How do you quickly evaluate a photographer’s Instagram account?
My usual way to quickly “judge” a photographer’s IG account is to see when they last posted on their grid. It’s not about the number of followers that makes them a photographer to take seriously; it is how often and how active they are with their second website.
What’s your opinion of IG? Do you think the pros outweigh the cons? And do you think only posting BTS/announcements as opposed to actual photos would be career suicide?
My overriding opinion about choosing any type of marketing is all about IG. We can’t dance around this; telling half the story is like saying we want to show clients we can handle providing images for their marketing needs, but we can’t do it ourselves. We have to be doing at least the basics, or it’s equal to not having a website (oy!). Only posting BTS/Announcements would be using it as a temporary, occasional publicity outlet, which would send out the message that you don’t feel confident in your completed work.
If you had to name one of the most thoughtless or foolish ways to offend a client, what would it be?
One of the surefire ways to turn off a client is to misspell their name or call them the wrong name. How many seconds would it take to check their name before clicking “send?”
Once a photographer secures a rep, can we feel relieved knowing that the rep will secure regular work for us, maybe once a month or more? I believe this is an essential question since photography is a precarious profession, and I’m curious if representation can mitigate this.
Simple answer: NO
Think of it like this: a rep can open doors, but it’s still you and your portfolio showing up to those meetings.
We have the contacts, and you have the goods. The real question is: what do you need in order to land the jobs? Is the answer something where a rep can help you grow your portfolio and make you more findable or credible with exposure? Figuring this out before you look for a rep may save you time and help you determine whether a rep is truly the right path for you.
Is there a way to know who photographed a campaign? For example, if you see an inspiring campaign and you want to connect or follow the photographer who worked on it, how can you do that?
I used to use this website: https://www.adsoftheworld.com, but these days, Google Image Search may be the quickest way.
-Does anyone else have ideas/suggestions for this?
I’ve been thinking of reaching out to agencies, both local and international, to get represented. Do you have any tips on how to do this? I don’t want to make a bad first impression with a terribly worded email.
Good point! Don’t overthink the wording. If you are already represented and looking for a change, you can be honest about that. If you have never been repped and are newer to the business, keep it short because reps understand what you’re asking. It’s not always easy for us to say no, so consider emailing a thoughtful question or something relatable to start building a relationship, rather than putting pressure on a yes/no response. Reps know what you’re saying and, if we’re interested, we’ll continue the conversation. We are happy to see a quick rundown of your situation, giving us a sense of the kind and confident person you are, but the more you say to us, the more we don’t read what you are saying. Make it easy for a rep who gets many of these emails a day.
What is better for a website, a larger variety of different work or a small collection of highly cohesive images?
In general, websites are most captivating and memorable when they feature a wider variety of highly cohesive images. I say this because in selling ourselves, we often have 2-3 seconds to clinch the deal.
Do you think the purpose of the Creative Call is to give a verbal and preliminary treatment to clients before the actual treatment?
Yes, the creative call is when we introduce our verbal treatment, noticing the back-and-forth reactions sparked by the hot topics clients want to discuss. We use this call to monitor how the 2-way conversation flows, giving us a more concise roadmap to our treatment.
I always put the usage terms “excluding outdoor and broadcast” on my estimates and invoices. Are those still the best two types to call out?
I like to spell out licensing usage terms in this type of format: USAGE (granted upon full payment): 2 years Worldwide Website, Marketing Emails, Social Media Paid and Owned, excluding Digital, OOH, Broadcast, and Streaming. AI rights or AI research rights are not included. *Free Usage Glossary – https://artistmanagementassociation.org/usage-glossary
How do I know what to charge for interior shoots? The scale of projects is all over the place.
Our industry doesn’t have a set rate structure, so pricing can feel like a guessing game. Rates are generally based on usage licensing terms, the size of the company hiring us, and our experience in the various types of photography.
Each photographer has to come up with their midline rates based on previous jobs, the word from others, and where they are in their career and go from there. It will always fluctuate, but the one solid component of negotiation skills is asking for a higher rate than you expect, which can work in your favor.
