"Looking for Photographer to work for free"

[JodieO]

Most of us in this thread live in the U.S. so I'll put this in the terms I'm most familiar with. This is a free country. The beauty of that is we can have whatever dreams and expectations we want. We can ask any questions we want, and work for anybody we want for any price we want. We also have the right to refuse to do anything we want. It's nobody's business what goes on other than if these exchanges are legal. If you have suspicions, call law enforcement and let them investigate.

ABSOLUTELY... however, from a business standpoint, it is WISE for business owners to make good business decisions or they will end up one of the 90-95% of all small businesses fail. And guess what, they usually fail because they don't know how to keep their income higher than their expenses by actually charging what they should be charging. While it is good for me that 95% of all businesses fail because I can keep holding my head up; unfortunately, it does drag down industries when 95% of that industry's businesses fail.... and that, my friends, is a sad statistic but reality.... sad that people don't know enough about running businesses before they start one.

All in all, concerning "free services", all one has to do is just make wise decisions. Free doesn't always equal a bad thing to do - it can benefit you. Unfortunately, many don't make the decision as to whether specific freebies are truly going to benefit them or they are just being used.... their desperation to be something being preyed on by certain companies.

It's just sad. It really doesn't affect me a whole lot (except increase failure statistics in my industry and gives more and more businesses leverage to get freebies) because I won't LET it (I'm actually turning clients away right now because I have worked hard to build my name)... but it is a sad reality in this industry.

 

[Dao]

I think ... The market create it, as long as the market support such activities, it is fine. Earth is spinning, world is changing. Things that did not happen 20 years ago doesn't mean it is wrong today.

Today's photography industry is different from 20 years ago, should we blame Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus as well as the software companies? They are the one who make photography affordable, they are the one who make photography reachable.

We cannot blame someone looking for opportunity? Whether he/she can success is a different issue. The market will tell him/her.

 

[Azriel]

True. They have reputations. But its pretty much the same thing, in a round about way.

explain

 

[Joves]

With respect, construction worker's don't have portfolios

A better analagy would be a musician, and many do play for free when they`re starting out.

Actually I do have a construction portfolio. Sorry to disappiont you. I pump concrete all over N.Az and, have photos of where I have placed concrete. I can use it if I choose to change jobs as part of my resume. It show where I have had difficult set ups and, how I handeled them, which im my business to show compentence in almost any situation.

 

[Azriel]

Actually I do have a construction portfolio. Sorry to disappiont you. I pump concrete all over N.Az and, have photos of where I have placed concrete. I can use it if I choose to change jobs as part of my resume. It show where I have had difficult set ups and, how I handeled them, which im my business to show compentence in almost any situation.

:hail: I stand corrected, but the only point I was trying to make was thatfree construction work is unnacceptable, and free photography is not entirely. As some people, such as myself, need to build a portfolio, which will aid me in getting paid work. I could charge right from the start, but it'd be much harder, and I wouldn't nessesarily gain experience as quickly.

 

[dklod]

explain

Its all word of mouth as well as what you have worked on in the past. If you have worked on the more exclusive bigger projects and did a great job, you can be sure that the developer or builder will request your services again (good reputation). If the opposite happens, they will even tell other developers to avoid you (bad reputation). Even the other trades will gossip about you if you are good or bad. On our company website, we have listed past jobs and clients which I guess is a form of a portfolio, but most dont.

 

[pm63]

:hail: I stand corrected, but the only point I was trying to make was thatfree construction work is unnacceptable, and free photography is not entirely.

I think the reason for this is that free construction would involve a massive financial loss on behalf of the contractor, whereas free photography would not. To explain, materials and workers etc. cost money as well as time. Free photography, assuming it is digital and therefore has no film or development costs, merely costs time. Furthermore, construction is a "you can do it or you can't" thing, whereas photography is very subjective, and experience does help.

Of course, you could argue that time and money are interchangable, but that's another discussion... In any case, I don't think the analogy between photography and construction is an accurate one.

 

[sabbath999]

I am looking for somebody to cook for me for free.

I am looking for somebody to do a new website for me for free.

I am looking for somebody to do my grocery shopping for free.

I am looking for somebody to carry my scuba equipment for me for free.

I am SOL, and these people seeking free photography should be too.

 

[Joves]

I am looking for somebody to cook for me for free.

I am looking for somebody to do a new website for me for free.

I am looking for somebody to do my grocery shopping for free.

I am looking for somebody to carry my scuba equipment for me for free.

I am SOL, and these people seeking free photography should be too.

I agree. Except I would shoot for small local charities for free if asked. Most of our local ones are barely able to stay afloat as it is. Now if it was a major charity then no way! They generally have CEOs who make big bucks so they should pay.

 

[bhop]

I recently started shooting for a small automotive website for free. I don't have a portfolio or contacts to get real work, so this is how i'm building one. Photography's been a hobby for years, but now it's possible I could get paid for it once I get enough experience and meet the right people, all because I accepted free work. ...although, I do get free media passes to events I would've gone to anyway (and would've paid to get in on my own).

 

[Jeremy Lim]

I'm fresh to the photography game, but I've hung enough with plenty of musicians who struggle with the same thing. Yes, there's getting your foot in the door, but that sort of thinking is what got us in this situation in the first place. Economics: higher supply, lower price. Marketing: lower price, lower value. 'Standards' are established, and this cycle perpetuates.

Are you folks familiar with the term payola? In short, it's paying to have your work used. Music's already there. I'm scared for the day photography takes that leap.

I'm with Alleh. I think this must be approached with severity; not to the solicitors of free work, but to the photographers themselves.

 

[abraxas]

...

I'm with Alleh. I think this must be approached with severity; not to the solicitors of free work, but to the photographers themselves.

I'm not getting this. What can you do--Beat them up?

This happened a few years ago with websites. Now anybody can build one.

How did the professional photographers of the 70s survive the SLR revolution? IMO, by improving their craft and marketing. The good ones with the right skills and equipment rose to the top of the heap. Just a bigger heap.

 

[Jeremy Lim]

I'm not getting this. What can you do--Beat them up?

This happened a few years ago with websites. Now anybody can build one.

How did the professional photographers of the 70s survive the SLR revolution? IMO, by improving their craft and marketing. The good ones with the right skills and equipment rose to the top of the heap. Just a bigger heap.

If necessary! Haha. No, not beat them - but .. speak the truth. Tell it like it is.

Also, to take my point in the opposite direction, money isn't the only form of payment out there. I wouldn't do a shoot for free (not that I'm qualified for it just yet), but for a link from a high profile website? You bet I would. Mind you, that might just be the SEO in me talking. Point is, exposure's a lot more liquid than cash for some companies and can be worth more to you than cash would have been.

 

[sabbath999]

I'm not getting this. What can you do--Beat them up?

Why turn them over to the Ministry Of Love, of course.

 

[rufus5150]

I'm with Alleh. I think this must be approached with severity; not to the solicitors of free work, but to the photographers themselves.

Well then you're not really with Alleh. He advocates attacking the solicitors:

These days there are a lot of companies and people blatantly asking for photographers to work for free...A while back I started listing reply postings basically stating it is wrong to ask photographers to work for free ... Maybe if more people started doing this all over to people and businesses, asking for photographers to work for free would start to be frowned upon again ...

Pretty much everyone else turned it into a 'don't do the work for free' argument, though.