a plumber to come over your home to fix things several times to fix broken pipes without compensating him?
You can choose to do work for free or at a reduced rate OR not at all. In my career, I’ve done all three. If you have a friend who is a photographer and have an event that you would like coverage for, it is best to ask them straight up if they would be interested in photographing the job and what would they charge. Leave it up to the photographer if they want to give you a discount. Remember that their job doesn’t end at the conclusion of the party. They still have to go back, edit and clean up the job and present the images. It is work. If you are the client and you have a friend who is a photographer, don’t expect something for free. Of course it is different if the photographer offers to photograph something for free voluntarily.
When I first started my business, the majority of my sample images were of weddings. I had accumulated an amazing portfolio of stunning brides and grooms. Thinking I should diversify more, I was scouting out cute kids for a postcard that I wanted to put together. Out of the blue, I had a mom call me with two of the cutest kids. (Not that the other kids I had photographed previously weren’t cute.) These kids were dressed like they just came out of a magazine ad. Ages 3 and 5, they listened to everything I told them to do. The result was postcard worthy images. So,I asked “mom” if I could use one image on a postcard and would compensate them with free portrait sessions. Granted, I was extremely naïve. Seven months later, I had done four more portrait sessions with her. It was never going to end I thought. I had to pull the plug. Her purchase each and every time was an 8 x 10. On my end, she had burglarized my time, cost of film and printing. I had to put the kabosh on the free portrait sessions. She was obviously furious. Me, well, I learned my lesson on giving out something for free. She did not respect my professional time because it was “free”.
So, in closing, I don’t want to talk any photographer out of giving back or paying it forward. Just be careful that you don’t get caught up in a snowball of volunteerism and friends and family charity events that can swallow you up. And your friends should also remember that you too want to sit down and enjoy the festivities without feeling the pressure to capture junior’s birthday cake blowout. It’s different if you volunteer your services and don’t mind working the party. But I warn you that once the word is out in your family that you did it for free, plan on doing every family event for hundreds more full moons. The option of saying “No” upfront may upset many but you have set a precedence for future requests if you choose this route.
Before I end this blog, I have a disclaimer: This blog is not directed at any client or family member. I love, love, love 99.5% of all my clients and most of my family! LOL
