This article talks about the myths and truths about freelance photography, and what it takes to be a good freelance photographer. Includes many personal experiences and lessons learnt the hard way!! For photographers aspiring to work on a freelance basis, this is a must-read!!

Sooner or later, when you have reached a certain level of proficiency and decided that you have "invested" enough money into your equipment, you will want to recoup back some of that money by going into freelance photography. And why not? you might ask. You can earn back some of the money you spent on learning photography, and use them to buy new equipment. You have the skills and money to do that, don't you ? Well, the fact is that freelance photography is not exactly what you thought of it to be. There are numerous details that you should take note of, before you happily go off to print your name card, proclaiming to be a freelance photographer.
 

First, let's start off with what people say about freelance photography:

1) You can do it during your free hours or weekends. It is free and easy!
2) It can help finance the purchase of your photography equipment.
3) You might avoid paying income tax on what you earn part-time.
4) And best of all, you are being paid for doing what you like. Isn't that great?
5) There's a glamour in being called a "part time professional photographer".
 

Now... if there was such a great job, please count me in. Check out five of the most popular myths that surrounds the term "freelance photographer" !!
 
 

Myth #1 : You can do it during your free time
Truth #1: You do it when your clients want it.

Some jobs do offer you the flexibility of doing it at your own pace and place, but most jobs require on-location shooting, or need you to be there to record the event. If you have a full-time daily job, can you do that? And what would your clients think of a photographer who can only do jobs "only when he's free at night or during weekends"? Although it doesn't mean that you can't do it if you have a full-time job or studies, you need to reserve certain time-slots so that your clients can book your services without calling to see if you're free on say... Monday nights.
 

Myth #2 : It is free and easy, and requires only a little time
Truth #2:  It is more time-consuming than you ever thought.

If you think that a job would just land on your table, you make a call to negotiate the price and job specification, go and shoot the job, and collect the money, I'd strongly suggest you take a refresher course in reality!! The truth is that, no job come so easily. You have to create your portfolio to show the clients your photographic standard and style. Then you have to actively search for clients to advertise yourself. And in the meantime, you need to constantly update your portfolio, read up on the latest technology and styles. When you get a job, you have to go down to meet the client, find out what he needs, and perhaps visit the site to check for any potential problems you might face. And when the job is done, you have to push the client for payment. Free and easy? Not by a far shot.
 

Myth #3 : You are being paid to do what you like
Truth #3: You are being paid to do what the clients like

In theory, a happy man is a man whose job is his hobby. In actual life situations, that is a rare case. Although you may like a hobby, when it turns into a job, you may actually detest doing it. Many professionals can vouch for this. Sometimes, you can hear them envying the free and easy status of non-professionals.

When the clients pay for your service, they expect something in return. On one extreme, they will specify exactly what they want you to do. On the other extreme, they will accept your professional advice to whatever needs to be done to create the photography required. For most of the time, it would be somewhere in between. The client will inform you of the purpose of the resulting image, and some basic requirements. You are then required to input your own creativity to achieve the final results. Sometimes, the clients like it, sometimes they don't. You have to learn by trial and error, and questioning them to find out their style and preference. Basically, you do have some degree of freedom in your work, but only if that works towards creating what the clients have in mind.
 

Myth #4 : It is a glamorous job.
Truth #4: It is about as glamorous as modeling.

The fact is that, the only glamorous photographers around are those who work for Playboy magazines and Swimsuit Illustrated, and maybe those shooting exclusively for magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar or Vanity Fair. But even then, it is only a appearance. As I said, it is about as glamorous as modeling. Sure, models look darn gorgeous, but have you seen them dieting and going through torturous exercise routines to tone up their bodies ? Commandos and Navy SEALS are glamorous jobs too. All photographers, regardless of their specialties, adhere to strict professional demands. Behind the glamour of shooting, there is all the planning, details, scouting, discussion and negotiation that goes on. 

And the worry doesn't stop at the end of shooting. What if my equipment screws up? What will the client say? The lab did WHAT to my film ??!! Behind every issue of National Geographic, there are more than a dozen photographers who stationed themselves in the sandy deserts of Egypt, or trailing along in the mosquito and leeches infested jungles of the Amazon for months at a go, just to put that few photographs in your magazine. When you sit in the air-conditioned environment of your room to browse through your magazine, you see only the photos, and imagine only the glamour of being sent to exotic places, never the hardship behind the journeys.

Myth #5 : Working photographers have a lot of exotic equipment
Truth #5: Working photographers have only what they need

Both professional and freelance photographers know what they need on their jobs, and they understand how difficult it is to survive on the money earned. So they buy only what is required by their jobs. If there is something that they need for a particular assignment, they either borrow it or rent it. Because everything is functional, it is not rare to see a professional owning less gear than non-pro because the non-pro may be collecting equipment and have a high-paying full-time job elsewhere! Just ask around to see how many professionals actually keep a 16mm fisheye or a palm-top organizer to download exposure information from their camera.
 

Actually, there is a #6 myth about photographers for models, that they get to have affairs with the models. I have heard some rumours about it, but then, it never seems to happen to me ! Shucks....

And now, let us go through some issues you need to take note if you want to be a freelance photographer:
 

Portfolio

This is a straightforward issue. If you want to go beyond shooting weddings and convocation portraits for your friends and relatives, a portfolio is a must. When you go for a regular job interview, the company doesn't know how good you are, and can only judge by looking at your paper qualifications. Similarly, when you meet a potential client, he needs to know your proficiency and style by evaluating your portfolio. Your photos show how good you are, and what you are capable of producing. It gives them a rough idea of what they will receive for your service.

Your portfolio must have the following qualities:
- Show a consistent style of photography
- Show only what the client is looking for
- Show only your best works
- Be neat and updated

It is important that you develop a specific style; it helps to separate you from the rest. Many people tend to think that having a specific style means that you'll lose some assignments, but if you have no style, why don't they just hire someone else ? And having a specific style means that you're in a niche market, and can command a higher price, because if the client wants that style of photography, he would have to come to you, since it is difficult to imitate a style that is well-developed. Also, it lets the client have a more definite idea of what to expect from you. And don't let the client flip through pages of portraits when he wants to hire you to do product photography! It is important to show him exactly what he needs, not what you can do with non-related aspects! Herein lies another problem. If you do not specialize (i.e. architecture, food, product, portrait etc.), you will need to come up with a few portfolios worth of images. Today you meet a client asking to see your portfolio for food, tomorrow another one asks for a portraiture. You will need separate portfolios to show each and everyone. If you specialize in one area, you save the trouble of trying to create so many photos.

And many beginning freelancers make the mistake of trying to finish filling the pages of a portfolio by showing second-class works. They simply do not have sufficient first-class images to show, and thus make up the number by including those which are not so good. The point I'm trying to make is that, you are only as good as your worst image. So if you're short of good photos, try to shoot some for your own promotion to put them in, rather than including inferior photographs. Finally, your portfolio must be neat, tidy and updated. Do not show a client a portfolio that has ketchup on the cover, torn pages, missing photos, tattered pages and outdated photos. Constantly maintain your portfolio and update the photographs with your newer works.
 

Quality equals pay?

You get what you pay for, isn't that right ? My dad used to say, "Good things no cheap, cheap things no good". Does that apply to your work too ? Does it mean that if some clients pay you a lower rate, you give him second-rate work ?

No. If you feel that the client is under-paying you, don't accept the assignment. If you accept the assignment, do your best. It is that simple. By giving second-rate work, you damage your reputation and the relationship with the client. If you can provide first-rate work even though you accepted a lower pay, you can create a good reputation for yourself, and you can increase your demands in future. And even if the client may not be able to afford hiring you in future, he might forward other deals from others to you, because he knows you can do a good job. No matter what the pay is, there is no excuse to deliver anything less than your best.
 

Professionalism

Every profession has its own rules and regulations, whether or not it is written. Photography is no exception, regardless of whether you are working as a freelance or a professional. Being a freelance photographer means you have to act with an integrity that underlies the profession. It means adhering to the ethics of professional photography (see below), and delivering what is promised.

Find out the details of what the client wants, and consider whether you can do the job. Work out a budget, quote the price and work within the budget. If your work requires a certain material, do not skimp and save by substituting materials.

Photography has a lot to do with ethics, like any other jobs. For example, when you speak to a client, you must find out exactly what he requires. Think over very carefully to see if you have the technical expertise and equipment to do the job. Discuss with the client any potential problem or budget constraints. Do not give a low quote, and rise the price later claiming the increase in cost, or cutting down on quality to work within budget. Copyright is a tricky issue for many photographers. In Asia, there are few champions for copyright. Most photographers, with the exception of most professionals, surrender the copyright of the images to the clients together with the film. And most of the clients expect it that way too. Many clients would bulk at not getting the copyright, since they already paid for it. Actually, the "it" that they paid for only covers the services of photography. In truth, the copyright of the image belongs to the creator of the image. But because many Asians are not well-versed in copyright rules (both the client and photographers), they simply assume that since the client paid for the entire process, they will of course retain the copyright. And if you insist on retaining the copyright, many clients simply hire another photographer. However, many big organizations that work regularly with professionals will know about the copyright issue.
 

Undercutting

There are few things that could irk me more than the undercutting of prices. When you undercut the price of your photography, you are doing a great disservice not only to yourself, but to the other photographers as well.

By pricing your service lower than the market rate, you may get that job that you're eyeing, but it also sets a precedent for your pricing. And in future, it would be extremely difficult to justify asking for higher prices from the same client. And that client who may introduce other clients to you will tell them what a great job you did for such a low price. Ask yourself if you would rather earn pennies by slogging for several jobs, or get the same amount by doing a single job with respectable pay. If you remember, I said earlier than even if you under-price yourself, you should still strive to provide excellent service. That only refers to unintentional under-pricing.

If it were of any consolation, the clients and photographers who drive prices down are the bottom of the barrel ones. Because they are small and penny-pinching, the clients will find it difficult to get good images from the low-balling photographers, and thus less likely to succeed with their products. Just look at how many restaurants ask their staff to take pictures of their food with compact cameras. And the photographers who work their asses off for a few dollars will be too tired to improve themselves, and resign themselves to the lower price category. If you are good, charge what you are worth.

Also, the price you charge indicate your caliber to the clients. By asking for a ridiculously low price,  you are signaling to the client just how bad and cheap you are. The client will be thinking, "if he is good, why is he charging so little?". In fact, you may lose the assignment because the client has no trust in your skills.

There was a famous photographer who held a exhibition for the sales of his prints. A customer saw a photo that he particularly liked, and asked for the price of the print. "$8000," the photographer said. The client bulked at the price and asked, "Why should I pay $8000 for your photo ?" The photographer calmly replied, "Because that's what I charge."

Specialization

"Hi, I'm William from Ekeya Interiors. I heard that you are doing freelance photography. We have a showroom to photograph. Could you do it ?"

Sure, you say. What's the problem right ? So off you go, with a tripod and a wide-angle lens on your 35mm SLR camera. Later, when you show the client the final images, he exclaims:

"Hey look ! The walls are tilting, and you didn't show the curtains and the plastered walls! And why is the photo is in such a weird orange colour?"

Oops. There you go. Do you seriously expect your general practitioner to be able to perform brain surgery ? Like the medical profession, photographers have specialization too. Fields like architecture, interior, portraiture, food, product, fashion, sports and many others, all have their own specialists. It may look like a simple job to you, but there are a lot of skill and care that goes into their work. A professional interior photographer has a eye for details, a knowledge of architecture and interior designing, understanding of colour temperature, balancing internal and external light source, balancing tungsten and strobe lights, and invested in specialized equipment like colour correction filters, colour temperature meter, and large format technical view camera.

You probably did not realise the issues that the professionals have to learn and to consider when they do the job. Also, the photographer did not bother to find out what the client wanted before he accepted the assignment. Always try to put everything down in black and white before you start a job, including requirements and payment. And always be well-versed in the areas you want to do a job. If you have no confidence of doing the assignment well, don't do it. Refer the job to someone who can, and he will do the same for you when he can't do it. It is not worth damaging your reputation over such a small fee. You may well have to redo it if things get really ugly legally.
 

Advertising your services

For those of you who do nothing more than wedding and convocation portraits, you will find that the assignments come to you without requiring much effort on your part. However, that doesn't always happen. If you want to go for bigger clients, you have to brush up on your promotions and advertise your service. For starters, you could have a stack of nice name-cards printed, a decent portfolio and perhaps typewriting paper with a letterhead if you're feeling rich. There is no need to go over the top and start making ink stamps or printing your own personal envelopes. After all, you are into freelancing to make money. If your expense outweighs your income, then you are obviously a bad businessman !

If you want, you could have a personal e-mail account with a easy to remember address, and perhaps a web site with your images and to advertise your services. Many of the deals come from word of mouth recommendation from friends, relatives and other clients. So do be courteous and friendly to everyone, and provide the good service that you promised, because you never know who might be the one making the next deal for you !
 
 

Profits versus costs

Ultimately, you are into freelance photography to cover your investment, or to earn returns for your photographic skills. Thus, it is important that you understand that your revenues must be greater than your costs in order to have a profit !!

It seems so elementary, that you may start accusing me of insulting your intellect. But many people, all excited when they first start freelancing, forget about this basic principle. For example, they get a job for $200, but in the end, they spent $300 on equipment and other costs to deliver the results. Why did this happen ? It may be due to bad estimation of costs, or incurring unexpected costs along the way, or because the photographer saw the assignment as a good justification to purchase new equipment to do the job.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, provided that 1) the client is expected to be a long-term client, and this will lead to future assignments that will bring in profit, and 2) the equipment purchase is a necessity, and you foresee yourself using that equipment very frequently in future. Remember that if you do not use the equipment frequently, try to rent or borrow it. This makes sense if you want to be a businessman freelancer.

Before you quote a price, go through in your head all the costs and processes that you may incur on the job. Write them down so that you can visualize the thought process, and can spot any things that you missed out more quickly. Do not submit a quotation in a hurry. Tell the client that you will get back to him, if you cannot estimate the costs on the spot. It is very unprofessional and unethical to raise the price after you quoted him a figure. Be prudent by quoting a slightly higher figure, especially if you are uncertain of the costs. But you should not leave too much a margin when quoting the price, or you may lose the job !! If the costs turn out to be less than your estimation, you can always give him a discount in the end if you want ! It will reflect positively on you, rather than charging a higher price than your original quotation.

And there you have it - the basics that you should know about freelancing. Freelance photography is a challenging and exciting job, and it can enable those of you with skills and a tight budget to recoup your investments. Be aware of the responsibilities that come with the job though. Start off with small jobs, and then try to graduate to bigger ones. Remember that you have a responsibility to other freelancers and professional photographers around, so under-pricing is definitely a no-no. Be proud of your abilities, take pride in your work, and face the challenges as they come along.

Wishing you the best of luck in your photographic freelancing!!

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