RSS Feed of latest blog postsSeptember 2011 - How to go Pro : Part 2
| Category: Despatches | 01 September 2011 |
 |
|
The road to Socaire, Atacama Desert, northern Chile. Photo: David Noton |
So you’re going for it, full of resolve and steely determination for the long road ahead. It’s crunch time, now or never; you are going to be a professional photographer. The freelancer’s life with a scuffed Lowepro, long lenses and a big watch to match is just too tempting. You know you’ll never again feel financially secure but you don’t care, who in these days of budget deficits and double dip recessions actually does? Now having made the decision that you’re willing to pay the price come what may a huge weight has lifted off your shoulders; no more vacillation, you’ve just got to get on and do it. How? That’s the Big Question, and annoyingly no one seems able to answer it for you. The first few years are going to be crucial; if you can just survive them maybe you’ll be in with a fighting chance of lasting the course.
Last month we looked at the checklist of questions you needed to satisfy before contemplating the leap of faith. Now we need to get relentlessly practical and come back to the awkward question left hanging in the air from Part 1; where’s the money going to come from? It’s possible you may have amassed a pot of gold in reserve to launch yourself as a pro, in which case you’ll very soon realise that without the prospect of any immediate income jumping in the deep end of a photographic career is a very quick way to lose a small fortune. Conversely you may be saddled with a mountain of student debt, or for the moment, be coming out of the stability of a proper job on a relatively even keel financially. Whatever your circumstances the crunch question of how you’re going to generate income in the first year needs addressing urgently. Without a feasible plan to deal with this inconvenient truth the novelty of calling yourself a professional photographer will pale and soon be offset by debilitating, nagging worry as the letters from the bank pile up. What are your options?
Clearly any off the shelf answer to that conundrum will be useless as the name of the game is standing out from the crowd. To do that you’re going to have to be imaginative and creative not just with your photography but also with your business plans. What has worked for established pros in the past may not work now for you; you need to forge your own path. But the experience of others who have struggled through the undergrowth of the early years as a fledgling pro is relevant, if only to reinforce that there is no accepted route to follow. This month it’s the turn of me and my colleagues to tell our stories of how we came to be professional photographers. With our collective hindsight maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to come to some conclusions about how to go pro.
So in no particular order let’s introduce my cast of characters. I must admit I’ve shamelessly raided my contacts list here; most are my friends, one is even family, but all are hard grafting full time professional photographers from different sectors of the profession and at various stages of their careers. Collectively we illustrate just how many paths there are to a life as a pro, but also what a sad obsessive bunch we all are.
 |
|
Women in Kholm, Afghanistan waiting impatiently for aid in temperatures of 138 degrees. Photo: Jonty Wilde |
Back in the early Eighties I was at Photography College in Gloucestershire with Jonty Wilde. He was fresh faced young lad from Wales then, now he’s an established pro based in Yorkshire shooting everything from ad campaigns for corporate clients to editorial pieces for aid agencies. He’s worked everywhere from Afghanistan, North Korea and the Sudan to Skipton and I’ve huge respect for him, but he’s still the same cheeky lad.
 |
|
Dudh Kosi Valley, Solu Khumbu (Everest) Region, Himalaya, Nepal. Photo: Ben Pipe |
Ben Pipe is a young talented photographer currently forging his way in the profession, he also happens to be my nephew. Somehow, somewhere during his upbringing in Weymouth he picked up the notion it’s possible to make a living wafting around the world taking pictures; complete pie in the sky stuff clearly. Now based in London he’s done his fair share of traveling already, he’s just back from Nepal, but amazingly he did listen to some of his Uncle’s ramblings and has developed into a remarkably versatile photographer. Ben pays the rent with commercial shoots, running workshops, PR jobs, school prospectuses, weddings and stock photography. He will inevitably make crusty old sods like me irrelevant sooner than I care to think about.
 |
| Photo: Jon Gooding |
Jon Gooding is my friend, colleague and sometime business partner; together we run our workshops in Italy, France and England. He is a hugely experienced commercial photographer based in the thriving metropolis of Alton Pancras, in the Piddle Valley. Blink and you’d miss it, but from his Dorset lair Jon shoots everything from under floor cabling to Royal visits and priceless antiques. Jon is happiest when he is grumbling about the English weather, and when the phone doesn’t ring for a week he’s damn near suicidal, but he always seems to be busy, struggling to keep up with the RAW processing, knocking out jobs day in, day out. I am in awe of his fortitude and versatility, and he’s got a BIG 4x4 too.
 |
| Photo: Lisa Aldersley |
It’s all getting a bit blokey, so let me introduce Lisa Aldersley. To my eyes Lisa has the job from hell; dealing with temperamental brides, feuding in laws and hung over grooms, but she thrives on it. Spend a few minutes on the phone to her and the ebullient enthusiasm for her game floods down the line. She has the most intriguing story I’ve yet heard of how she came to be a photographer. Based in Manchester Lisa is one of Britain’s top wedding photographers.
 |
|
Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, England. Photo: David Taylor |
I first met David Taylor on the very first workshop I ever ran back in 2006. He was then a graphic artist with an understated sense of humour and a bizarre enthusiasm for Holga cameras with crap plastic lenses. On one of our subsequent meetings David looked remarkably phlegmatic as I comprehensively trashed his Freelander up an off road track in Langdale. David lives life on the edge of the known world in Hexham up on Hadrian’s Wall. When bands of marauding Picts aren’t hindering movements his particular attachment to the landscapes of the north east provides the inspiration for his writing and worryingly perceptive images.
 |
| Photo: Ian Bradley |
Ian Badley came to the profession later in life after doing his time in the Police thence hotel management. Ian has now established a tidy business in the New Forest predominantly running landscape and sailing photography courses and workshops. Apparently he has clients who have been with him 30 times. How he keeps his horizons level on the heaving deck of a yacht in the Solent I have no idea. He seems to wear shorts right through the year and wins brownie points by texting me the F1 results when we’re on a camp site in Corsica.
 |
|
A market in Can Tho, Mekong delta, Vietnam. Canon 1Ds mkIII, 16-35mm lens. Photo: David Noton |
And lastly there’s myself, David Noton. If you don’t know me any cursory tour around this website will hint at the numbers of fingers we have in pies. Like Jonty I’m in my 26th year as a pro, the river of photographic life I’m paddling now flows from the Yukon to the Mekong in support of the commissions, books, films, talks, workshops and writing that keep our team busy. Landscape and travel work has always been and always will be My Thing, but ultimately like all of us introduced above I’m a jobbing photographer for hire.
I asked The Gang a few simple questions to try and analyse how we all got started, and in particular how we managed in those first few early years. It was like turning on the Victoria Falls, the tales just gushed forth. What was meant to be a short article became this two-part epic. I’ve had to be brutal with the facts and stick to the script, but it was all fascinating stuff.
Jonty Wilde:
Jonty’s first gainful employment after graduating from our photography course at Gloucestershire College of Arts & Technology in 1985 was as camp photographer at Pontins in Bournemouth. Taking pictures of inebriated holiday makers earned him all of 10p for every shot that sold. It was a start that helped him forge the crucial people skills that he uses every day now. After a few gruelling summer seasons he was eventually offered a step up to brochure production for Pontins International, but there was a slight fly in the ointment; the company was going to the wall and Jonty didn’t get paid. Virtually bankrupt Jonty returned to his parents’ home in North Wales and with his back against the wall started Jonty Wilde Photography. Knocking on the doors of advertising agencies in Chester and Manchester eventually paid off with his first Big Break, a corporate shoot for a construction company that over two decades later is still a client. Now his work is spread across the board with advertising and editorial work. He is very much an advocate of not being too specialised, and is happy as long as he’s pressing the shutter. He still feels he lives on the edge of a cliff, not feeling secure beyond the next month, but it’s a way of life he and his family are now well used to. Reflecting on his time at college he wishes he’d made more of it, and isn’t sure whether in retrospect he’d recommend it now with the huge debts students are burdened with. I saw Jonty for the first time in 26 years this summer and not much has changed, he still has an irrepressible sense of humour and a bright, burning passion for photography. The journey from Pontins to Iraq has only been a start. It’s totally irrelevant, but I know you’ll want to know that Jonty’s workhorse camera is a Canon 5D mkII.
 |
|
Young men and boys queuing for rations in a blockaded Koranic town in North Eastern Sudan controlled by the SPLA. Photo: Jonty Wilde |
Ben Pipe:
Ben’s enthusiasm for photography started young with the acquisition of a second hand Olympus OM1 from a dodgy relative and that was it, a passion was born. Living in Weymouth the pull of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast was irresistible and provided the stimulus for much of Ben’s early photography. His professional experience started early too with a job shooting portraits in a make-over studio; handy experience before he even went to Art College. Ben graduated from Plymouth University with a first class honours degree in photography in 2006. Various applications for jobs in the photographic world came to nothing and so with few other options apparent he went freelance. Like most of us in the first year he scavenged for scraps of photographic work; bits and pieces came his way as he plugged on, striving to make things happen. The makeover studio went bust, owing him money, but the renovation of a local hotel with Ben’s prints displayed throughout was a vital shot in the arm, as was his exhibition in a new gallery just opening on Portland . Shooting the New Look warehouse on a cold winter’s day was a stark introduction to the glamour of the profession. At the time his acceptance on the roster of various reputable Photo Libraries seemed like a Big Break, and for a while it seemed stock photography could indeed provide his Passage to India. His shot of Durdle Door was blatantly mis-used to advertise a hotel in Abu Dhabi; but Ben was happy to collect the repro fee. Living cheaply with minimal overheads he survived and slowly climbed the professional ladder. His move to London two years ago has provided fresh stimulus and the opportunity to swim in the turbulent creative waters of the Big City. He has just been on the phone telling me with considerable enthusiasm about a job he’s just completed on a grim grey day shooting cleaning products. It was chucking it down and the flash synchronisation was faulty, but like a seasoned pro he worked around the problems to please the client.
Contemplating the last decade now Ben wishes he’d made more of the kit on offer at college. He thinks the opportunity of studying photography over a 3 year period was desirable and invaluable, but with current tuition fees he’d have to think long and hard if he were contemplating the option now. He considers himself lucky to have graduated when he did; today’s economic woes must be making it doubly daunting to be launching a career now. And if he knew then what he knows now what would he have done differently? Become a painter and decorator. Ben’s camera of choice is a Nikon D700.
 |
|
Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym, Havana, Cuba. Photo: Ben Pipe |
Jon Gooding:
 |
| Photo: Jon Gooding |
Jon started as a pro in 1995 as a result of a lucky break. He’d been a keen amateur photographer since school days but had a full time grown up job in estate management. The editor of a trout fishing magazine asked Jon to undertake a macro shoot using medium format equipment. Although he had a medium format camera he didn’t have a macro lens, bellows, or the studio lighting that would be required. He hired some kit, and the technique was acquired by trial and error; fortunately the client liked the results. Next thing he knew he had a verbal contract to supply the monthly magazine with up to 100 images per issue at what was at the time a good rate of remuneration. He was then able to run this opportunity alongside the full time job and use the proceeds to acquire more photographic and lighting equipment. A year later, with his wife expecting a baby, he jacked in the proper job to chase the dream.
But Jon soon realised one Big Break doesn’t spawn a long lasting business. When he first turned pro he had all his eggs in one basket with just one client. His first priority was to diversify and he certainly was not going to be sniffy about taking on any commission that paid a decent rate. Although he was aiming at commercial and advertising work he was glad to do weddings, group portraiture or whatever helped to pay the bills. He knew all the assignments he undertook taught valuable lessons. He made it his mission to contact regular users of photographers; Graphic Designers, Printers, Advertising Agents, Manufacturing Companies, and took satisfaction from gaining new clients. A maxim that he has always stood by is that it’s easier to keep a client than get a new one, and today many of his clients are longstanding ones he’s known for years. Jon stresses that photography is all about communication; it may sound obvious but there’s far more to it than the visual communication generated by the images. To grow his business and maintain working relationships with hard won clients’ excellent verbal communication is required. For him, his previous employment in people focussed businesses has stood him in good stead. Sounds familiar by now doesn’t it?
With hindsight Jon would have become a professional photographer earlier as he thinks it was more lucrative in the pre-digital era. As someone who came into the profession the way he did he’s living proof that a college education isn’t the only way. Having seen the work produced by some college students over the years it has left him wondering whether the training has equipped them for today’s world as a professional photographer. He has no doubt that some benefit greatly from college, but more important is a drive and determination to succeed in a market now more competitive than ever. And a whacking great huge monitor helps too. Jon shoots virtually everything with a Canon 5D mkII nowadays.
Lisa Aldersley:
I have over the years enjoyed telling the story of how I came into photography via window cleaning, but I’ve now been totally upstaged. Lisa Aldersley came to be a professional photographer after a career selling toilet rolls. Beat that. And it doesn’t stop there. The stimulus for Lisa to make the leap of faith came because of Clint Eastwood. One scene in the film Bridges of Madison County where Clint asks Meryl Streep if he can store his film in her fridge and that was it; Lisa saw the light. She had always known a creative streak lay hidden and resolved there and then to follow her instincts. Of course the transition from flogging bog rolls to photography wasn’t straight forward but Lisa was totally focused; she knew instinctively that weddings would be her game. She went pro in 2007 but with a young family to feed and a mortgage to pay she had to make it work; a gradual transition from selling toiletries to exposing brides was the practical way forward. She was able to continue her saleswoman’s job part time in the first year whilst establishing her business and crucially embarking on a one year Aspire Professional Wedding Photography training course. Lisa feels this training was expensive but highly beneficial for her as she learnt how to run a business and develop a brand. Crucial to Lisa’s work are her people skills as she likes to blend in and work in a relaxed and photojournalistic style, gathering a few people gently and quietly for the required half a dozen or so family photos. That sounds all well and good, but is far easier said than done; she routinely needs a diplomat’s assuredness and a saint’s patience. Lisa strives to tell the whole story of a couple’s big day in a natural way by working and behaving as if she was meant to be there as a guest. It’s impossible not to be impressed with her love for the wedding photography business, one she is totally committed too as a complete specialist. Looking back she does wish she’d done it earlier, but also feels she couldn’t have done what she has in her 20s; she just wouldn’t have been ready. She knows in her trade there will always be someone down the road who will be cheaper, but with her communication and marketing skills feels relatively comfortable in her world. Her top tip that I guess won’t be that useful for all of us is hairdressers know everything. Lisa works with a brace of, yes; you guessed it, Canon 5D mkIIs.
 |
| Photo: Lisa Aldersley |
David Taylor:
David spent twenty years as a graphic artist designing video games such as Destruction Derby, but an interest in photography was always bubbling underneath. In 2006 the opportunity to change careers came along and he knew that landscape photography was what he wanted to do. He'd sent a portfolio of work to the Northumberland National Park; the subsequent commission was his Big Break. That got him started and, more importantly, helped to give him the confidence to approach other groups and companies. The first crucial year was spent trying to expand his personal portfolio as well as making local contacts and finding photographic commissions. Combining writing with photography was something that interested him so he concentrated on sending out book and magazine article proposals. At the end of the first year he tried to work out what had and hadn't worked in order to make a plan for the following year.
David seems a little envious of people who have gone to college, mostly for the experience of being with like-minded folk for solace, comfort and a healthy dose of competition. It is a lonely game. If he knew then what he knows now what would he do differently? “Apart from not starting a new career just as the world's financial system collapsed?! I'd think more broadly if I was able to start over again. There are elements of the business that are important now but were something that hadn't occurred to me when I first started. These elements came organically over time through the business developing. Which is good, but it would have been even better if I'd thought of them at the start! I'd also think more clearly and realistically about who it actually it is who would want my photography, and how to effectively reach them.” David breaks the mould by preferring a Canon 7D currently.
 |
|
Hexham Abbey, floodlit and dominating the town that surrounds it, on a summer's evening, Northumberland, England Photo: David Taylor |
Ian Badley:
For Ian going pro was a life changing moment. His photography had progressed from amateur status in his teens until he was frequently selling images via libraries and prints, and then the moment of revelation came. After botched surgery that pierced his heart and brought him perilously close to death’s door Ian realised life was too short, and resolved to go for it. With his wife Julia’s blessing and a large overdraft he decided to give himself a year. Despite dilemmas, constant concerns and strategic twists and turns along the way some years later he’s still giving it another year.
In his first year he waited for the cheques to come in. Ian knows that like any business cash flow is key. Some inevitably hum drum work kept the wolf from the door. Ian goes pale remembering the tribulations of shooting a 4” square box of chocolates. But all the time Ian was relentless in pursuit of his objectives as he invested time and money in marketing, building websites and taking out stands at prestigious shows and events to publicise his work and the Workshops he had designed specifically for beginners in and around the New Forest. The workshops have now organically grown to cover all levels from beginner to advanced. Many of the shows were a waste of money but one in particular which seemed at the time expensive proved to be Ian’s Big Break. Some excellent leads and contacts were cultivated, including the National Trust and a major hotel, both of whom he continues to work for. Thankfully Ian had been self-employed for some time, so the anguish of the postman bringing bills with no cheques only caused some sleepless nights.
Ian feels that whether a photographer has gone to college or not well grounded knowledge is key. He spends a lot of time building up his reservoir of background information by studying and honing his understanding of photography. He is one of the few people I know who can attempt to explain the concept of circles of confusion.
And if he knew then what he knows now what would he do differently? “I’d structure in a day off! I find I am always working, (like catching up on my office work today, Sunday). I also wouldn’t have planned for stock photography to hold up when clearly it hasn’t. I also would not have produced 8000 greeting cards without testing on a small batch first! It all looks so very rosy, swanning off over the globe, but it all has to be paid for. I think I am quite level headed and business like, but I must admit that the hourly rate is pitiful – a major factor. Despite this, in retrospect I would probably have spent even more time and money on marketing and PR to develop more productive revenue streams.” Ian is a confirmed Nikon man with a D2X as his present bread winner.
 |
|
The Cowes Classic long inshore race, Isle of Wight Photo: Ian Badley |
David Noton:
In my final of year of college I managed to sell a range of landscape images for release as posters by the now defunct poster publisher Athena. That summer of ’85 I also won a category of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards; it seemed like a Big Break at the time. All my peers were heading on the yellow brick road to London to work as assistants in advertising photographer’s studios, but I felt at the grand old age of 28 I was too old to be a gofer and the call of the wilds beckoned. With the help of the Enterprise Allowance Scheme I went freelance straight from college and soon realised what a deep end I’d just jumped into. Like everyone else my first year was spent hanging around in editor’s and art director’s waiting rooms. Hawking my portfolio around Bristol and London brought me a few scraps of work, but it was real hand to mouth stuff. Every weekend my wife to be Wendy and I would pack the tent and head for the hills; landscape photography has always been the backdrop to my professional life, but making it pay took time. As the year wore on a few of my clients who’d scattered a few crumbs my way realised I was at least reliable and the quality of work on offer gradually improved. In that first year I made my initial way into the world of stock photography, which was in its infancy then. When the EAS finished after the first year things got really tough; I just didn’t have enough regular work and posters and competition success however gratifying wasn’t paying the bills. A few clients went bust, owing me dosh, and the future looked bleak. At this point I took a 3 days a week job as a photographic technician at the very college I had trained at; useful experience for 6 months that got me over the hump while I continued to plug away for the other 4 days a week at building a reputation and establishing the business. A combination of determination, my wife’s support and not having any other options got me through.
 |
|
The Canal du Midi, Languedoc, France. Photo: David Noton |
In retrospect I wouldn’t do anything differently. Like all of us armed with hindsight we’d all be more focused, but there are no shortcuts. I’m glad I came to photography after the adventure of a previous life at sea. The likes of Jonty and the rest at college did treat me like I was Methuselah; I was all of 25! But those few extra years of the University of Life under my belt enabled me to make the most of our time at College. Since those early years the business has morphed through many transformations to keep pace with the changing times, and I guess it will have to keep doing so. I still love the game; the dawn rises, seeing the world at it’s best, the buzz of walking back, tripod on the shoulder after a productive shoot, the adventure, and the creative rush. I also like, most of the time, the cut and thrust of running a successful business. Just as well as I guess it’s too late to settle down and get a proper job. The camera body that’s been knocked about the most over the last few years is a Canon 1Ds mkIII.
So what conclusions can we draw from all this? Firstly it’s apparent there are no entry rules; the means by which we all entered the profession are certainly varied. Pontins, make overs, Destruction Derby, trout, bog rolls, heart surgery and window cleaning; do you spot any common themes? Dig deeper though and trends are apparent. People skills are stressed as vital by one and all. Repeat clients are to be treated like gold dust. Big Breaks are to be capitalised on. Soaring aspirations are tempered with a gritty realism and a staunch resilience. All of our photographers know well the highs and lows of self-employment; dodgy clients and bad debts seem a recurring theme. And, since I know them all I can vouch for the fact that not one takes themselves too seriously. All have the vital self-depreciating sense of humour which is our armour against the knocks of the profession.
On the subject of training Jonty, Ben and myself went to College, Lisa had professional training, Jon, David T and Ian are self-taught. Read into that what you will. On a practical level the choices made to survive the first early years show some similarities, with a gradual transition to full time pro being adopted by a few. At some point though the leap of faith had to be faced and all of our Gang showed either courage or stupidity by simply just going for it. Behind the scenes the influence of our partners is crucial. The professional photographic way of life impacts on them as much as us, and without their whole hearted support it’s never going to work. A photographic partner’s lot is a thankless one; why Wendy has put up with it for all these years I have no idea.
 |
|
Croatia. Canon 1Ds mkIII, 16-35mm lens. Photo: David Noton |
Last weekend I was flicking through the travel section of the Telegraph and came across my picture of Dubrovnik. There was the familiar satisfaction of seeing an image used large on the page, a picture that I’d almost forgotten. I remembered the work that went into that shoot, the location searches, the dawn rise, the way I framed the canon in the foreground in the eyepiece of my Canon, the sky which made the shot. Its fun this game, when it’s going well. I’ve just checked what the repro fee for that use was. We may just manage a pub lunch for two on the proceeds, providing we forego the sticky toffee pudding. That’s what we’re up against. So there’s the rub; the rewards and challenges of making a living in this game in a nutshell. Back to you; time to make your plan. Good luck.
