Early Friday post: Going pro

Fenster

Apologies for bad spelling, I'm typing this on a palmptop while at work. I'll fix it later.

Anyways, I had it in mind to relay my experiences in Las Vegas and see what the unwashed masses think.

To start, I'm currently working at the Ferrari showroom in the Wynn Hotel (think glamorous), which isn't as exciting as it sounds. Getting the job involved sending out a lot of very pushy emails with my resume and a link to my portfolio attached; followed by pushy calls intimating that I studied under Ansel Addams and the like.

What Danny said once is true: I need to be a salesman first and a photographer second. Getting someone to sit in a Ferrari, pose, and then buy a print all revolves around being charming and pushy first, and being able to take a photo is a bonus.

Anyways, some general tips:

Find something that makes your works stand out. For me it was my IR, which is different and incredibly eyecatching and basically landed me the job.

Accessible portfolio. I made a flash gallery in Lightroom in five minutes that looked better than any dorking with a PDF.

Be pushy.

I found a distinct prejudice against 350D/400D users, and I've seen several companies flat out say they wouldn't accept either camera. Two companies that I've seen so far have standardised on a 30D, 17-85mm IS USM, and the 580 EX. Owning and using one helped a lot.

Arrange portfolio shoots! Find a model and arrange to shoot with him/her. Being able to show you can shoot people in all areas works hugely with a lot of places.

Anyone else want to toss in advice or tips?

440Hz

Fenster wrote:

I found a distinct prejudice against 350D/400D users, and I've seen several companies flat out say they wouldn't accept either camera.

Grrrrr this annoys me! Not because I use one of these cameras but because its not the tools you use that are the talent! Its like someone thinking you can't write a tune with just 5 notes, or saying you cant be a taxi driver because you drive a Skoda (sorry!!) hehe. Anyway, two stupid analogies but Im tired and you all get my point anyway.

I know loads of people have these cameras and I understand why companies might feel this indicates some reduced level of talent and/or committment or something stupid, but in fairness thats crap. And furthermore Im sure over in the legal fairground that is the US, Im sure it could easily be challenged! Well maybe not 'easily' hehe

Fenster wrote:

17-85mm IS USM

woohoo! right I wont sell mine then

Congrats again

mikeanywhere

Keep the posts coming. I am sure that I can speak for everyone and say we are all very interested in hearing everything that is going on over the water and your rise to take over the world. Just dont forget the humble beings over this side when you make your first zillion!!!!!

Speak soon

Mike

digitalage

Wheres the link to you IR photography?

mikeanywhere

digitalage wrote:

Wheres the link to you IR photography?

His site is www.bhalash.com but it doesnt work in IE only in Firefox

Roen

Congrats on going Pro, I'm sure it'll all fall into place now you've turned the corner and went for it!

You mentioned your IR photography being striking and standing out. I was wondering if you could post up some shots that you PP'd into IR before you applied your IR technique to them? As in the original Raws or Jpegs.

Congrats once more.

Morlar

To be honest I would have thought that about the 350's & 400d's for a professional role where your reflecting the company they wont want people with cameras that their customers would be likely to have themselves.

Good to hear that the portraits & IR were useful in landing the role. Man vegas and the desert you must be fantastic for photo ops !

440Hz

Morlar wrote:

To be honest I would have thought that about the 350's & 400d's for a professional role where your reflecting the company they wont want people with cameras that their customers would be likely to have themselves.

Fair enough, but that could also apply to anything. Sure with the money these days consumers can arm themselves with tools of the professionals, regardless of talent or ability.

Morlar

Its true some of the public can afford 1ds mk II's its more likely they would have a canon entry level dslr of some sort. Not dissing anyones camera here - I think the 350d was one of the best ever made and in years to come will be a classic. Just looking at it from the companys point of view customers can be shallow and go on appearances more than results - I can see their point.

deRanged

I think the not wanting the likes of the 400d's goes right back to Fenster's first point - salesmanship.
If you walk up to a potential customer and offer to charge them, say $20 for a photo taken with their own camera they're going to think - nah, sure I could do that myself. If they see you with big expensive complicated looking kit, they're already thinking this is good stuff (and therefore expensive). Image is important in sales. Not everyone will know better.

And yeah - it's true across the board. It's human nature.

Now if I hadn't turned down the all expenses paid trip to Vegas next week I'd get him to take my photo in a ferrarri.

Valentia

Katie, I don't think the 350's and 400's has anything to do with the quality of the snaps. It probably has something to do with build quality and the perception of the client rather than a bias on the employers part.

Thanks Mark for the update. Keep 'em coming, it's really interesting stuff.

I think the best advice of all, which goes for any job, is to enjoy it. I mean go out to work with the intention of having a good time. This rubs off. Get to know people and contacts will grow and consequently opportunities.

440Hz

Valentia wrote:

Katie, I don't think the 350's and 400's has anything to do with the quality of the snaps. It probably has something to do with build quality and the perception of the client rather than a bias on the employers part.

Agreed. But thats what Im getting at. I dont know maybe I just hate the way all that works. It should be about the quality of the finished product, not what you used to get there.

If I wanted to splash out and get a 5D in the morning would that make me a better shooter. Course not. Sides, I wouldnt be able to hold the camera in my hand! hehe Id keep dropping it! Hence, I use a 400D! just in case

Valentia

Katie, how many people do yo know, (apart from myself!) who don't give a sh1t about image?? Cars? Clothes? Hair? ..................

That's why these things are the way they are. Now if they made a Hollywood film where Hugh Grant, or some other cardboard cut-out, plays the role of a world famous fashion photographer who insists on going against the norm and using a Canon 400D (Xti in the credits) against the wishes of his clients and wins the fashion photographer equivalent of the Oscars. It's the only language many people understand unfortunately.

440Hz

Ah I know you're right Danny, its just crap that it works that way. Image is nothing thirst is everything, like some wise cartoon strip character once said.

Morlar

Valentia wrote:

Now if they made a Hollywood film where Hugh Grant, or some other cardboard cut-out, plays the role of a world famous fashion photographer who insists on going against the norm and using a Canon 400D (Xti in the credits) against the wishes of his clients and wins the fashion photographer equivalent of the Oscars. It's the only language many people understand unfortunately.

They should make that film but make hugh grant a war photojournalist instead and send him off to chechnya - then give the film a sad 'saw' style ending.

thebaz

thanks Mark for update , and best of luck .. the more i get into photogaphy the more i realise how difficult it would be for me to make a living from it --couldn't handle the pushy salesmen bit , or the bitchiness of fashion and weddings ... or the attitude that only good photos can be taken with top of the range gear ... the only way i could see me making dosh from photography is in photojournalism .. what i like about photography is the freedom to shoot how i see the world , whether thats with a p & s that does the job so be it .. probably never make a living from it .. but best of luck , cause i'd love to make a living from something i enjoy doing

Fenster

The impression I had is that they didn't like, for lack of a better word, weekend warrior mums who take a few blurry snaps and think themselves the bees knees as they have a DSLR.

There's equally an amount of companies who don't give a rats ass what you shoot with. Newspapers, magazines, column websites and most private users in paticular are fine with a compact.

digitalage: Clicky

sineadw

Interesting about the salesmanship thing Mark, although it doesn't surprise me. I think if you can talk yourself up enough you can land just about any job or commission. Its a pity it comes first a lot of the time though. Do you think it'd be to the same extent here? Is it naive of me to think it might be a bigger issue in the US, Vegas in particular? Its all about the pitch and image there isn't it? Probably not

Sadly, I can 100% see the point of the 350/400D embargo. Sometimes I feel it, hoping I don't look like every other pleb who bought it because it looks cool or that ad on the telly or that it'll make them look like they know what they're doing even though the dial has never left 'auto'. Even *I* do that, and I own one! Katie I get what you're saying - it shouldn't be like that. It is though. Sigh...

Still delighted for you though that you're there and hitched and a pro! How cool is that!? Just wondering - are you taking as many 'just for yourself' shots? Does it feel like a chore to pick the camera up? That's what I'd be afraid of - that if I did it for a living I'd lose the love of it. If work was in bed I'd sleep on the floor sort of thing... ??

440Hz

sineadw wrote:

Does it feel like a chore to pick the camera up? That's what I'd be afraid of - that if I did it for a living I'd lose the love of it.

Great question Sinead!!

Its such an individual thing as well. That was one of the reasons I chose not to do music in college and ended up becoming a programmer (grrrr)! I thought that if I made music my job that it would take the joy out of it for me. How wrong was I though. I think for me, I was just too young to know back then that when you truly love something, nothing ever takes from that feeling inside. I think if I was singing 24hours a day, aside from having a very sore throat, I would still cherish that feeling inside. Thats just me and my music though. Guess its a bit different taking photos of cars, maybe not having that freedom to be expressive would take from the feeling a bit.. hmmm interesting.

kt

Fenster

I've done feck-all shooting for myself. I've lined up two models for next week for a mutual portfolio shoot, which will be my first work for myself in a time.

Ireland has a huge amount of potential: Everyone seems to think that getting in with a publication or opening your own studio is the be-all and end-all of a career, while a month in Vegas has really opened my eyes about what you can do.

The real question now is how to pitch it to people and businesses. No one needs something until someone sells it to them.