It’s a dilemma for sure. A student of mine wants to leave art school when he graduates and start his photo business. He would assist, but he’s afraid he’ll get stuck assisting and never become a photographer.
It’s a dilemma for sure. A student of mine wants to leave art school when he graduates and start his photo business. He would assist, but he’s afraid he’ll get stuck assisting and never become a photographer.
Im a student in San Francisco and have the exact same dilemma …. what I’ve been doing though, is putting on my website the stuff that represents “me” while shooting all kinds of other random stuff and just keeping it kinda secret ….. Then the experience I gain from those jobs start to help my overall skills and develop my “brand”. Now, and ever so slowly, I start to get cooler,more specialized jobs…… ummmmm yeahhhh
@ Chris, This is a great idea! I know many commercial photographers (myself included) who shoot weddings for extra $$$, we have completely separate wedding websites.
I suppose the question is, how much are local clients going to go to a website to look at your work? Out-of-town wedding clients do look at websites a lot. But if you are photographing interiors for a local architect, you are probably better off having a face-to-face meeting.
So perhaps your suggestion is the way to go: build your brand on one website and keep your general, local work on a separate website.
I bet some folks become career assistants, but the people who are dedicated to shooting their own work on weekends, to keep building their portfolio, easily move on.
If you can get an in at Gap in San Francisco or Kohls in Madison, would be an amazing opportunity to learn and gain confidence.
Greg,
Maybe I’m way off base here, but why do potential clients need to know he’s not a specialist?
Domain names are cheap. Web hosting is cheap. If he shoots events, portraits, and photojournalism, why not set up three discrete online portfolios for each? When meeting with a potential client, you should already have a basic idea of what their needs are, so just make sure you give them the right card.
A lot of people are agreeing that hard copy portfolios have a bigger impact that websites, and it’s even easier to keep separate physical portfolios for different styles.
In the end, it relaly only matters that he can deliver, right?
If you are going to shoot many different subjects it is best to keep your style consistent throughout. Clients want to know what they are getting. Of course, some people do not do this and do fine. But that’s my approach.
If you want to buy a Mac, would you rather go to an Apple Store or a Best Buy?
This is a great question – one I wish had been answered for me years ago. Some may disagree with this, but I don’t think it matters either way. The most important thing is to be supporting yourself through shooting, assisting, producing, etc. Most established photographers did not come out of school shooting ad campaigns so don’t be surprised when you are not the exception. Learning how to get clients, understand their needs and deliver them what they want applies to all types of work (even assisting) and is a great skill to be working on while you build your portfolio and hone your vision. I have gotten ad jobs after the buyers saw my work progress over the course of several years, not by walking in with a perfect portfolio on day one. Shooting whatever pays the bills and learning how to market yourself by trial and error shows people that you are interested in what you do and willing to learn. Its not a sign of weakness that you are not perfectly specialized – that will come with time and patience.
An important consideration – if you have an idea of what type of photography you would like to ultimately shoot when you are a big star, do your homework. Focus your relocation on a market that offers what you want. For example: don’t expect to shoot cars or fashion somewhere where there are no agencies with accounts in these fields &/or no magazines that cover these topics, etc. Good luck!
Thanks Callie for the great information. Love your website! Check it out everyone: http://www.callielipkin.com