Careers in the Industry

Reflection:

This lecture was incredibly informative in what ways I could take my career, especially because not necessarily everyone will want to become a photographer, and is most likely not where they can jump straight away. From this lecture It has made me consider either assisting or styling (in terms of food, room sets, sill life). I think assisting would be incredibly beneficial, widening my knowledge on lighting set ups, location shoots, and how shoots work in general. Assisting well enable me to see how photographers work with clients, what is right and wrong, the process behind getting a commission, including estimates, briefings, invoices, post-production. Then hopefully it will gradually work me up to a photographer with multiple years of experience being an assistant. Styling interested me as I am quite keen on the placement of objects/props etc, and pedantic on how things are positioned. This lecture has definitely made me realise all the different job roles needed in maybe even one shoot. There are many directions I can take my career, I don’t need to worry too much if becoming a photographer doesn’t happen for a while. The information provided is very detailed in how you can get the the job role you want, it gives me insight that I perhaps wouldn’t have found out, and would have gone in blind.

(Brief notes on lecture is at the beginning of ‘Module briefing and explanatory notes’ as Module briefing and Careers in the industry were part of the same lecture)

Making a living: Careers in the photographic industry

Going through the careers in this industry is helping me to decide which area I want to build my case study in.

Advertising photography:

• Due to the digital revolution agencies are starting up across the country and not just in London, and therefore there are more opportunities to work.
• But now there is more good photographers chasing less jobs.
• To get your foot in the door, you need to be developing a technique or style that is unique to yourself.
• You need to have a portfolio, well produced, not too heavy and continually replensihed
• Start reading ‘Campaign’ – work out which agencies are winning which jobs and target them accordingly to your style

Looking into Campaign and Luerzers archive is a good way to look through current advertisement styles and the top photographers in that industry.

 

Corporate and Design:

• It sits between the world of advertising and editorial photography, sharing some of the attributes of both disciplines but being a separate area of photography within its own right.
• It is used to support and illustrate the public image of a business or organisation. This can be a product or service, or it can be used to illustrate a story in a positive manner. In general terms it comes under the banner of ‘Corporate Communications’.
• Fees –  As a rule of thumb, rates are approximately two thirds of what you would expect to be paid in the straightforward advertising commission. They are also at least 100% greater than you would expect for an editorial commission.
• Working directly with clients – In some respects working directly with your client is the optimum way of doing business. You will be hired personally for your services and this means you are able to discuss matters without them going through third parties. This frees up the creative and decision making process because there is a short chain of command.
• You are being hired directly for your skills so the responsibility to achieve results is firmly on your shoulders. It should also generally mean that you are paid on better terms. Sticking with AOP paperwork you will ask for payment within 30 days, and in practice may well be paid within that period.
• Practical experience suggests that this never happens when working through a design group, where payment terms are usually 60 days or more.
• Having established the needs of the client, the estimate is the easiest way to introduce the concept of additional fees for further usage. If, for example, you are asked to shoot for an annual report, you may offer a 2 year license with additional fees for internet, trade press, corporate brochure etc. at smaller percentages of the day rate.
• The more concise version of the BUR (back up rate) and puts the photographer into a negotiating position. The client can no longer assume that they have carte blanche to use all material.

Editorial Photography:

• You need to work out a daily rate based on the assumption that you will only probably work 150 days of the year if you are busy. Take into account all your overheads and what you need to live on, and the figure will be around £400 a day mark. No magazines will pay this much, so it is a case of syndicating and selling your work to other publishers to make ends meet.
• Try and aim to get paid your calculated rate, but often you will have to compromise, especially if the job will lead to more work.
• Many photographers will find working for stock a better way to survive. You can either sell Rights Managed images (RM) or Royalty Free images (RF). RM is the traditional method, where you issued a licence for use of an image for a certain time, but with more and more snappers selling RF images, clients like Getty pay next to nothing, which has brought the price down for stock imagery across the board.
• RF image sales are increasing every year, but it is not all bad news. Some clients are now paying a proper sum for RF images, on the basis that the work is original and unique.
• The key to survival is specialisation in stock. If you intend to sign up to stock agency, be wary of low commission rates, the industry standard is 50%.
• It helps to be organised by signing up to groups such as Editorial Photographers UK http://www.epuk.org/ who are demanding better terms in their contacts with libraries and Getty and Corbis.
• You can also sell your work directly and set up your own library. Join BAPLA who represent sole traders as well as libraries.
• It is a good idea to join the NUJ, a trade union who will fight for your cause if it be legal or monetary. It publishes a fees guide which you can base your expenses on.  Also keep tabs on Editorial Photographers http://www.editorialphoto.com
• Editorial markets vary a lot, Paparazzi can demand very high fees where as regional newspapers pay as low as £18 per shot. National papers about £150 per day.
• PR work is an area of editorial photographers get into, but again fees vary even more than in magazine publishing.
• Make sure a client does not cut down on expenses, they are the bread of butter making a job profitable.
• With the advent of the digital revolution, publishers now expect everything to be cheaper and quicker. You need to set a price for a digital capture and transfer. Photographers who just hand over a disk of unedited images are letting the side down.

Libraries and Stock:

• Picture libraries come in two different ways: ‘News’ (including sport and celebs) and ‘Creative’ (including people, travel, concepts). News agencies deal with real people and real situations. ‘Creative’ is a parallel universe where people are ‘generic’ and places (except travel images) are non-specific.
• A library usually works like this – a photographer self funds a shoot and submits the image/s, to a library. If chosen, a library will market it and every time that image is sold will (eventually) pass on a percentage of the sale to the photographer. Every month, or quarter, a photographer can expect to see a royalty statement detailing what has sold where and a payment. Traditionally this was for 50% of the sale, now most libraries take a bigger cut.
• Royalty free has had a huge impact on the whole photographic industry. Clients who can now buy rights to an image for a few pounds cannot understand the restrictions attached to an image that they commissioned which cost them thousands. Royalty free has led to more and more clients demanding all the rights in commissioned work.
• Royalty Free stock was introduced in the early 90’s and made a significant impact on the industry. RF seemingly offers unlimited usage of an image, forever, for one price. However, there are additional fees for some usages with many RF images.
• The future of stock – Photographers, stock agents and clients need to be better informed and get a better at informing the end user about the worth of a photograph. The simplest method for understanding worth is ‘exclusivity’. The more exclusive a client wants an image to be for its brand, the more it will have to pay to keep the image from being used by any other party.

Different job roles in the career industry –

• Location Finder
• Stylist
• Producer
• Set builder
• Assisting

Location Finder:

• It is their job to find locations based on the brief given by the photographer, not the creative agency, as it is the photographers vision he/she is trying to help find.
• They must be able to develop a rapport with any given photographer in order to understand how the photographer views the world. This kind of knowledge will save masses of wasted time and effort before the job is completed.
• They are given a set period of time to find a selection of relevant locations for each shot. By having 2 or 3 choices for each site, it will make your job a lot easier when discussing details with the photographer and client.
• They need to be rational, positive, have intuitive and persevere. After a while they will have a number of contacts in the industry, film offices. But to begin with they will need good negotiation skills when dealing with owners of land, council workers, etc, who will not grant permission 100% of the time if they do not feel comfortable with who they are dealing with.
• They often have to rely on other people’s information, but generally are self-reliant and self-sufficient. Sometimes there is tendency to go off on a tangent and perhaps jeopardise the job – always check details with the photographer to make sure any leads are heading in the right direction.
• Most location finders will also help in producing the shoot, and can see the fruits of their labour being used and developed.
  

  Location finding agencies.

   

Stylist:

• A stylist basically provides the props (furniture, clothes, china etc) that are required for a photographic production. They may have the freedom to design the whole look of the shot, but the majority it will be styled on a tight brief.
• If the image is for a magazine, the props are usually borrowed from shops in exchange for a credit in the publication.
• If the image is used for advertising purposes, the stylist buys or hires props from prop houses, hire companies etc.
• They aren’t just ‘shopping’ for products, the items they choose have to be related to the photographers style as well as the market the shoot is aimed at.
• Planning and scheduling is important, the production is always expensive and the shoot can be a success or failure depending on the work of the stylist and the timing, making sure everything has been delivered on time.
• You are responsible for transportation and insurance of goods in your keeping – so organising is the key to a successful stylist.
• Your reputation for reliability with shops, hire companies, suppliers is essential for you to be successful, and you must build up this reputation from the bottom.
• Where do you start with becoming a stylist?
  • At the bottom, as an assistant to a stylist
  • At a photographers studio, or as a junior on an interiors magazine
  • Try working for a prop hire company
  • When established, a stylist can earn up to £500 per day
• What areas of photographer can you be a stylist?
  • Food photography – cookery books, food packaging, magazines, adverts
  • Fashion photography – fashion magazines, mail order catalogues, brochures, on location and in studio
  • Room-set photography – home interest magazines
  • Still-life photography – magazines, books, packaging
• To start getting work, you need a portfolio. Usually a client likes to see published work or tear sheets, but its a catch 22 situation. So you could get in contact with photographers and work for free on a few jobs to get a folio together. The photographer will basically pay for everything in return for free styling.

examples of some stylists..

Make-up Artist:

• Most make-up artists have completed a basic college course, as well as hair dressing.
• Like stylists, get a portfolio from a photographer by working for free.
• Many make-up artists incorporate styling and production into their resume.
• Often they get an agent – mainly clients book a make-up artist through an agency, either modelling of photographic.

Producer:

• A producer incorporates all the skill-sets that have been discussed so far, location scout, stylist, assistant.
• A good producer makes a shoot successful, he liaises with the client, allowing the photographer to get on with the shoot.
• Most producers are ex-assistants who will understand the needs of the photographer, and will be a shoulder to cry on when things might not be going to plan.

Set Builder:

• There are not too many individual set builders, most work in groups, and since CGI, they have been stiff competition for jobs. But some things cannot be created  by computer, especially on location photographic jobs, and having a good set builder on the shoot is a valuable asset.
• Most set builders are ex-assistants or ex-carpenters with an artistic streak.
• To be a successful set builder you need to – Make a room from plywood and paper, make wood look like steal, polyfilla like stone and make anything look real. The ability to make a living room appear from nowhere in 24/48 hours. Stamina strength and good spirits. The ability to work with limited resources. (there is an undergraduate course at plymouth for set construction projects.

 

Assisting-

• Why be an assistant photographer? You could gain experience in..
  • Studio direction
  • Location production
  • Lighting
  • Digital workflow
  • Marketing and promotion
  • Client management
  • Business Acumen (Taxes, invoicing, etc)
• On the day of the shoot –
  • Be early
  • Be presentable if you are going to be in a studio or controlled environment but don’t get too carried away as you may have to get a bit dirty to help set up.
  • Offer to make drinks
  • Listen to everything – Ask questions. You are expected to learn how the photographer works, to become used to their working methods so that you are more useful to them. They have asked you to come along to help them and they want you to get better so you are more useful and they have less to worry about.
  • Try to meet everyone and find out who is who; communication is very important on a shoot – everyone is working as a team. Make a note of everyone’s name and how they take their coffee; sounds simple but later in the day when you have forgotten, it’s distracting to be asked twice.
• Job description – Studio
  • Ensure that the preparation of the set meets the relevant deadline, that it is correctly built, and organise set builders
  • Set up the lighting, checking that all bulbs, flash tubes and fuses are operative and that sufficient power is available. Do you know the maximum amp/watt allowance for the place your are shooting in?
  • Set up reflectors and masks where required. Check the lights can be operated during the shoot without disturbing the set.
  • Take meter readings of overall light and record lighting power pack settings.
  • Make sure all digital equipment is ready to use, all cards are formatted, external drives ready.
  • List names and numbers of client and all members of the production team, stylists, etc.
• Job description – Location
  • Travel to location in advance to check availability of power supply.
  • Check access of location, road, trains, and the availability of accommodation and communication: WiFi
  • Check location studio, if being used, for power, height, etc
  • Organise hire equipment and transportation, as well as hiring other assistants
  • Set up on location and check equipment is working
• General points –
  • Develop the ability to make decisions and assessments quickly in your head. Constantly assess and prioritise the jobs that need to be done. Check before doing anything to confirm what is required and then do it immediately without fuss or asking the photographer too many distracting questions – they have enough to deal with, especially at the start of the shoot.
  • Try and be aware that the photographer is very busy and mentally occupied. When you are asking about the shoot, deal with the specifics that need to be addressed – what camera, where? What lights, where? Later in the day is a good time to ask more detailed questions. If you don’t understand, ask.
• The ones who make it ..
  • Having good digital skills is an obvious asset, you will be more employable
  • The best assistants are the ones who can remain relaxed enough to talk to, but know when to stop talking and get busy when the pressure demands it.
  • Being able to seconds guess a photographer is a skill that takes experience, but when learnt, it will make your job easier and the photographer will not want to let you go.
• Where to start?
  • Work experience while at uni
  • Become a part of the AOP and other lists
  • Cold-calling/emailing photographers – these skills will come in use when trying to win your own commissions
  • Hanging out in galleries/exhibitions where assistants will be
  • more to look at …