Finding the truth about becoming a profesional photographer.
Discussion
Greetings everyone! This is my first every topic discussion so forgive me if I make a few mistakes.
The reason why I joined the Pistonheads Gassing Station was not just to show what I can do, but to also find out from professionals what it's like to be a car photographer and how difficult can it be.
I've emailed so many people about how easy is it to photograph cars as a career. I still haven't had many responses, but from some research, I've found different answers.
I know the main keys to becoming a well known professional photographer is be be different and confident. And having a big supply of contacts is also seriously important.
But the main answer I got was either no you can't or it's too difficult to get into and earn a living off. I can see why in days like this when money is crucial to everyone and also this kind of photography is a massive competition. However these answers came from forums dating back two to three years now. So is it still the same? Is it still a big competition and is it still a job which can't pay off bills?
But then again, there are some photographers which have been very successful and have traveled the world and have been able to live off working in this industry. On the other hand these type of people might have been well funded in the first place, although that is not my place to say in that matter.
So what exactly is the truth about becoming a car photographer? What are the things you need to get into the car photography industry? How difficult is it to work in car photography and does it have rewards. I hope to find out answer soon enough as at the moment, I feel I struggle to get one or two likes a month, unlike a few others who get about 100,000 likes a month for example.
Hope you liked my first post and please leave some comments about what you guys think.
The reason why I joined the Pistonheads Gassing Station was not just to show what I can do, but to also find out from professionals what it's like to be a car photographer and how difficult can it be.
I've emailed so many people about how easy is it to photograph cars as a career. I still haven't had many responses, but from some research, I've found different answers.
I know the main keys to becoming a well known professional photographer is be be different and confident. And having a big supply of contacts is also seriously important.
But the main answer I got was either no you can't or it's too difficult to get into and earn a living off. I can see why in days like this when money is crucial to everyone and also this kind of photography is a massive competition. However these answers came from forums dating back two to three years now. So is it still the same? Is it still a big competition and is it still a job which can't pay off bills?
But then again, there are some photographers which have been very successful and have traveled the world and have been able to live off working in this industry. On the other hand these type of people might have been well funded in the first place, although that is not my place to say in that matter.
So what exactly is the truth about becoming a car photographer? What are the things you need to get into the car photography industry? How difficult is it to work in car photography and does it have rewards. I hope to find out answer soon enough as at the moment, I feel I struggle to get one or two likes a month, unlike a few others who get about 100,000 likes a month for example.
Hope you liked my first post and please leave some comments about what you guys think.
Moderator edit: no promoting blogs or Facebook pages please.
Edited by jeremyc on Wednesday 12th February 17:40
WillAron said:
I know the main keys to becoming a well known professional photographer is be be different and confident. And having a big supply of contacts is also seriously important.
I know that people tend to believe recently that confidence is the key, but I think I'd still start with actually being a very very good photographer as the most important requirement.As others have said, are you good enough? Top 1% isn't good enough to be a professional photographer and to be one who specialises in cars puts you in a tiny market with some very good people already doing it.
That doesn't mean you can't do it, but first look at what work others are doing and ask yourself, could you have produced that? Have you produced anything similar? And have you produced anything someone would pay you for, who and why?
Who is going to give you work, car companies? Event organisers? Private car owners? You have to think that through and ask yourself how are to you going to market yourself, what prices do you need to charge, how much do you need to sell to make any money?
That doesn't mean you can't do it, but first look at what work others are doing and ask yourself, could you have produced that? Have you produced anything similar? And have you produced anything someone would pay you for, who and why?
Who is going to give you work, car companies? Event organisers? Private car owners? You have to think that through and ask yourself how are to you going to market yourself, what prices do you need to charge, how much do you need to sell to make any money?
If you can make the investment in time and effort to learn, practice and develop your skills/style and have a sound business head on you, theres no reason why you cannot do it. But people struggle though with the aforementioned points - especially time. The successful photographers have taken years to get to a position where they are making a decent living from their photography in this sector.
If its just money you are after there are probably other genres you can make more money more quickly.
I noticed you are coming along to the lake district dash? I should be there too
If its just money you are after there are probably other genres you can make more money more quickly.
I noticed you are coming along to the lake district dash? I should be there too
The thing is that there are loads of people who would love to make their living photographing cars, so there is a lot of competition. What can you bring to the game that raises you above the rest?
The other issue is that the market for buying images is shrinking, not helped by all the people giving images away for free to help get them noticed :rollseyes:
I think the best way to make money as a photographer these days is to run a course or sell books about how to make money as a photographer...
The other issue is that the market for buying images is shrinking, not helped by all the people giving images away for free to help get them noticed :rollseyes:
I think the best way to make money as a photographer these days is to run a course or sell books about how to make money as a photographer...
Craikeybaby said:
I think the best way to make money as a photographer these days is to run a course or sell books about how to make money as a photographer...
Or as they say 'if you can't do it teach it'.But even then Youtube is full of free tutorials. The nub of the matter is 'How to turn your skills into money?'.
Mr Will said:
Taking photographs is easy.
Tell me more, I've only been practising for the past 40 odd years and still not mastered this 'easy' part!As far as the OP is concerned, you need talent + talent = talent and then you need a very distinct style and has been stated a fair amount of substantive experience. That used to be gained by assisting a pro photographer or getting a job on a local paper. For the past number of years the economic climate has made the 'paid' assistant position as rare as hens teeth. There is no easy route, take lots of photos, learn from your mistakes and look at what others are doing then find your own style and get yourself known through forums like this one. Checkout the talent that posts on here especially on the 'why are there so few car photographs' thread. When you can match some of the talent on there then you might have a chance, sorry to be so negative but I think a reality check might help you formulate your ideals
Good Luck, I hope to see you posting on this forum on a regular basis.
YB
Yellabelly said:
As far as the OP is concerned, you need talent + talent = talent and then you need a very distinct style and has been stated a fair amount of substantive experience.
All of that will come to nothing if you can't do marketing and sales. The world will not beat a path to your door; you have to figure where it is, find it and drag it home.Cheers for all the nice feedback guys! I think it is like creating a business. I think it's possible, but I know I'm going to have to put is a few years of hard work to create a good career out of it. I remember when I always thought you could start a successful career just like that! The world would be a better place if that was the case hahaha.
But there are photographers I follow who have been in the trade for 5 years plus and have worked blood and sweat for their career.
I think I've learned from what you guys have told me, that it can be a very difficult industry to get into. Which is why I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it. It might be very hard at first, but I'm not going to give up the fight and try and make it. Even if I have to have many sleepless nights I will work hard to make it.
But there are photographers I follow who have been in the trade for 5 years plus and have worked blood and sweat for their career.
I think I've learned from what you guys have told me, that it can be a very difficult industry to get into. Which is why I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it. It might be very hard at first, but I'm not going to give up the fight and try and make it. Even if I have to have many sleepless nights I will work hard to make it.
kman said:
I noticed you are coming along to the lake district dash? I should be there too
I sure am coming the the Lake District! It's going to be great. A good line up of cars too! Mr Will said:
Taking photographs is easy. Running a business is significantly harder. Running a business dedicated to a highly competitive niche in a highly competitive and shrinking market is close to impossible.
Good luck.
Depends on the person. I know a lot about running businesses but I'd never make it as a successful photographer due to lack of talent. The issue is not that one is more important than the other, you need to be good at both.Good luck.
Hi to the O/P.
People are told that nothing is impossible these days, that all it takes is determination and the will to succeed. Saturday night TV is full of those trying. Unfortunately, it's all a big lie. There are very few opportunities open these days. But I would never suggest one doesn't try, there are always exceptions. But they need to be truly exceptional or innovative in some way to make any sort of progress.
Best of luck.
People are told that nothing is impossible these days, that all it takes is determination and the will to succeed. Saturday night TV is full of those trying. Unfortunately, it's all a big lie. There are very few opportunities open these days. But I would never suggest one doesn't try, there are always exceptions. But they need to be truly exceptional or innovative in some way to make any sort of progress.
Best of luck.
It is really, really difficult to get into and continue to make a respectable living from; far more than I ever envisaged. You'll need to meet or exceed the standard of others to get in with magazines, clients will try to push your prices down, you'll often get next to no sleep and stand around is pissing rain all day cold and hungry, hardly anybody will pay you on time and every now and then a client will go bust before settling your bill. Last year I lost £4.5k to this little trick. HMRC will take whatever is left after you've paid out for numerous expensive pieces of work related kit.
Very few get to fly around the world photographing cool stuff in cool locations; those guys have grafted years to get where they are, and are in a shrinking pool of work as budgets are squeezed ever further and more imagery is computer generated - this trend is only going to continue. I'm not sure I'd advise anyone to go into it nowadays unless they were supremely talented (I'm certainly not - but it's something to aim for!), extremely determined, and had no requirement to earn money for the next few years. If you think facebook 'likes' are important, you can purchase them by the thousand for hardly any outlay; they won't pay the bills though..... Good for the ego perhaps, but the only opinion that really matters is that of your clients.
In summary:
"these answers came from forums dating back two to three years now. So is it still the same? Is it still a big competition and is it still a job which can't pay off bills?"
If anything, more so.
"So what exactly is the truth about becoming a car photographer?"
See above. It may appear glamorous from the outside - and occasionally it is - but the job is to meet or exceed the clients needs, and it doesn't matter if the location is crap, the weather is poor, or you don't have much time.
"What are the things you need to get into the car photography industry?"
A thorough understanding of your clients needs. Several thousand pounds worth of kit. Humility. Perseverance. Self motivation. Plenty others I can't think of right now. Most of all, you just need to be able to consistently deliver bloody good photographs.
"How difficult is it to work in car photography and does it have rewards."
Sometimes, exceptionally; this is when the really good guys prove their mettle. Occasionally the rewards are exceptional too, but understand that those days will probably be outweighed by those spent chasing bills, editing, chasing bills, filling in tax returns, chasing bills, emailing / assorted admin tasks, chasing bills, driving 8hours for a 2hour shoot in crap conditions and chasing bills.... (yeah, the chasing bills bit kinda gets on my nerves!)
It is however a wonderful way to make a living, and the best choice I ever made
Very few get to fly around the world photographing cool stuff in cool locations; those guys have grafted years to get where they are, and are in a shrinking pool of work as budgets are squeezed ever further and more imagery is computer generated - this trend is only going to continue. I'm not sure I'd advise anyone to go into it nowadays unless they were supremely talented (I'm certainly not - but it's something to aim for!), extremely determined, and had no requirement to earn money for the next few years. If you think facebook 'likes' are important, you can purchase them by the thousand for hardly any outlay; they won't pay the bills though..... Good for the ego perhaps, but the only opinion that really matters is that of your clients.
In summary:
"these answers came from forums dating back two to three years now. So is it still the same? Is it still a big competition and is it still a job which can't pay off bills?"
If anything, more so.
"So what exactly is the truth about becoming a car photographer?"
See above. It may appear glamorous from the outside - and occasionally it is - but the job is to meet or exceed the clients needs, and it doesn't matter if the location is crap, the weather is poor, or you don't have much time.
"What are the things you need to get into the car photography industry?"
A thorough understanding of your clients needs. Several thousand pounds worth of kit. Humility. Perseverance. Self motivation. Plenty others I can't think of right now. Most of all, you just need to be able to consistently deliver bloody good photographs.
"How difficult is it to work in car photography and does it have rewards."
Sometimes, exceptionally; this is when the really good guys prove their mettle. Occasionally the rewards are exceptional too, but understand that those days will probably be outweighed by those spent chasing bills, editing, chasing bills, filling in tax returns, chasing bills, emailing / assorted admin tasks, chasing bills, driving 8hours for a 2hour shoot in crap conditions and chasing bills.... (yeah, the chasing bills bit kinda gets on my nerves!)
It is however a wonderful way to make a living, and the best choice I ever made
Will, you appear quite young and from your pics look to lack experience and technique. There's a difference between being a professional car photographer and taking pictures of cars. But, we all have to start somewhere, so if you are really interested, in addition to the above replies, here's a few more thoughts....
Yes, it's possible to make a living as a car photographer, although it is a very specialised area. At the lower end you could be a staffer on an Auto magazine, which would pay the bills. More photojournalism, but you still need to be competent and be able to solve problems and as TD has noted, hard work, standing in the rain and if freelance, chasing bills....
At the top end it becomes very specialised, but also highly paid. Competition is very high across the board, either to get work as a freelancer or run your own studio, so you have to have something unique to stand out.
The techniques and understanding of photography (cameras, lenses, lighting, processing RAWs, extensive knowledge of retouching, CGI etc) need to be second nature, which takes time (years) to learn and build up the experience (and you never stop learning). On top of that, as already mentioned, you need other skills to run a business, promotion, accounting, legal etc.
If you haven't a formal education in photography, you might want to consider a course. Lots of wannabes do a degree, but really it's pointless. I'm helping someone who's on a Bachelor of Arts photo degree and it's useless. A vocational city and guilds would have been better.
Thereafter, a good way to gain practical experience and knowledge of the tricks of the trade, is to become an assistant. Even to get a job as an assistant to a good car snapper will be difficult with lots of competition. What few jobs that get advertised for top car photography in the U.K. will be here: http://dataware.the-aop.org/jobshop.aspx but don't hold you breath. Also look at car photographers websites for inspiration and what level you need to get too. Also, you could write and ask them directly if you can come and work for them... for nothing... just to gain some experience.
A few years after that you might be able to start you own business. It's lots of hard work and never ending learning and as TD has noted CGI has replaced an awful lot of conventional photography.
So if that hasn't put you off.... Good luck!
Yes, it's possible to make a living as a car photographer, although it is a very specialised area. At the lower end you could be a staffer on an Auto magazine, which would pay the bills. More photojournalism, but you still need to be competent and be able to solve problems and as TD has noted, hard work, standing in the rain and if freelance, chasing bills....
At the top end it becomes very specialised, but also highly paid. Competition is very high across the board, either to get work as a freelancer or run your own studio, so you have to have something unique to stand out.
The techniques and understanding of photography (cameras, lenses, lighting, processing RAWs, extensive knowledge of retouching, CGI etc) need to be second nature, which takes time (years) to learn and build up the experience (and you never stop learning). On top of that, as already mentioned, you need other skills to run a business, promotion, accounting, legal etc.
If you haven't a formal education in photography, you might want to consider a course. Lots of wannabes do a degree, but really it's pointless. I'm helping someone who's on a Bachelor of Arts photo degree and it's useless. A vocational city and guilds would have been better.
Thereafter, a good way to gain practical experience and knowledge of the tricks of the trade, is to become an assistant. Even to get a job as an assistant to a good car snapper will be difficult with lots of competition. What few jobs that get advertised for top car photography in the U.K. will be here: http://dataware.the-aop.org/jobshop.aspx but don't hold you breath. Also look at car photographers websites for inspiration and what level you need to get too. Also, you could write and ask them directly if you can come and work for them... for nothing... just to gain some experience.
A few years after that you might be able to start you own business. It's lots of hard work and never ending learning and as TD has noted CGI has replaced an awful lot of conventional photography.
So if that hasn't put you off.... Good luck!
trackdemon said:
It is really, really difficult to get into and continue to make a respectable living from; far more than I ever envisaged. You'll need to meet or exceed the standard of others to get in with magazines, clients will try to push your prices down, you'll often get next to no sleep and stand around is pissing rain all day cold and hungry, hardly anybody will pay you on time and every now and then a client will go bust before settling your bill. Last year I lost £4.5k to this little trick. HMRC will take whatever is left after you've paid out for numerous expensive pieces of work related kit.
Very few get to fly around the world photographing cool stuff in cool locations; those guys have grafted years to get where they are, and are in a shrinking pool of work as budgets are squeezed ever further and more imagery is computer generated - this trend is only going to continue. I'm not sure I'd advise anyone to go into it nowadays unless they were supremely talented (I'm certainly not - but it's something to aim for!), extremely determined, and had no requirement to earn money for the next few years. If you think facebook 'likes' are important, you can purchase them by the thousand for hardly any outlay; they won't pay the bills though..... Good for the ego perhaps, but the only opinion that really matters is that of your clients.
In summary:
"these answers came from forums dating back two to three years now. So is it still the same? Is it still a big competition and is it still a job which can't pay off bills?"
If anything, more so.
"So what exactly is the truth about becoming a car photographer?"
See above. It may appear glamorous from the outside - and occasionally it is - but the job is to meet or exceed the clients needs, and it doesn't matter if the location is crap, the weather is poor, or you don't have much time.
"What are the things you need to get into the car photography industry?"
A thorough understanding of your clients needs. Several thousand pounds worth of kit. Humility. Perseverance. Self motivation. Plenty others I can't think of right now. Most of all, you just need to be able to consistently deliver bloody good photographs.
"How difficult is it to work in car photography and does it have rewards."
Sometimes, exceptionally; this is when the really good guys prove their mettle. Occasionally the rewards are exceptional too, but understand that those days will probably be outweighed by those spent chasing bills, editing, chasing bills, filling in tax returns, chasing bills, emailing / assorted admin tasks, chasing bills, driving 8hours for a 2hour shoot in crap conditions and chasing bills.... (yeah, the chasing bills bit kinda gets on my nerves!)
It is however a wonderful way to make a living, and the best choice I ever made
It sounds like from your experience it has been rather stressful, but if you say it was a good choice, then surely there must be some goodness coming out of what you do. And that's the joy of serious work when you have to work in the cold and the wet. I kind of like the sound of facing the extremes. I've done it before when I was at Anglesey Circuit. Was chucking it down with rain, but it was good fun. I've had a look at your work and you take some fantastic photos. Will you have a look at some of my work and see if I could improve? Very few get to fly around the world photographing cool stuff in cool locations; those guys have grafted years to get where they are, and are in a shrinking pool of work as budgets are squeezed ever further and more imagery is computer generated - this trend is only going to continue. I'm not sure I'd advise anyone to go into it nowadays unless they were supremely talented (I'm certainly not - but it's something to aim for!), extremely determined, and had no requirement to earn money for the next few years. If you think facebook 'likes' are important, you can purchase them by the thousand for hardly any outlay; they won't pay the bills though..... Good for the ego perhaps, but the only opinion that really matters is that of your clients.
In summary:
"these answers came from forums dating back two to three years now. So is it still the same? Is it still a big competition and is it still a job which can't pay off bills?"
If anything, more so.
"So what exactly is the truth about becoming a car photographer?"
See above. It may appear glamorous from the outside - and occasionally it is - but the job is to meet or exceed the clients needs, and it doesn't matter if the location is crap, the weather is poor, or you don't have much time.
"What are the things you need to get into the car photography industry?"
A thorough understanding of your clients needs. Several thousand pounds worth of kit. Humility. Perseverance. Self motivation. Plenty others I can't think of right now. Most of all, you just need to be able to consistently deliver bloody good photographs.
"How difficult is it to work in car photography and does it have rewards."
Sometimes, exceptionally; this is when the really good guys prove their mettle. Occasionally the rewards are exceptional too, but understand that those days will probably be outweighed by those spent chasing bills, editing, chasing bills, filling in tax returns, chasing bills, emailing / assorted admin tasks, chasing bills, driving 8hours for a 2hour shoot in crap conditions and chasing bills.... (yeah, the chasing bills bit kinda gets on my nerves!)
It is however a wonderful way to make a living, and the best choice I ever made
I should also say to you guys that I'm graduating uni this year!
So that puts something good on my CV. But it does feel like it's almost impossible to make a career out of car photography, but I still don't want to give up that hope and at least try.
trackdemon said:
A thorough understanding of your clients needs. Several thousand pounds worth of kit. Humility. Perseverance. Self motivation. Plenty others I can't think of right now. Most of all, you just need to be able to consistently deliver bloody good photographs.
Oh I've been humiliated throughout my life don't worry. I've always been known to many as the idiot or the one who won't achieve much. But I tend to ignore that (because a lot of that was jealousy) and push myself anyway and tell myself I can do it. Of course, I do need to build my confidence more. I don't know how but I want to try and speak to everyone more, because I am know to be pretty shy when it comes to talking to new people. That feels like a massive problem blocking my way 
.WillAron said:
Oh I've been humiliated throughout my life don't worry. I've always been known to many as the idiot or the one who won't achieve much. But I tend to ignore that (because a lot of that was jealousy) and push myself anyway and tell myself I can do it. Of course, I do need to build my confidence more. I don't know how but I want to try and speak to everyone more, because I am know to be pretty shy when it comes to talking to new people. That feels like a massive problem blocking my way .
I really don't mean to sound like an arse, but at the moment I really don't think shyness is your biggest problem. I've taken a look at the photos you've linked to, and there isn't a single good car shot in there. Some of your other photos are better than your photos of cars. .If I was you, I'd be investing a hell of a lot more time in trying to improve your abilities in this area, or focusing on an area of photography for which you do show promise.
Before anybody picks me up on it, I've yet to take a good car shot either, but I'm not turning photography into a career either. I'm not meaning to knock your confidence here, just offer constructive advice. You're obviously keen on this but you need to throw 1000s more hours at this (both behind the camera and in the digital darkroom) before you can hope for those 1000s of 'likes' on social sites.
Will,
Apologies. You e-mailed me a while back asking for advice but I've yet to respond. It's not that I dismissed your e-mail but it's because I'm so busy with work that I rarely get the opportunity to reply. Indeed if I was to respond to everyone that e-mailed asking for advice on how to become a professional automotive photographer, I genuinely wouldn't have time to do my job.
There's been some sound advice throughout this thread and I'd take notice of it all. Put simply, it is a relatively hard field to become a known photographer within. To become a professional (earning a living through only shooting cars) is incredibly different and even more so at a top level shooting for the worlds best mag titles. Not only has the market become saturated with photographers the magazines are having their budgets slashed dramatically, there's a Haymarket title which no longer use freelance photographers due to budget slashes.
That's not to mean that it can't be done of course. You only need look at Richard Pardon as en example, a relatively unknown photographer 18months ago but now regularly gracing the pages of Car and other top end mags. Forget Facebook likes, twitter accounts and instagram - it's not a popularity contest. Some of the photographers that we use barely have a working online portfolio, yet their work is in high-demand from clients all over the globe. Don't go contacting clients before you and your photography are ready. If you send a busy art-director your portfolio and he takes the time out to look at it the work must be brilliant, don't go chancing it on the fact you're a nice guy - you'll always be remembered as the guy whose work wasn't up to scratch.
What are the mags looking for then?
It goes without saying that you need to be able to produce fantastic, award winning photography. Don't rely on photoshop, you cannot polish a turd. If you supply images that need a lot of repro you'll be wasting your clients time.
You need to be able to work quickly. Fancy shooting a 10 car group-test and 3 cover options in 2 days in the Welsh mountains with 5hrs light a day in the driving rain/sleet/snow with gale force winds with a film-maker that also needs to produce a video, remember that video takes twice as long. Each photograph you take has to be absolutely brilliant, award winning.
You need to be a well rounded, easy to get on with, funny, hard working individual - leave your ego at home. You'll likely have to spend a lot of time with one individual on road trips (weeks on end), so think about how you act. There's a lot of brilliant stories circulating our world at the moment about a photographer that has now been banned from working at two magazines and manufacturers have banned him from their launches because of the above. Don't be this man.
So it's all down to trust, you must be trusted to do the job and that's why it's such a hard field to work in.
The best piece of advice I could give you is to try and assist as many photographers as possible, this is tough as many photographers are too busy but never give up - you'll learn so much just from watching a professional at work. Geek up on all things photography: read hundreds of books, know everything technical from the past to the future. Never stop shooting. Never stop learning. Never stop making mistakes. Never be happy with your work - if you take a photo, look back on it in 3 weeks and think it's perfect you need to give up. Work your arse off. I worked tirelessly around a full-time IT job often working through the night and catching 2hrs kip a day to get to where I am today and it's 'only' a staff job. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
Last of all I would maybe not aim to make it a career, just have fun with it and see where you can take it.
Dean (evo staffer).
Apologies. You e-mailed me a while back asking for advice but I've yet to respond. It's not that I dismissed your e-mail but it's because I'm so busy with work that I rarely get the opportunity to reply. Indeed if I was to respond to everyone that e-mailed asking for advice on how to become a professional automotive photographer, I genuinely wouldn't have time to do my job.
There's been some sound advice throughout this thread and I'd take notice of it all. Put simply, it is a relatively hard field to become a known photographer within. To become a professional (earning a living through only shooting cars) is incredibly different and even more so at a top level shooting for the worlds best mag titles. Not only has the market become saturated with photographers the magazines are having their budgets slashed dramatically, there's a Haymarket title which no longer use freelance photographers due to budget slashes.
That's not to mean that it can't be done of course. You only need look at Richard Pardon as en example, a relatively unknown photographer 18months ago but now regularly gracing the pages of Car and other top end mags. Forget Facebook likes, twitter accounts and instagram - it's not a popularity contest. Some of the photographers that we use barely have a working online portfolio, yet their work is in high-demand from clients all over the globe. Don't go contacting clients before you and your photography are ready. If you send a busy art-director your portfolio and he takes the time out to look at it the work must be brilliant, don't go chancing it on the fact you're a nice guy - you'll always be remembered as the guy whose work wasn't up to scratch.
What are the mags looking for then?
It goes without saying that you need to be able to produce fantastic, award winning photography. Don't rely on photoshop, you cannot polish a turd. If you supply images that need a lot of repro you'll be wasting your clients time.
You need to be able to work quickly. Fancy shooting a 10 car group-test and 3 cover options in 2 days in the Welsh mountains with 5hrs light a day in the driving rain/sleet/snow with gale force winds with a film-maker that also needs to produce a video, remember that video takes twice as long. Each photograph you take has to be absolutely brilliant, award winning.
You need to be a well rounded, easy to get on with, funny, hard working individual - leave your ego at home. You'll likely have to spend a lot of time with one individual on road trips (weeks on end), so think about how you act. There's a lot of brilliant stories circulating our world at the moment about a photographer that has now been banned from working at two magazines and manufacturers have banned him from their launches because of the above. Don't be this man.
So it's all down to trust, you must be trusted to do the job and that's why it's such a hard field to work in.
The best piece of advice I could give you is to try and assist as many photographers as possible, this is tough as many photographers are too busy but never give up - you'll learn so much just from watching a professional at work. Geek up on all things photography: read hundreds of books, know everything technical from the past to the future. Never stop shooting. Never stop learning. Never stop making mistakes. Never be happy with your work - if you take a photo, look back on it in 3 weeks and think it's perfect you need to give up. Work your arse off. I worked tirelessly around a full-time IT job often working through the night and catching 2hrs kip a day to get to where I am today and it's 'only' a staff job. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
Last of all I would maybe not aim to make it a career, just have fun with it and see where you can take it.
Dean (evo staffer).
Pints said:
I really don't mean to sound like an arse, but at the moment I really don't think shyness is your biggest problem. I've taken a look at the photos you've linked to, and there isn't a single good car shot in there. Some of your other photos are better than your photos of cars.
Don't worry about it. I think criticism is good in a way because it gives an understanding on what I'm meant to do. I just need to figure out what mistakes I'm making in this area. And coincidentally, I have had loads of people say I'm good at photographing people so it's an area which I may well go into as well as this. The one thing I thought was I could very well try and do plenty of other stuff as well as this, meaning more work!Craikeybaby said:
OP - What are you graduating in?
Also, what sort of car photography are you interested in? Motorsport? Editorial?
My course is called Design: Creative Media, and throughout the course I've been focused on Photography. I'm actually creating an automotive photography portfolio for my final year project which so far has been very successful!Also, what sort of car photography are you interested in? Motorsport? Editorial?
Well it's more editorial work I want to get into. But I love going to motorsport events to get snaps. I'm more Rally fan by the way. Can't get enough of the Rallies here.
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