Photography 101 - Getting Paid for Your Work Pt. 1 (Working with Clients) (Patreon)

Among creatives in general one of the most difficult things to do is to turn it into a money making venture. People of the general public have a fundamental perception issue with anything that involves creativity as something that is also work. 

The issue in my opinion is the accessibility barrier. When it comes to professions like law, engineering, medicine etc. you pretty much have one way to get into them and that is through higher educational programs. It is impossible for a 6 year old to walk into a hospital and try their hand at surgery. On the other hand, things like drawing, taking photos, making collages are all accessible to young children. This makes the public view these crafts as hobbies rather than work.

Because of this we have some pretty large humps to overcome when trying to make an income from our work. In part one I'll be covering ways to make money directly from working with individual clients.

Different Fields

Typically when anyone says they are a photographer, everyone immediately assumes "freelance photographer." Someone who works directly with clients to make an income. I will say that this, by far, is one of the most difficult ways to make an income with your photography, and I would not recommend it. However, if you must, there are a few things I can do to help you move in the right direction.

1. Shoot what people want, not what you want. It is very unlikely you will be able to make a living shooting boudoir and having clients pay you for it. Yes, paying clients in this field DO exist. But they are rare in most places and you will be killing yourself trying to make a living from this alone.
2. Weddings are very lucrative, but it will be common that people will try to take advantage of you without them even realizing it. YOU MUST HAVE A VERY STRONG BACKBONE IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN THIS FIELD.
3. Senior portraits are a great way to make good money, but you must be able to network. Find one or two people to shoot from a school, do it for free and then have them put up fliers at school in exchange for the shoot.

Some major tips when working with clients directly: 

1. ALWAYS require an up front deposit for any paid shoot. Do not EVER back down on this. Anyone who is not willing to pay a deposit up front will not show up for the shoot itself. I cannot stress this one enough. It is easy to fool yourself into thinking "maybe if I didn't ask for a deposit they wouldn't have ghosted me." But trust me you are and will always be wrong.
2. Do not shoot for "exposure" with the extremely rare exception of working in the senior portrait field. If you are shooting for free, it needs to be for your direct benefit. Such as you have a concept you want to achieve, or you are being paid to do the shoot for a brand or something along those lines. Repeat this to yourself while you lie in bed at night: large followings do not convert into customers or followers. I have shot models with 200k+ followers, they tagged my work and I received no more than 3 new followers, ever. People are there to follow that model, they do not care one bit about who the photographer was.
3. Value your own time, nobody else will. When it comes to events such as weddings, the bride and groom who hired you will be having the time of their lives. It's very easy for them to forget that you are not having the best time ever and that you are literally at work. Far too many times couples will ask photographers to stay just for a little while longer, or "just for the reception" or "just wait for this song." No. Set the amount of hours and time you are willing to spend, be up front that you are very strict about this, and explain your overtime policy (time and a half at the minimum, feel free to ask for double or even triple time considering that additional hours spent shooting is also additional editing that you had not calculated previously). On this same note, be sure to take your own car. People may offer to ferry you from venue to venue since they are going the same way, don't fall for it or you will quickly find yourself trapped.
4. Like many things in life, it is a numbers game. Do not be afraid to book yourself silly; because many will flake out or never come through. Only stop booking once you have received deposits for all of the shoots you need to satisfy your income requirements.
5. Deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE. PERIOD. People get very upset at the idea of a non-refundable deposit. Especially when they have to reschedule or bail. But that is the entire point, they are paying for you to clear your schedule and be available. This is the same as on-call professions. You are being paid while you are on-call because you are not able to do other things with your life during this time block. If someone asks to reschedule, allow them but tell them they will need to make a new deposit and that the first deposit is now a fee. Yes it feels harsh and mean to say, but this is your livelihood and allowing people to walk all over you is a guaranteed way that you'll be back in that retail outlet in no time.

As long as you follow these guidelines, and work hard to make amazing work that makes people say "I WANT A PHOTO LIKE THAT!" You can make it in this business. 

Next time on Photography 101, I'll be covering other ways you can make money with your photography! This is a vast field with so many ways for you to express your creativity that you never have to limit yourself on what you do.