On October 2nd 2013 the HHCC welcomed Peter Finnie to our club as our guest speaker for the night. Peter has been a photographer for 10 years and is self and peer taught. He credits his mentors for where he is and encourages everyone to find a mentor or share their knowledge to advance photography at all levels.Peter's photography is broken into two "genres"; under " Biff Spandex Photography" he explores his wilder side and event photography through editorial, commercial and custom portraits, this is his main company page. In "Peter Finnie Artistic Photography" he photographs life's events and pivital moments such as weddings. Peter works alongside his wife Christine from their residence in Tottenham.
Peter spoke to the club about the value of your work whether that be as it applies to photography being your main source of income down to the hobbyist who is interested in possibly selling a few images as well as those anywhere in between.
These are just some of the great gems of information garnered from his presentation if you are interested in learning more be sure to check out his ebook and place an order if interested in more great info like what is detailed below...
Photographers Mental Gear - the mindset and business side of the lens.
Peter spoke to the club about the value of your work whether that be as it applies to photography being your main source of income down to the hobbyist who is interested in possibly selling a few images as well as those anywhere in between.
These are just some of the great gems of information garnered from his presentation if you are interested in learning more be sure to check out his ebook and place an order if interested in more great info like what is detailed below...
Photographers Mental Gear - the mindset and business side of the lens.
Tidbits from his presentation :
-Is there a technique you need to know/ learn ?
-What is your subject matter ?
-Is travel required ?
-What gear are you going to need ? and do you own it or can you rent it ?
-Do you need other people, whether that be helpers, models, contacts etc
-Equipment
-Time for shooting AND post processing
- How many places ? will it be widespread or specialized ?
- What kind of viewing traffic will it get ?
- How long will it be displayed for ?
- Does the buyer have exclusive rights ? Do you ?
Peter summed up with his 5 best tips :
1) Seek a Mentor
2) Think like a business person
3) Set goals to stay productive
4) Resolve to keep learning
5) Shoot more and EXPERIMENT !
I think we can all agree that these ideas apply whether you are just taking pictures for yourself or if someday you hope to make a living from your photography, as long as we all learned at least one new thing it was worth the listen !
- On the humerous side... we all suffer from GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome
- When you are taking pictures, looking at selling them, or just making a plan, ask WHY first not how
- Everyone should goal set and use the mentors around you to achieve the best product
- Remember when you have a handle on Point A ( WHY ) its easier to get to point B ( HOW )
- Whether you are on the hobby side or the business side you need to think about the desired skills required :
-Is there a technique you need to know/ learn ?
-What is your subject matter ?
-Is travel required ?
-What gear are you going to need ? and do you own it or can you rent it ?
-Do you need other people, whether that be helpers, models, contacts etc
- You must always be aware of what your hobby costs, think beyond a camera :
-Equipment
-Time for shooting AND post processing
- What then is the value of your photograph ? Who is making that value ? Who is it valuable to ?
- What is the cost of doing business when you take all of the above into consideration ? You must be realistic even if it is just a hobby ! Think of all the costs not just the cost of the lens, don't forget insurance, tax, rent, office supplies
- Self image affects price/ value ! You need a healthy self image to place real value on your work. If you think you are too new a photographer or not good enough you will not value your work and self !
- Know your platform - where is your work going and for what purpose ?
- How many places ? will it be widespread or specialized ?
- What kind of viewing traffic will it get ?
- How long will it be displayed for ?
- Does the buyer have exclusive rights ? Do you ?
- COPYRIGHT IS IMPORTANT ! When you press the button to take the image you OWN the rights to that image whether you were hired or not. Research and understand copyright.
- When you understand what your rights are and you speak to the client and understand what their plans are for that image your value can change, it is not a set amount, it changes with each situation.
- Mentors are important and a huge resource use them ! Mentors can see your blind spots and challenge you to improve BUT as a protege you must have humility, be willing to learn, accept correction and be transparent.
Peter summed up with his 5 best tips :
1) Seek a Mentor
2) Think like a business person
3) Set goals to stay productive
4) Resolve to keep learning
5) Shoot more and EXPERIMENT !
I think we can all agree that these ideas apply whether you are just taking pictures for yourself or if someday you hope to make a living from your photography, as long as we all learned at least one new thing it was worth the listen !