Clients

Q:

As there is an expected decrease in volume for corporations, companies are looking to cut the equivalent across the board. I have a feeling they’re going to ask everybody to make this sacrifice, including us photographers. What’s your take on this? If everyone is taking a pay cut, are we expected to as well?

A:

From what I am hearing, clients are going to see how photoshoot budgets can be cut down by eliminating their own travel, reducing the amount of crew and hiring photographers who can shoot all the stills/motion/drone themselves. This has been happening over the last few years (clients getting more/paying less) and now it is going to be taken even further with our new situation. Social media is more prominent than ever, so I’d expect this to also cut budgets by using more influencers and selfie type of shoots. Overall, we will feel this across the board as clients will see how they can get more content for less $ and they will expect that to continue beyond the time of “social distancing.”

Q:

That “stewing” you’re talking about, is that only with current clients or is there room for new?

A:

I’m so fixated on my “stewing” metaphor for what is happening right now so thank you for asking this. We have this wild opportunity to create solutions alongside our clients. The lid is open to build this brand-new outcome together, with new or current clients. All are welcome as this will take a lot of cooks to figure out how to proceed.

We have better odds that clients will remember our work if we don’t speak as they flip through your portfolio pages.

I noticed early on in my career that when clients are looking at portfolios, it’s important for me not to speak too much. I found that talking while they were viewing the work could be distracting. The whole point of showing portfolios is to let the images speak for themselves, allowing clients to absorb and focus on them. It’s much harder to remember an image visually when you’re being spoken to and have to respond—it’s a lot of multitasking. So, be conscious of this when showing your portfolio: stay quiet and let the images do the work.

Q:

Do you suggest always requesting a 50% advance? If so, what’s the best way to ask for it?

A:

Yes. Always put a request for the advance on your estimate, so you have it in writing that they’ve agreed to those terms once the estimate is approved. I use simple language such as “50% of total due prior to beginning of shoot.” If they ask for a different amount that is fine with me. I just need to be legally guaranteed my photographers will be paid. I’d be scared to work without that reassurance.

Q:

What are your thoughts on bidding on a big job for a client when your portfolio does not reflect the same exact category of work?

A:

It’s not black or white because I’ve had experiences where a photographer’s style and the client’s confidence in that style landed them the job. In that instance, it was Toby Pederson booking an Apple campaign that included people in the images, even though he had no people in his portfolio. Then there are instances when I can sense the photographer’s bid is in 3rd place because their work isn’t exactly reflective of the job’s requirements. I would advise you to get in the mix. Your work will be on their radar and use it as an opportunity to show what you can do.

Make sure everything about your estimate and your production considers what you are covering and what you are not covering. It is our responsibility to set these boundaries, not the client’s.

When you’re on set and they want more content, how do you handle that?

The best way to handle it is to prepare for it on your estimate. You should have a blanket statement in your emails and your estimate that says, “ This bid is based on the information we have so far and any changes may incur new costs or overages.” Make sure every topic that is even generally touched on is included in the bid. 

Let’s say you didn’t have it in your bid, you would talk to your rep. But if you don’t have a rep, you explain the situation to them. “You didn’t mention that, so I didn’t include that in the bid. Did you want a price for that?” I like to turn things into questions so if they request something that you don’t have you would ask them if they would like that included and, “I can get you a price for that.”

Recognizable mural walls are our responsibility to be legally released + paid for before handing over the images to the client. If not, we are putting our clients in danger of significant legal issues.

Before the job begins there’s so many production details that must be your responsibility to get cleared. The location permits, the location fee, and talent releases. Just like your usage is an artist being paid for what you do, the same goes for mural artistry. If we hand over images to our clients and they use it and we did not get that covered, signed off, paid for by the mural artist, we put them at risk of having to deal with a lot of legal problems, and it won’t look good on you. Find out who the mural artists are. I guess a good question is how do we find out who the mural artist is. Usually it will have their name and maybe instagram. It’s our responsibility to find it. 

ASR: How do you see the business changing right now and where do you see it going?

Anonymous NY Art Producer: Budgets are getting smaller, and clients are becoming more savvy with building campaign landscapes. They don’t want just stills, they want content. In addition to static assets that will live in print and OOH, they’re also interested in GIFs and short form content. It’s truly the middle ground between static and broadcast production, everyone across disciplines needs to consider shooting for vertical. Clients are no longer wanting traditional assets like a commercial spot and campaign stills – they want everything.

ASR: How are photographers handling this differently now to make this happen successfully?

Anonymous NY Art Producer: Good question! I would say this is where a photographer has the leg up edge-wise. Tackling this successfully requires a smaller footprint than what’s been done before to solve creative ask. Since photographers have normally worked with a fraction of a traditional broadcast budget, they’re already accustomed to creating with smaller crews and resources. Don’t think shooting motion equates to taking on the same resources as a broadcast production; be tactical, nimble, and resourceful. There are young emerging artists who have proven to achieve more with less, that’s the way of modern production now, and that’s what’s driving client expectations. 

Cultivate, develop, flourish. 

Show clients how your maturity will work for them, and not against them. Keep up with the times. 

Established photographers have that challenge because a lot of their work might look like yesterday. We have to keep it fresh and innovative. Photographers are hired by clients to be the innovative thinkers that you are, that inspired you to get into this business. The look of yesterday is not what they want. They want tomorrow’s look. I’d love to know how photographers out there, after you’ve been doing this awhile, keep going beyond the trend of today, and inspire yourself to try new things and show clients that’s who you’re going to be. How do you do that? I’d love to hear.

I had a client who wanted to be on the pulse of someone new. We paid that someone–who had never shot an ad campaign–$25K a day. 

-Guest Post: Anonymous Art Producer

There are definitely many changes in our industry. One significant change is that someone who isn’t yet well-known now has the opportunity to get their images seen, thanks to social media—something we didn’t have before. Another change is that budgets are generally decreasing, but that’s not always the case. You can still get paid well, so sometimes it’s important to be a bit more creative and make the most of the opportunities available. That’s what we need to focus on.