So Chris — what do you and Todd do about this? You said you started off shooting dives (holy CRAP I have been doing that and it’s HARD! — stupid lighting..), but now do you set the rules for the places you shoot or what? I mean, do you contact them and say, “Hey, I’ll do this and give you this many photos for this amount of money” or do you just go to shoot for fun and put up photos? I guess my issue was when I shot with Todd at the Chaifetz arena, I was approached afterwards and asked for a couple shots of Chingy. I asked them why they wouldn’t ask Todd, being a great photographer (this was my first ‘gig’), and they said, “Oh, well he’s a little more established, and he’ll want money… and all that..” I mean, I felt offended after that, especially as they shoved us out the door and still expected me to email them the photograph!

I just don’t know where to draw the line myself either — I like just getting my name out there, and I’m afraid if I push it too much I’ll get the reputation of, “Yeah, don’t go to that guy — he charges way to much and his stuff is only so-so,” especially when I don’t even know what the going rate of photography is. Anyways — loved the video and craiglist :)

Thanks a lot for that response. I am always curious to hear people’s opinions on how to begin establishing themselves. I am constantly in a state of learning and trying to develop myself whether it be as a photographer through vision or technical knowledge, OR as a businessman in a variety of ways. I can’t believe how often photography doesn’t JUST involve snapping that shutter. Other issues pop up all the time!

To someone just starting out, I would say that a strong portfolio can be made the following ways without giving away a thing:

1) shoot at venues with no photo restrictions.

2) start contacting blogs and ask if they need someone to take photos of gigs.

The shots that result from these two options should be good enough to build up a decent body of work from which to approach larger publications/PR/Bands/Management.

I started out by shooting my friend’s bands at local dives.

Chris

There will always be amateurs (my gosh, since I don’t make a living of photography I’m still one, too) that give away their work without thinking about what a company would have to pay if they buy it from a pro. To be professional, show that you know what you do, is the real key to be noticed by the potentional customers. But you may have to dump 9 of them until one comes, who respects your work and accepts a fair deal. And if someone else is doing the same quality for nothing, we will just have to encrease quality once more or accept, that this is the way the things are rolling today.