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dedication to my family acknowledgements my great appreciation goes to the generous professionals who were interviewed for this book their experience and advice in their profiles provides an invaluable tool for those starting in photography the allworth press staff as usual performed with extraordinary skill understanding and patience thanks to nicole potter-talling derek bacchus michael madole cynthia rivelli katie ellison and tad crawford finally i owe a great debt of gratitude to cynthia matthews and helen marcus for their insightful contributions to this book and for many years of friendship © 2007 michal heron all rights reserved copyright under berne copyright convention universal copyright convention and pan-american copyright convention no part of this book may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher 10 09 08 07 06 5 4 3 2 1 published by allworth press an imprint of allworth communications inc 10 east 23rd street new york ny 10010 cover design by derek bacchus interior design by mary belibasakis page composition/typography by integra software services pvt ltd pondicherry india cover photo by jeff babitz isbn-13 978-1-58115-469-6 isbn-10 1-58115-469-0 library of congress cataloging-in-publication data heron michal creative careers in photography making a living with or without a camera michal heron 1st ed p cm creative careers in photography isbn-13 978-1-58115-469-6 pbk isbn-10 1-58115-469-0 pbk 1 photography vocational guidance i title tr154.h47 2006 770.23 dc22 2006035276 printed in canada

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contents preface vi part i the world of photography 1 understanding the profession 4 being a photographer careers with a camera · specialties · stock · digital · being a picture professional careers without a camera 2 making choices 12 how do i choose · criticism can you handle it · lifestyle choices · working freelance · working on staff · ownership issues · power of organizations · it s a business · understanding the trends 3 who uses photographs buying and selling 23 are you a photographer or a seller · the other side of the desk are you a client or a buyer part ii the photographer careers with a camera 4 photography for publication 34 advertising photographers · corporate photography · editorial · media publicity · catalog · other specialties in publication photography profiles with stephen wilkes melanie stetson freeman david seide ron gould 5 consumer photography 59 types of consumer photography · weddings · portraits · the world of event photography · marketing consumer photography profiles with andy marcus jim roshan joe slayton 6 service photography 78 real estate documentation · forensic photography · college and university photography · medical and scientific photography · museums · government profiles with charlie walsh drew webb carl leet 7 fine art photography 90 styles in fine art photography · w eugene smith memorial fund · crossover can you do both · how to be a fine artist · what media to use · finding a gallery · marketing · fine art photographers profiles with joyce tenneson karen amiel

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iv contents 8 stock photography 107 definition of stock · digital stock · careers in stock photography · how is stock photography marketed · rights-managed versus royalty-free · portals · the new economics of stock · what is your place in stock · getting an agency to represent you · plan for the long term · using a portal to market stock · marketing your own work profiles with john kieffer jim pickerell 9 digital photography 127 speed of change · digital versus film · the client s view on digital · getting a handle on workflow · small business digital · the art of digital photography · imaging software · digital photography books profiles with sanjay kothari jessica oyanagi part iii picture professionals careers without a camera 10 buyers sellers and dealers 140 overview of photography uses and users · the world of the photo buyer · who buys photographs · the world of the photo seller · representative/marketing coordinator/creative management · stock photo agent · fine art galleries and curators profiles with angela gottschalk jennifer lafond chrissy mcintyre karen amiel 11 location and support services 167 photographer s assistant · production · the crew · services off the set profiles with catherine demaria sam willard victor frey 12 careers in teaching and writing about photography 183 being a photography educator · writing about photography profiles with chuck delaney david walker part iv starting a career 13 education traditional and online 192 flexibility · educational choices · evaluating educational programs · workshops as continuing education · on-the-job training · education for picture professionals · organizations join as a student · broaden your education profiles with jeff wignall bryan peterson 14 finding work in photography 202 assisting and interning · starting in freelance · going for a staff job · running your own business profiles with maria lyle tracy mack-jackson

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contents v 15 building your business overhead pricing and negotiating 210 the economics of photography · overhead · negotiating · being in business 16 marketing 224 begin with design · what s in a name · plan your work and work your plan · marketing tools · marketing consultants · portfolio · web sites · web site design profiles with maria piscopo 17 copyright what do we own 238 copyright overview · model releases and invasion of privacy appendix appendix appendix appendix appendix appendix appendix index 259 a photography schools/degree-granting institutions 248 b workshops 251 c organizations 252 d promotion /source books 254 e photography publications 255 f photography museums 257 g manufacturers 258

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preface there is an allure an appeal to photography that defies explanation it helps us find intimacy with the world it ties us to places and people in a way that seems almost magical we are transported by the touch of light on golden fields stark buildings or cherished faces present and past historically in other cultures and other centuries there was the belief that photography steals your soul a concept that may not be so farfetched at the very least photography borrows it when we study nineteenth-century photographs of a sod-hut frontier family or a twentieth-century dorothea lange portrait of an impoverished depression-era worker we feel the power of that soul coming to us across time photography has an addictive affect once it takes hold of you and can influence and enrich a lifetime if you love photographs and want to find a place in the world of photography where on earth do you start for those who are drawn to images photography often becomes a passion but when trying to choose a career it can become downright dizzying to face the variety and complexity of ways one can work with photographs the purpose of this book is to give you a good look at the array of possibilities available in photography it s a beginning an opening of doors to what it means to work in photography enjoy the information but don t feel stifled or overwhelmed by the choices like a meal that offers too many rich foods it may seem indigestible don t worry that the need to choose an immediate path will imprison you.

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preface vii you may not know right away if what appeals to you now will be satisfying later as you ll see many many many professionals have started in one part of the photographic world and then moved into another as one colleague put it i ve morphed myself into several different photographic specialties that s not to suggest that one should be a dabbler wherever you start in photography give it your all dive in as if it will be your lifetime work but comfort yourself with this thought if your first choice isn t right other opportunities may present themselves as you develop skill and knowledge of the professions next there is motivation to consider what is your impetus for wanting to enter the world of photography glamour money creative satisfaction travel learning are these incentives realistic or illusory is it an inspired calling or merely a pie-inthe-sky fantasy of a cool way to earn a living the motivations are many and could be misleading a good first step is to try to analyze your own interest in photography and reasons for wanting to enter the field but maybe you don t know enough yet to fully understand why you like photography or why you are considering it as a profession perhaps you just have a yearning for some satisfaction that you think photography can provide that inclination that keenness for the visual is essential to success in every aspect of photography enthusiasm and determination will carry you through the hard work and difficulties to a place that suits you in the world of photography learning more about the field will help you to sort out a daydream from a genuine attraction to being a photographer and it s not just working with a camera who says you have to be a photographer certainly you can pursue that dream but there are dozens of creative ways to work with photographs that don t require being the person to take them many people don t discover the range of fascinating picture jobs aside from being the photographer until they ve spent a few years knocking their heads against the wall they finally learn that they prefer not to be behind the camera leave that pressure to someone else for example as a photo editor you get to select from among the great photos available and influence what appears in a publication or as a stylist you work on the set as part of a team in the middle of the creative electricity but with less of the pressure on your shoulders or gaining the praise or incurring the wrath of the client or as a teacher you ll see delight in the eyes of a student you have inspired with your love of the medium the people working in these other non-photographer careers are often referred to as picture professionals the basic division of this book reflects that distinction between working with or without a camera but your career doesn t have to be either/or lots of people blend a shooting career with one or more of the picture professions photography is an intricate but marvelously flexible world many picture professionals i ve known didn t start out with that in mind they yearned to be

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viii preface photographers but got sidetracked into something that suits them as well or even better or as in my case they started out as a picture professional photo editor and were inexorably attracted to the pleasures of doing the photography and jumped into the cold waters of being a freelance photographer this book will help you find the area of photography that best matches your dreams as well as your practical goals it is written in an effort to give as complete an overview as possible of the many ways you can work with and around photography i have tried to be a clear-eyed guide to these professions showing the hard realities while still encouraging enthusiasm no matter what area of the profession appeals to you at this moment i d suggest reading all sections of the book to fully understand the almost inextricable relationships between photographers and picture professionals it will give you a valuable understanding of where everyone fits you ll meet some photography professionals in the interview profiles these interviews with photographers and picture professionals give personal insights into how each has arrived at their place in the photographic world in reading the interviews you ll see that some fascinating and circuitous routes have led people to wonderful jobs in the industry listen to the advice and experience from these successful professionals to see how they resonate with you there are some vehemently held views to consider some at opposite poles i don t agree with everything said by everybody i interviewed but they are all valid opinions from established professionals read and decide these various points of view will be valuable to weigh as you decide what best fits your idea of a career in addition to an explanation of the types of careers there will be practical approaches to the education skill requirements and career paths best suited for each area institutions providing photographic education are listed in the appendix and a list of professional organizations will provide further guidance the exploration in chapter 1 of lifestyle choices will help you understand whether you are best suited to being a photographer or a picture professional to being on staff or having an independent life running your own business some of the text is specific to a particular branch of photography or being a picture professional other sections such as the chapters on copyright and negotiating have relevance to virtually all segments of the business a word about the competitive nature of the business some writers on the subject of photography can be discouraging about the prospects because it s difficult to break into photography or for that matter any of the arts when considering writing this book i thought long and hard about encouraging people toward a career that is so competitive but i realized that an overview of available career possibilities would be a valuable tool for anyone interested in the field and i don t think the readers will be naïve enough to assume it s a walk in the park to become a professional but the key and a realistically optimistic view is that every year some

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preface ix people will leave the profession providing openings for you even as some markets shrink others evolve in the consumer market there has been an upswing in the number of couples having traditional weddings and families will continue to value having portraits taken of their children just as much as ever forensic photographic specialists tell me that more civilians than law enforcement personnel are being hired as forensic photographers than ever before finally every year there are art directors and editors looking for fresh vision new energy so there will always be place for some newcomers especially if you are a dedicated person with passion and drive it can happen for you the profession of photography is unusual in the extraordinary range of abilities it demands of a practitioner it combines artistic and technical skills it requires one to understand the physics of light the manipulation of color and form it necessitates the mastery of digital technology to capture enhance and deliver images plus you must have physical organizational mental and emotional strengths as well you must be at once left and right-brained in short you must do it all the joy of photography is in its challenge adventure and satisfactions it is a profession in that it is a way to earn a living it is also a profession of our faith in the artistic side of our nature when you first love photography you are embracing an addiction to the pleasures of creating with light to a fascination with seeing and to the delight of sharing the visualization of your emotions and your intellect and it s fun the field of photography is broad the careers listed in this book range from the seemingly mundane to the esoteric the book is not intended merely as a job listing but as a way to excite your interest and open you to the possibilities of working with photography if you ve come as far as picking up this book then you have the interest our purpose here is to help you find a place that suits your skills and your passion read on and explore the paths open to you for a rich and rewarding life in photography.

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part i the world of photography the most basic division in the photographic world is between those who create new photographic images the photographers and those who work with those images after and sometimes even before they are created the picture professionals following that fundamental difference this book is divided into the career paths of photography with and without a camera many persons who start out being photographers move into ancillary photographic fields and find great satisfaction others make the journey from the opposite direction perhaps starting as a photo researcher or photo editor and ending up shooting pictures full time though you can start with the most fundamental choice do i want to shoot pictures or work with them you ll see it s common to blend several aspects of the photographic world to create a satisfying career.

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c h a 1 pter understanding the profession the emotional power of a photograph flows to the viewer those who work with pictures may experience the same love in viewing photographs that photographers feel in taking them this chapter provides an overview of the work of a photographer and of a picture professional and gives some insight into how each of them function being a photographer careers with a camera a photographer is one who creates new images but you already knew that since this book is concerned with ways to earn a living creating those images we have to look at the types of uses for the photographs we take and more to the point how do we earn money for making photographs often we earn money by being hired to take specific photographs for a client this is generally termed assignment or commissioned photography when we are generating brand new images stock photography is the term for earning by selling rights to existing photographs ones you have already taken and own significant earnings can come from selling prints of photographs they might be prints of portraits weddings and events or as fine art gallery prints where signed limited editions can affect their value what are the pictures used for who are the buyers whether the photo income is from assignments stock photography or sales of prints we can break down the purpose of photographs into general sometimes overlapping categories based on the type of use of the final photograph these are photography for publication consumer photography service photography and fine art photography.

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understanding the profession photography for publication 5 these photographs are used by a client and published in many ways getting work published can be more than being featured in a magazine or newspaper that s a narrow definition of a publication publication as it s used here indicates that the image is made available to the public through many vehicles indeed images may be reproduced in a publication such as a newspaper or magazine article as part of the story the editorial content also the photograph may be published by being used in an ad for a product in a magazine or in other advertising uses as far-ranging as on a billboard product package or point of purchase display photographs are also published in brochures or annual reports prepared by a corporation for its stockholders publication photos are generally reproduced for a large audience their purpose in being published can be to give information to advertise a product or perhaps to highlight the activities of a corporation don t forget all the other places we see photographs published in calendars and greeting cards on posters mugs or placemats essentially at the risk of oversimplifying published can mean simply to reproduce for the public the photos themselves may come from being assigned commissioned by a client for a specific use or researched from existing photos on file in photo archives the thread here is that in most cases a client will actually license rights to use a photograph for a specified purpose not buy a photo outright this is quite different from consumer photographs as you ll see as to licensing rights you ll learn more about copyright and licensing rights in chapter 17 consumer photography consumer photos can be said to exist primarily or even exclusively for the use of the consumer who paid for the photograph the physical print is usually the final product and goes from the photographer directly to the customer portraits wedding photos or photos of pets or even of a house are among the common types of photographs that have virtually no other life but in an album or on the mantelpiece of the customer it s rare that these photographs are used for publication essentially these photos are for private use most portrait wedding and event photographers retain the copyright and certain control over the reproduction of these consumer photos generally for economic reasons since billing for additional prints may be a significant source of income a photographer ordinarily does not put consumer photos to any other use except for display in a web site or other portfolio promotion of their professional work service photography these are photos that serve a particular industry or institution sometimes for documentation purposes or sales reference examples are real estate pictures of houses

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6 creative careers in photography for real estate sales companies forensic documenting a crime scene museum photographs of paintings or sculptures in a collection colleges or universities recording every imaginable aspect of college activity and government with all the variety one can imagine these photos generally do not have further use beyond what the institution needs them for however there can be some overlaps as in museum photographs of artwork that might be used also as publication photography you could say these photos serve a primarily pragmatic purpose fine art photography this category is self-explanatory fine art photographs can be said to exist for their pure artistic merit their purpose depending on the point of view of the photographer is to be beautiful meaningful express an intellectual or emotional concept or make a graphic statement fine art photography comes in many styles from an elegant documentary to luminous quiet landscapes and can include incisive portraits as well as outrageous statements the fine art photograph is intended to delight the eye arouse the intellect or shed light on the human condition the imagery can be subtle or over the top the photograph may serve any purpose you the artist choose the final image is intended for display in galleries or museums and it showcases photography as an art form the work is usually available for sale to collectors whether individuals galleries museums or corporate collections the type of artists working in this field is changing it s not only photographers doing fine art photography but also with increasing frequency you ll find that a fine artist trained as a sculptor or painter may create works for which they happened to choose photography as their medium specialties there is a further breakdown in these four areas publication photography consumer photography service photography and fine art photography where a photographer may carve out a specialty niche as a photographer in publication photography you can work as a generalist one who wears many hats and can offer a client services in such varied areas as editorial product still life medical lifestyle and portraiture or you can develop a specialty in a topic or branch of photography that you find especially appealing or to which you are well suited examples of specialties include architecture nature children travel/destinations food fashion glamour beauty sports aviation or underwater and that s the short list the decision may be forced upon you by the demands of the market in your geographic region or you may decide to buck the tide and carve out a niche in the specialty of your choice.

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