Event photography: Best practices for getting paid to practice?

[wonkavision]

[deleted by user]

 

[McQueen278]

It's called an apprenticeship. You normally don't paid for them. Find a REALLY nice photographer and they MIGHT let you get in their way for free and you'll spend a good deal of the time fetching things. You will not find a wedding photographer who will split money on the prints they sell. I suppose you could try to do the "Give me your hard earned money even though I can't garauntee anything for it." approach. Good luck with that. It's like going to school, they don't pay you like an accountant until you are an accountant. Unfortunately, your expectations on this are completely unrealistic. You have to relize that you are doing something that a lot of people can do pretty well. You can't even garauntee anything. There is no value in that. Hell, I had to work as a journalist for NO MONEY for a year to get published.

 

[KmH]

I just want to take pictures for myself and get paid for it.

Work as a second for a busy photographer. They pay me a small fee for the day, and then split the money from any of my prints that sell.

Do you think it would be better to skip the complicated arrangements and go straight to, "I charge $X and don't guarantee anything"?

If you figure out how to take pictures just for yourself and get paid for it, write a book, you'll get rich.

Most pro photographers, paying for the services of a second, require the second sign an agreement giving copyright to the primary photographer. However, many times the primary photographer will let the second use selected images in their personal portfolio.

 

[wonkavision]

[deleted by user]

 

[McQueen278]

You're not getting it. If you don't know how to do this or how it works (sorry, but you clearly have no clue how any of this works), you aren't worth anything yet. Either join the masses of craptastic wedding photographers with no experience who lie about their credentials or realize that you aren't yet worth any money and learn. Get a job at a restaurant to pay your bills like most struggling college students have to do and get your education. I'm not saying go to "school", but get your experience. You're going to have to realize that you aren't worth paying, you said it yourself. Just because you want to get paid right off the bat doesn't mean it will happen. Your portfolio and the time it takes to make a decent one are just part of the investment in your new business.

Oh and if you crash weddings and start taking pictures claiming to be a wedding photographer, prepare yourself for a stiff right hook. It is in almost everyones service contract that no other professional photographers will be allowed to photograph the occassion. The only exceptions to this are when they have a friend in your situation who just wants to snap some pictures and the couple OKs it with the photographer.

Just keep asking yourself these question;

"Just because I have a car and a manual, would I charge people money to work on their cars?"

"Just because I have Quicken, should I charge people to do their taxes?"

"I watch Law and Order, should I charge people to solve crimes?"

 

[wonkavision]

[deleted by user]

 

[Josh66]

Another possibility is to just crash weddings.

And what makes you think someone will pay you for that...?

You might be able to get a decent shot here and there, but I doubt you'd be able to get anything 'portfolio worthy' without getting thrown out.

Or do test shoots for models.

You can build your portfolio this way, but you will have to pay the models.

A problem with relying on print sales: If a client can't afford a $600 photographer, they probably can't afford prints.

...Depends how much the prints are. Not saying you should sell them at cost - but there's a big difference between charging $600 +prints and just selling the prints.

edit
It's probably not a good idea to not offer a service just because you assume nobody can afford it...

 

[craig]

Who's Steve? At any rate there is no reason to get angry. The above posts are correct.

The business of photography is just like any other. You need skills to make money. If you are going to take photography seriously you need to work very hard at it. The choices are basically schooling or assisting. Generally takes years as opposed to months.

Also keep in mind that shooting for "practice" may not improve your book. You will need guidance from your peers and or professors.

I say join your local photo group. Take classes. Post lots of photos for crit. Let's see some work.

Love & Bass

 

[KmH]

Another possibility is to just crash weddings.

Weddings are usually held on private property so this is an excellent way to get arrested and sully the industry in general.

 

[KmH]

Shadowing a working photographer is a good idea, and I do intend to do that. If nothing else, it's better than watching a video. Hell, I might even make a video and work out a deal with the photographer to split sales of it. Or sell it to him outright for use as a promotional tool.

Another possibility is to just crash weddings.

Or do test shoots for models.

But that doesn't address the need to a) make money or b) build confidence. To accomplish those goals, you have to do paid work; or at least simulate paid work as closely as possible, which is what the ideas in my original post were intended to do.

A problem with relying on print sales: If a client can't afford a $600 photographer, they probably can't afford prints.

If another photographer knows he's going to split profit on sales of your prints, he's not going to push those prints; he may not even show them to the client. (Or may not agree to the deal, re: KmH's response.)

Maybe rely on prints, but also get a signed model release so I can submit the photos to magazines? (That's a real long shot, though, as far as making money.)

These ideas probably are unworkable.

It seems the best option may be to charge normal rates and sell my services with inflated or naive self-confidence like so many local photographers seem to do.

Or try freelance photojournalism. (Though this addresses only the technical aspects of building confidence. There's still dealing with people and knowing their expectations.)

No, not probably. They ARE unworkable.

You're really spinning your wheels here. You should be out working on improving your photographic skills and/or getting a better grounding in how business really works, because so far none of your proposals or suppositions has been anywhere near workable.

Are you willing to invest $30 in yourself?: Get this book and visit their website www.asmp.org

How about taking a look at a top pro's website www.johnharrington.com . Click on his pricing tab. He's got 8 sub-catagories you can look at there. John also has a book I can recommend: "Best Business Practices for Photographers".

There are others out there so it would be worth your while to do some more investigation on your own.

Goood luck in your endevours.

 

[wonkavision]

[deleted by user]

 

[Josh220]

You want to charge people to take shots, and tell them upfront that you can't guarantee you won't completely suck at your job? That attitude won't get you a job at a fast food joint.

Do you have any pictures you can show us so we can let you know if you have any talent to back up your views on easy money?

Rather than everyone saying how unrealistic this is, maybe go out and give it a try for a while. When you realize no one is going to give money to someone for shots they can take themselves with a P&S camera that they bought for $100, come back and let us know how it worked out for you. I just feel like you are incredibly arrogant if you think you can just skip over working hard like every other photographer and try to con people out of money for a poor job.

Rather than conning people to build your portfolio, why don't you try to build a portfolio that shows whether you are any good or not to show to people, give them a decent rate for an amateur photographer, and build on that.

 

[wonkavision]

[deleted by user]

 

[Josh220]

You want to charge people to take shots, and tell them upfront that you can't guarantee you won't completely suck at your job? That attitude won't get you a job at a fast food joint.

Fun Fact: The reading comprehension test on the GED consists mostly of drawing only conclusions that can be made from the sample text.

When you realize no one is going to give money to someone for shots they can take themselves with a P&S camera that they bought for $100, come back and let us know how it worked out for you.

I didn't claim that, so I don't see why I would attempt to prove it to you.

I just feel like you are incredibly arrogant if you think you can just skip over working hard like every other photographer and try to con people out of money for a poor job.

Now we get to the heart of the problem. You feel I am incredibly arrogant for thinking I can skip over working hard like every other photographer. Let's explore that.

Yes. I feel like you are conning people if you take their money with no guarantee of quality. Just go out and practice on your own, build up a respectable portfolio, and then eventually you can charge for shoots. Would you pay a mechanic if he says he can't guarantee he knows anything about your vehicle?

 

[Josh66]

Would you pay a mechanic if he says he can't guarantee he knows anything about your vehicle?

It depends. Did I go to his shop and ask for a repair estimate, or did he show up uninvited at my house?