During one of the many presentations I attended at the Annual Summit of the North American Nature Photography Association was that of Kathy Adams Clark titled “Surviving Your First Five Years in the Business of Nature Photography: Updated.”
Kathy is considered to be one of the top professionals in the field, having years of successful experience in publishing her images and guiding very popular workshops and photo excursions throughout the world. It was fascinating to listen to Kathy discuss her background. Ironically she had a previous life in the corporate world as a human resources manager. It’s obvious she is much happier out of the corporate world pursuing what she truly loves. I can relate.
Anyway, Kathy’s presentation covered just about everything anyone needs to know about not only running a nature photography business, but just about any other type of photography business. Much of what she talked about I’ve already had experience with, such as organizational structure, banking, accounting, workflow, etc. However, there were some key points made that served as a wake-up call to how I’ve been doing business.
One of the most important areas that Kathy discussed (and this is where I think so many photographers fail to make that final, big step to becoming true professionals) is in the area of setting prices. “Know when to say no. Charge a professional fee. DON’T give your work away for credit lines. Avoid undercutting the market.”
Hearing those words of advice was like getting whacked upside the head. To further emphasize her point, Kathy mentioned that “word gets around amongst other photographers, editors and stock agencies as to who the bottom feeders are.” Umm, umm - yikes!
Her advice is dead-on. I know because I succeeded in making those very same mistakes during my first two and half years of doing business. Why? Because I sold myself short out of a desire to gain attention, get some quick cash flow and generate a client base. What actually happened is that I, well, I sold myself short, only to pay for those mistakes later on down the road.
Did I gain attention by setting my prices way too low, on both my stock/prints as well as assignment photography? Sure, I got people’s attention, especially amongst those in a market as small as Dayton. Did it help my reputation as a professional photographer? No. Did it generate cash flow? No.
Lesson learned.
I’ve now moved completely away from quoting just an hourly fee for assignment/location work. I will not take just any assignment that comes my way. I now know the difference between assignments that help grow my reputation as a professional and those that don’t. I’ll also be implementing a “rush” charge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “our printer needs those photos right now!”
Nor will I be giving away my work for credit lines.
Sure, every photographer has to be willing to donate here and there and give some work away when first getting established. But once established, it’s vital to make that big break to the major leagues. If not, the photographer runs the risk of being labeled as an amatuer hobbyist who will take any work that comes his or her way for next to nothing. Yup, word gets around all right.
I make mistakes. I also learn. Thanks Kathy for the wake-up call. It came just in the nick of time.
Sphere: Related Content
link to the entire series titled “Final Salute,” which was published in the Rocky Mountain News this past year.
