In the last 72 hours I have honestly had 6 requests like this. Each one was met with a firm no, and an explanation of why. Of those six people two have bookings for a shoot with me.
Here is why I say no;
All over the internet you will see images which - on the whole read
"I am an artist. This does not mean I will work for free, I have bills to pay. Thank you for understanding"
Or pages giving a blow by blow account of why photographers charge.
Citation example
While very true and extremely accurate these often fall on deaf ears, so I tend to get the individual to think about what they are asking me.
Career Investment
To do my job I invested heavily in camera bodies, lenses, insurance, software, computers, lighting equipment, storage cards, advertising, web presence, vehicle ... the list goes on. I spent years of my 'spare time' honing my skills, getting out there and talking to people, and working on my portfolio. In one case I even faced a fear and appeared on national TV.
For each and every one of us we must invest something in our own careers if we are to succeed. Be that time, money, effort or, in most cases, all of the above. I then ask what they are willing to invest in their career. Often I am met with;
- 'I have spent x years studying' - me too.
- 'I have very little money' - me too
- 'All the other photographers I've spoken to will, but I like your work best' - ask yourself why my work is more appealing
- 'But you'll get loads of coverage' - In which magazine/art gallery/etc will that be?
Some times the person making the request calls me back, hours, days or even weeks later, telling me that they have thought about what I have said and am I still available to do the work - paid.
I consider myself quite reasonably priced. I don't display my prices on my site for one simple reason, I like to try and be as accommodating as possible for every budget. For example I did a very local wedding for £450 - a single photographer, venue in walking distance, and a handful of images on CD. The bride and groom were ecstatic. They had 2 weddings to pay for, one in the UK and one in the bride's home country. The wedding abroad was the 'big' one, so they wanted to keep UK costs to a minimum - no reception, no honeymoon, just simple service followed by the flight abroad.
So, before you ask a photographer to do something for free for your career ask yourself this - What are you willing to invest in your career? And what returns do you expect to see on your investments?
