Paying the Price

Can’t tell you how many times a potential client would get in contact with me and then completely disappear after I tell them my prices. Realized the problem was that they really have NO clue what they were paying for.

Everyone is always looking for a deal when they’re shopping so naturally they are going to gravitate towards something that is decent quality at a low price. I myself believed in that as well until I picked up a camera and began my journey as a photographer. That’s why many new photographers get so much work initially. They have the basic camera with no real equipment or experience so they offer shoots dirt cheap to build a portfolio. Clients do not have that “photographers eye” and they rarely pay attention to quality or overall concepts. They see a person with a camera and immediately label them as a photographer which makes sense because they mostly take pictures with their iPhones and the basic camera with a kit lens is capable of producing better quality. As that photographer gains more experience and acquires new equipment their prices go up.

Why?…

One of the main things a person is paying a photographer for is TIME.Whether it be studio or on location somewhere, it takes time for the photographer to plan the shoot, setup the necessary equipment, and even drive to get to the spot. Time is already spent before the photographer takes the first picture.You also have to take into account the actual length of the shoot. Depending on the subject and theme, shoots can range between 30 minutes to literally all day (weddings). Now, Once the shoot is over the photographer is far from done. They then have to load all the images and necessary changes to create a flattering image. (A number of photographers say they don’t edit. I personally feel like editing is absolutely necessary. I would NEVER give a client an image straight off the camera. The least I can do is make sure there are no zits or nose hairs sticking out.) Depending on the photographer it could take minutes to weeks. Time plays a key role.

EQUIPMENT Photographers are carrying thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Between the camera, lenses, lights and memory cards, clients should be grateful they are not paying the total price for the equipment each shoot. The type of shoot will determine what the photographer will bring. Some of it may be rented, but the photographer needs some kind of compensation if something breaks so there is a good chance that may be calculated in the quote.

Don’t think equipment and time matters? Here is an example of unedited, straight off the camera, cheap photography (its my work. Wouldn’t dare post another photographer’s work and critique)

Not a bad photo but the goal was to have a solid white background so that he could use it for his upcoming mixtape.

With a little effort (and a few dollars in my pocket) I created this.

Here’s one more example,

This was shot back in the day before I knew about lighting and retouching skin and removing zits. Notice I didn’t even remove the lipstick stain on her teeth. The most I did was up the saturation. The shoot was free so that I could build my portfolio but I did nothing to help hers.

Now lets fast forward a year and a half later…

Same model, same photographer just with more knowledge on lighting, composition and editing. 

All in all…you get what you pay for.

Wanted: Models

Like many other photographers when I first got my camera I was eager to shoot any and everything. My dream was to shoot the most attractive females and make a decent living from shooting. The only problem was that nobody really knew who I was or what I was trying to do. Here’s how I was able to get models…

SOCIAL MEDIA: There are tons of social media sites out there today. The more popular ones are Twitter and Facebook and in my eyes the best app out right now is instagram. Use whatever site to your advantage and begin to market yourself.

Instagram just came out when I first got my camera and it was one of the first apps to be entirely photo based. Concept is simple; Take a photo, add a description and some tags, then post. Some of your followers let you know that they “like” your photo by literally double tapping the screen until a heart appeared. This is perfect for photographers to post work and reach a broader audience. My goal was to reach the urban community and shoot eye candy but had no real work to show for it and no real model would give me the time of day. My solution; appeal to the ratchets.

Now when I say appeal to the ratchets I don’t mean it in a disrespectful way. What I mean is to find someone with a social media presence and has a decent following. That person also has to love taking photos of themselves and just about every weekend they’re in a club. Those are the ones who will be more than willing to shoot with you and will flood their Timeline with your work. They are strictly there to get your name out there.

(Unless you want to be a club photographer Please DO NOT heavily post and advertise those photos. You do not want to be labeled as that type of photographer if those are not your intentions.) I shot about 4 ratchets before finally being able to get some decent talent. I was attracting rappers and tattoo artists and in case you didn’t know, they hang with plenty of attractive females. I made sure to stay in contact with the artists and the girls they hung with and eventually I got my shot to shoot with one of them.

The timing couldn’t of been more perfect. It was summer, it was hot, and the pool was open. After the shoot I made sure to edit every photo to the best of my abilities and put my watermark on each image because I knew these were a home-run and she was going to advertise heavy. That one shoot not only got my name of there but I was now being looked at as not only a photographer, but as a professional.

Snappin' and Trappin'

One way to look at photography is to think about the drug game. You'd be surprised how much they really have in common...

Like every drug dealer, you want to have the best product. Photographers are constantly looking for that fresh idea or new look or the infamous "secret filter" that distinguishes their work from others. The point is to attract new clients and even "steal" them from your competition. The dealers are in it to make money and so are the photographers.

 Now in order to keep clients coming to you for their "fix", you have to constantly supply them with a product that feeds their high. For example: thanks to many social media websites including instagram, models are getting noticed by the amount of "likes" and "double taps" they receive. It feeds their high. Photographers should focus on things that would assist the high. Once a model is satisfied with the product, she labels the photographer as DOPE and tells others about him or her. The best photographers in the model's eyes are the ones who can get them published. When the model realizes that and actually gets published, they will continue to come back for their fix ultimately making them a dealer of your product. The model is now a reflection of your work and certain rules will apply as far as how your product will be distributed.

Selling drugs is illegal and so can photography. Many photographers trespass in order to get to a location for a shoot. Some of the best locations are the ones nobody has used. Today with almost EVERYBODY being a photographer, many of the main locations are parks and anything with graffiti background if they do not have access to a studio location. Experienced photographers understand that versatility is key so some risks are worth getting that perfect shot including trespassing. Many photographers for urban magazines travel from city to city. This creates a problem for hometown photographers. I'll explain more later...

Dealers are also willing to steal product to stay ahead of the game. In a sense photographers do it too in a few ways. Many new photographers are looking to find a style, so naturally, they're going to mimic someone they admire. They will study the work and do their best to reproduce it; Stolen style. Editing software can be quite expensive as well. Rather than pay for it, photographers either burn a copy from someone or download it from a torrent site. Like a dealer who comes across unclaimed product, it saves them money and nothing is lost. Its a win-win situation. Some photographers are also looking for that high so in order for them to become DOPE they may take your model/supplier by offering them their cheaper, more beneficial, or sometimes even better quality. Now back to the urban magazine photographers. The have access to more product and are able to distribute to a larger audience. This is like gold for models. It's the new crack with a limited supply because most of the photographers are only in town for a few days and while they're here it's a GUARANTEED high. Those photographers not only steal product, but they keep the people wanting more and feening for a return. It's absolutely genius

"Never get high off your own supply". This quote could not be more true when it comes to photography. Many photographers get comfortable after becoming established or known in their area/field and are "high" off of their own success. They forget about how hungry they were when they first started and they also forget about the foot soldiers. Those foot soldiers are coming for that top spot and if the photographer is not careful they'll lose the DOPE and the hungry foot soldier will have the juice.

Each day ask yourself; "What would I do to kick my own ass" and your answer will be the key to your success.