Is Being A Freelance Photographer Worth It?

In the world of photography, I would say the majority of photographers would like to get paid for doing what they love. There are many avenues you can go to generate income with your skills as a photographer. However, there are some harsh realities you may face while actually entering this field in a more professional setting. The realities I will be speaking on are through my personal experiences working with publications. I will be discussing the different avenues on how to generate income off your work, how to get funding, and what it’s like working as a freelancer for publications.

How Did I Get Into The Photography Industry?

I initially was always interested in photography. When I was in high school, I would try to get into photography classes but it was always booked. Somehow I buried that interest, and it later showed up again several years later. My interest in photography was brought to life by one of my ex’s, who I was with for many years. We actually first met during one of her portrait series projects, as I modeled for her. Later on as our relationship began to form, I experienced a lot of the backend of what she would go through as a freelance photographer and photo journalist. Her entire life was and is dedicated to her work. It started off with me dropping her off to do assignments, where I’d then wait for her to wrap up as I was nearby. Later on somehow, I began critiquing her editing, and I will say her editing was amazing. She didn’t NEED my help, but she would constantly ask me for my opinion on her editing after every shoot. She was the first person who ever noticed I had a gift for Color Grading/Editing. As I was began to gain experience critiquing her photo editing, I later began to go on assignments with her. It was initially more as a gesture as a partner where I wanted to experience her world more, and some how I got sucked into the industry. but I did in fact get paid for the shoots that I did. As I began to have my foot in, there were times I either helped being a fixer, did lighting, or worked as a secondary shooter. Later on we decided to open a photography studio together, where I began to have even more hands on work. Through out that time, I had another business as a Personal Trainer (my original background) which you can see here. I later began to buy my own camera to invest in my craft, while wanting to shoot videos for my business . She was actually very encouraging of me as a Photographer, and she used to always compliment my Color Grading. I fell in love with the Color Grading process and later switched over to Film Color Grading.

How Do Photographers Get Funding For Their Projects?

• Invest their own money

• Crowdfunding

• Grants

  In my experience being around other photographers, I began to notice that grants and crowdfunding are usually the most favorable while funding projects, and for good reason. It’s very difficult when using your own resources to fund a project, however it has been done before.

Harsh Realities In The Photography Industry

• More than half of participating photographers are Caucasian/White, over 80% are men and about two thirds are between the age of 30 and 49.

• 49.69% of women photographers said that they faced discrimination in the workplace.

• Photographers who participated in the survey are highly educated with over 70% possessing university degrees, mostly in photography, journalism and the arts and humanities. (However this does not mean you can not make it as a photographer or photojournalist. My ex partner in fact never went to school for photography but her project took off and she ended up gaining more opportunities after. So it is possible, especially if you put in the effort. )

sources: Data collected by The State Of News Photography here.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER STATISTICS BY RACE

How Can You Make Money With Photography?

• Doing Shoots : Marketing yourself on social media generating leads to do photoshoots

• Photo Editing: Create a photo editing business to edit photos

• Sell stock photos: sell stock photos on sites such as shutterstock.com

• Sell Photo Prints

• Make your own photo book

My Experience Working With Photo Editors

It’s important to note my experience with photo editors was always through my then partner for I worked with her. There were numerous of times where a photo editor would ask for us to shoot on short notice, for example : less than 24 hours notice. You’re pretty much at the whim of these editors. Not only would they hit us up, but then they would just be direct on what they wanted shot and sometimes if the shoot needed models , they were never provided. If we had to enter an establishment heavily guarded by security or anything of the sort, they were never contacted prior by the publication or editor. It was all up in the air, and we just had to “figure it out”. The worst part was payment. Yes, you get paid doing what you love to do, but some publications are so bad during the payment process and will take 1-2 months just to pay you. Not to mention that some publications would ask us to travel while not providing accomodation fees. It really was a shit show most of the time, and if you’re organized like me it may stress you out. Another stressful thing is when the photo editor doesn’t respond to the questions needed.

Is Being A Freelance Photographer Worth it?

Being a Freelance Photographer can definitely be worth it. In order to be successful in any type of art, you need to treat your art as a business. You can definitely achieve success as a Freelancer with a lot of determination, patience, and grit. In terms of working with editors, I would suggest you are in a position to constantly be free; because as said before they will expect you to work for them in less than a 24 hours notice.