2023 PHOTOGRAPHER’S BUSINESS PLAN

Catapult your Photographic Career in 2023! Photographers are notorious procrastinators, so we would like to give you some strategy to maximize your Photographic Business in 2023 to set you up for the entire year with goals and a solid marketing plan that gets you noticed!

I talk to hundreds of Photographers who just skip along month by month, year by year, without any set targets of where they want to be in photography and in life. I STRONGLY suggest that every photographer assess their current situation, photographic business, financial balance sheets, marketing plans, and photographic portfolio in January of each new year. Create targets of goals that you want to meet each quarter. Here is an example of a set of goals I coached a photographer on recently.

Financial Goal: $300,000 Per Year in 2023

First Quarter – Jan, Feb, March, 2023 FINANCIAL GOAL: $75,000 for Q1

Select the best images for my 2023 portfolio and complete all retouching and printing
Update my website to feature new images and strengthen SEO of my site
Attend the February 2023 Newport Beach Photography Workshop on Lifestyle Advertising Photography to develop a powerful body of work in Lifestyle Slice of Life Photography
Design a Promo Piece – 6×11 Size for Fashion and for Lifestyle to share with clients in digital form
Set up at least one meeting with the expert panelists I met at the Photography Workshop Series in Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles that I attended. Make sure that my content in my promo pieces and e-mails matches the type of work that agent represents
Send out my first promo pieces to Advertising Agencies, Magazines, Corporate Direct Agency Access
Follow up with top decision makers by making calls 1 day per week to ad agencies with at least 50 calls per day.

Second Quarter – Apr, May, June, 2023 FINANCIAL GOAL: $75,000 for Q2

Design and Print 1,000 New Print Promos – 6×11 Size for Fashion and for Lifestyle
Attend the Miami Beach April 2023 Lifestyle & Swim Photography Workshop to develop a world class portfolio in Lifestyle Advertising Resort Photography and Sports Illustrated Swim
Call 100 Art Producers & Creative Directors per week. This should only take 1 to 2 days, as usually only about 10 out of 100 will pick up. 50 per day of the most important decision makers. Time this to follow up after you send out an email broadcast and printed promo piece mailer
Reach out to Fashion contacts with Fresh Images and Creative Briefs to Pitch for Fashion Ad Campaigns
Attend the Washington DC May 2023 Lifestyle Slice of Life Advertising Photography Workshop to develop a well rounded body of work in the advertising space for new promo pieces
Set up 3 meetings with Creative Directors & Art Producers at Ad Agencies per month
Set Up 3 Meetings with Photo Editors at Magazines per month
Update website to feature new promo images
Complete 3 Creative Briefs to Pitch to Magazines for Editorial Publication in Magazines
Attend the June 2023 Chicago Photography Workshop to shoot a Mad Men Fashion story to strengthen my fashion book and the Lifestyle Pharma Shoot Day to develop a Pharmaceutical Advertising Portfolio

Third Quarter – Jul, Aug, September, 2023 FINANCIAL GOAL: $75,000 for Q3

Target Top Ad Agencies to setup meetings and build relationships with such as Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO, DDB, Cramer-Krasselt, 180LA, Arc Worldwide, Young + Rubicam, Digitas, Draft FCB, Grey, JWT, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, R/GA, TBWA Chiat Day
Call 100 Art Producers & Creative Directors per week. This should only take 1 to 2 days, as usually only about 10 out of 100 will pick up
Update Photographic Printed Portfolio 11×14 with Newest Work to show Ad Agencies & Magazines
Attend the September 2023 New York Fashion Photography Workshop following NY Fashion Week
Reach out to 10 Photography Agents to start the conversation of potential representation
Develop Google Remarketing & Facebook ads to reach target audience
Update website to feature promo images and Newest Work to show Agencies

Fourth Quarter – Oct, Nov, Dec, 2023 FINANCIAL GOAL: $75,000 for Q4

Attend the October 2023 Elite MasterClass on Fashion & Advertising Photography Workshop to shoot the greatest images of my lifetime and add 8 more ICONIC Images to my Portfolio
Contact 10 New Photographic Agents to build relationships for Potential Representation
Set up 4 meetings with Creative Directors & Art Producers at Ad Agencies per month
Call 100 Art Producers & Creative Directors per week. This should only take 2 days, as usually only about 10 out of 100 will pick up
Set Up 3 Meetings with Photo Editors at Magazines per month
Set up another promo piece to send out with fresh new images from the workshops in September & October to show to new clients
Update website to feature promo images & newest images
Design 3 New Promo Pieces – 6×11 Size for Fashion and for Lifestyle – just to send digitally in email communications
Photograph Your First Advertising Campaign for a Brand through an Advertising Agency

If you’re starting out as a professional photographer, you’re probably asking yourself, “How to price my photography services?”. We have put together this comprehensive photography pricing guide to help you answer this question. This guide will assist you in determining a competitive and winning pricing for your photography services.

Like all entrepreneurs, photographers struggle with getting the pricing of their photography services right. With so many photography services one can offer to clients, it is even more complex to arrive at a photography pricing model that is suitable for specialties such as portrait, commercial, wedding or editorial photography prices. It can be a challenge for beginner photographers to figure out how much to charge for photography. If you under-price, you may end up leaving money on the table or worse still, come off as a low-quality provider. Over-pricing might lead to loss of business as clients review many photographers and choose based on photographer prices, especially when it comes to consumer photography with portraits and weddings.

As with any industry, there are standard professional photography prices that have been prevalent. But with the advent of digital photography, new software, and social media, the business of photography is rapidly transforming. Photography services which were earlier a preserve of professional photographers are now readily available at much lower prices from these amateur or hobbyist photographers, such as the uncle with a Canon 5D Mark IV that wants to take their niece’s wedding pictures. This has driven the price of photography services down and professional photographers need to re-evaluate how to price their photography services by adding a lot more value and top notch quality.

As a professional photographer, you must offer services that stand out and charge prices that justify your work – based on your knowledge and your talent.

As a professional photographer, you’ll want to set your professional photography prices to best represent your brand, your specialty, knowledge, experience, and many other factors. When you are starting out, a cost-plus-profit model can be a good starting point. As you grow and establish yourself, you can start charging premium pricing for photography services to reflect your increased market value and talent.

Factors to Consider When Developing Your Photography Pricing Model:

A lot of different factors influence how much do photographers make. Some of these include the type of work performed, the number of sessions required or even the number of prints and touchups. There are multiple ways to figure out how much to charge for photography based on the output that you are delivering to the client. However, make sure that you factor in your base costs and expenses and make sure that your photography pricing plan is profitable, all things considered.

The basic premise of figuring our your photography pricing is:
Cost of running your photography business + Cost of goods +
Cost of your time and labor + Profit + Taxes = Pricing

Cost of running your photography business:

Figure out all your input costs. Before answering the question – How much to charge for photography services; make sure you have put together a cost blueprint. From fixed expenses to variable costs – document everything.

The cost of running your photography business will include:

Equipment costs – Cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, computers, hard drives to store images. Be sure to factor in wear and tear and repair/replacement costs.
Office/studio costs -You need a place to work and depending on where you are based, it can add up to be a big cost. Even if you are working from your home, assign a rental cost to that space and make sure that your business earns and pays for that.
Marketing costs -You need to exhibit your work, network with clients, take part in photography contests, advertise, create a world class portfolio & website and undertake digital marketing activities – these costs add up and are essential to growing your businesses.
Production team costs – Second shooters, videographers, assistants, digital techs, hair stylists, makeup artists, models, etc.
Staff costs – Studio Managers, Assistants, business managers, retouchers, web designers, accountants, etc
Cost of professional services – subscriptions, hosting, website, internet, phone, consulting, portfolio reviews, etc
Education – Photographic workshops, seminars, online learning etc.

Calculate Your Cost-of-Goods-Sold (COGS)

COGS is the total cost of production of a good or service which includes its labor and material cost as well. If you are providing your client with an 8×10 print, the COGS isn’t only the cost of the print itself. The cost should also include post-production charges, packaging, and shipping charges.

Make sure that you include all hidden costs associated with the final deliverables that you are selling to your clients. For example, even client proofing, storing and delivering digital files have a cost associated with them. Most wedding and portrait photographers vastly underestimate the total cost of the deliverables and undercharge their customers.

Cost of Your Time and Labor

Remember what Benjamin Franklin said – time is money! Many photographers do not factor in the cost of the time and labor they would invest on an assignment and hence fail to earn adequately. For example, to determine your prices, you would need to factor in the time you would spend in pre-production, in traveling and meeting up with the client, setting up equipment, the actual shoot time and the post-production time. Be realistic and factor in delays and overages that are bound to happen.

Adding Your Profit Margin

Once you have figured out the cost of running your photography business, cost of goods sold and the cost of your time and labor, you need to decide on your profit margins. Your profit margin will decide your take-home income and may differ from project to project.

While assigning a profit margin is highly subjective, these factors should guide you in arriving at the “right figure”:

Review Your Competition

Before finalizing your photography pricing, research photographers working locally in your area especially in your specialty niche (weddings, portraits, commercial). If you have attended a Photography Workshop Series Experience, then we would highly recommend you value yourself at the top of your market as you now have the world class images to back it up. Avoid lowering your prices too much to win business. Underpricing can set your standards low, while over-pricing may deprive you of genuine prospective clients. A good way to go about pricing is to keep a pricing range. This approach gives flexibility to clients and keeps you well within your profit margin as well. For example as a wedding photographer consider setting a structure like this with a range in package prices (Clients usually select a middle package that gives them everything they want, but reasonable in price)

Basic: $5,000

Silver: $7,000

Gold: $10,000

Platinum: $12,000

Evaluate your perceived value

Evaluate and know the quality of your product or service. Many photographers think that experience undoubtedly entitles you to higher prices and beginners should start out at the lower end of the spectrum. Charging too low from the start can decrease the perceived value of your product and service in the market. If your starting out but have a strong fresh portfolio, then go ahead and jump into the higher price points already established in your market. Many “experienced” photographers that have been shooting for 40 years do not have fresh portfolios, while an emerging photographer can catapult themselves to the top of the game with the right portfolio in the 2018 market.

Tip: Never work free of charge, especially for consumer and commercial clients. It is common in the photographic industry for clients to take advantage of photographers and get them to shoot for nothing. This severely hurts the photographic industry as a whole, lowers the value of photographers, and takes advantage of your time, energy and talent while degrading your brand. The only time we recommend shooting for free is when a magazine editorial is involved, as the publicity value of being published is worth its weight in gold.

Work Quality and Professionalism

When setting your photography prices, you should consider the additional benefits that you bring to the table as a well-trained professional, the type of equipment you use, as well as the proper pre and post-production work that you provide. Because of your training, you have the ability to provide needed assurance to your clients – especially when you’ve only got one time to do a perfect job. As a trained photographer, your experience allows you to utilize your one opportunity to capture those once in a lifetime moments. Your skills also allow you to create memories that last a lifetime.

Photographers that use professional equipment such as top-of-the-line industry based cameras, lighting, software, and other tools of the trade usually create a higher perceived value. Photographers who also have studios, an impressive portfolio, and a professional portfolio website, also suggest a commitment to their craft. All of these indicators justify charging a premium pricing for photography.

Tip: A well-made portfolio website that showcases your work professionally is the single biggest contributor to building your market value. Clients will judge you from the quality of your website. Make sure that you regularly update your portfolio website to project that you are doing well professionally and are a committed professional.

Pricing Factors of Copyrights and Usage

While arriving at a price, it is imperative to factor in what are the rights you are handing over to your clients. As a commercial photographer you should consult a photography agent, or contact the Photography Workshop Series directly to get a free usage rights estimate you should use to charge your clients. For commercial photography the usage is solely based on the media buy, meaning how much the client is spending on placing the imagery. As a general rule, we try for a 10% of media buy as usage for the photographer. If your images are going to be used in print ads in 5 magazines, a billboard, web usage and printed posters in a store with an overall media buy of $500,000, then the usage fee for the photographer is $50,000. This usage fee is on top of your photographic creative fee which would be in the range of $10,000 to $20,000 plus all production expenses. As a wedding or portrait photographer, you may choose to charge more if your client wants the full digital files so that they can print their own canvas prints and albums, while you miss out on huge profit margins in printing.

Determining the Scope of Work Prior to Quoting a Price

It’s important for photographers to have contract agreements in place that includes a scope of work section. This allows you to determine all aspects of the services that need to be provided and calculate the associated cost and expenses before determining the price. For example, a client may prefer hard copies or a photo book as their finished product, whereas others may be happy with a digital version. None-the-less, there is some direct cost involved that should be factored into the total price that photographers should pass along to their clients. Otherwise, they will be paying for those items out of their pockets, which will eat into their profits. Having a contract in place allows photographers to factor in all costs and expenses prior to preparing and sending out photography price quotes and before performing the work.

Well-structured pricing practices for photographers are key to success for a photography business. We hope that the insights in this guide have helped you figure out your pricing model based on these considerations:

What’s your business model
What are your reasons for pricing the way you do?
What’s your perceived value that you are projecting?
What are the add-ons that you are offering to increase revenue?
What are your competitors charging?
Are you going to charge based on images or charge based on your time?

Here are some of the approaches you can take to build your pricing model:

Rates Based on Use of Images

Image-based rates work well for photography of products, interiors, food, architecture or corporate portraits. Premium image based rates are the perfect pricing model when clients are expecting extremely high caliber work reflected in a few images of their subject. It’s also pretty standard to charge a premium image based rate based on the use of your work. For example, if you take a photograph to be used on a website or in a local newspaper, it’s not as commanding as it would be if it was taken for a television ad, a billboard or a national campaign. Premium prices are charged for images that will be used in more prominent campaigns.

Check out this image rate calculator by Association of Photographers.

Also, see this rights-managed image pricing calculator by Getty Images.

Hourly or Flat Rates

You can charge an hourly or flat rate for event photography such as weddings, corporate events, college/school events etc, where you are investing a lot of time shooting the event. Make sure that you factor in costs associated with traveling and meeting the clients, pre-production, the shoot itself, post-production and cost of creating the deliverables like prints, frames etc.

The down side to this hourly rate model is that clients tend to pack in as much as they possibly can into a very short time frame which degrades the experience for both the photographer and the client. We highly recommend charging a set package rate with clearly identified deliverables.

Portrait Photographers often have flat portrait photography session prices as well. These often consist of various packages that are priced based on volume – the number of images that are included in the package and retouches. Photography session prices may also include alternative themes and backdrops, prints or digital downloads, editing, touch-ups and other services.

Advertising Photographers – Top professional photographers shooting for brands and ad agencies, charge $5,000 to $20,000 per day plus usage and production expenses. This elite group of photographers command top dollar for their work and shoot ad campaigns that range from $30,000 to $500,000 per photoshoot. The most lucrative is lifestyle advertising photography, automotive, pharmaceutical, and insurance, technology and financial. They cover areas such as sports, fashion, entertainment, beverages, food, etc. The Photography Workshop Series specializes in training photographers in the field of high paying advertising photography.

Rates Based Areas of Specialty

Some professional photography prices are based on the areas of specialty. When a photographer focuses on a specific area, they increase their expertise and thus the value of their work increases. This drives the rates higher than non-specialized photographers.

Some examples of photography specialty areas are:

Portrait Photography – Photographers that specialize in senior portraits usually charge rates on the lower – midrange, but they could potentially have steady work during a specific season and more steady commercial clients. Portrait photography pricing usually varies between $500 – $3,000 for each package.

Wedding Photography – Wedding photographers perform seasonal work and take up high-pressure photography assignments. They only have one opportunity to capture the moment and take images that create lasting memories. Wedding photography prices should range from $5,000 – $12,000. Again, as with anything else, wedding photography packages can vary based your location, portfolio and nature of the wedding. Some top-shot photographers can charge more than $15,000 to $20,000 for covering destination weddings.

Website Photography – Photographers that specialize in creating images for local websites charge $50-$200 per image. They usually provide work for small businesses in the local area. Many photographers consider the traffic your website is getting before quoting a price.

Product Photography – Product photographers focus on images for smaller products that are used online or offline for independent websites or for sites such as Walmart, Amazon, eBay or major department stores. However, larger ticket items such as automobiles, boats or planes may be used for magazines or in major campaigns. The product photography pricing starts from $50-$500 per image but varies based on the nature of product and usage of images.

No matter which pricing model you use to calculate your photography pricing, make sure that you have factored in all the variables that we had discussed above.

If you are a full-time photographer, you will need to price your services so that you can make a living from your photography business. You also need to consider that you may not be occupied full-time, all the time.

Do keep in mind the industry price fluctuations, any seasonal factors that might affect your pricing and rework your pricing plans. Eventually, having photography pricing plans can only take you so far. A sound approach to photography pricing would also entail ‘going with the flow’ and being dynamic in your pricing your photography services at all times.

Hopefully, this step-by-step guide on how much to charge for photography would have given you a structure to determine your photography pricing. Just to sum things up, start by identifying all costs, consider the factors that influence the pricing and make sure you add an adequate profit margin to arrive at your photography prices. The ultimate goal of this photography pricing guide is to ensure that you’re running a successful photography business and making a profit.

Wishing you the best of luck!

Written by Pixpa.com and Kevin Michael Schmitz, Director of the Photography Workshop Series[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why I’m Not Repping You

by Andrea Stern

A rep is someone who REP-PRESENTS you. A rep wants to be the voice of someone they believe in, someone they trust, and someone they want to be associated with. A rep and a photographer have a relationship that has often been referred to as a “marriage”. It’s a two-way street; it goes both ways. Trust me, you want a rep who you feel this way about as well. As a business owner for over 20 years, I pride myself on keeping a high caliber of professionalism. That being said, these are my top five non-negotiable, red flags that I will not compromise on:

The Red Flags:

1.) You aren’t the kind of photographer I represent (i.e., I rep commercial advertising photographers) The clients I have relationships with are very specific. I don’t do fashion or fine art, just not my thing. A photographer must approach the right rep for their work.

2.) Bad reputation. If you’re not nice or have a bad reputation, that’s an immediate red flag for me.

3.) Your work isn’t strong enough yet. I am not a salesperson. I have to really believe in the work and the people I represent in order for me to do my best job.

4.) No vision. Your book is not cohesive and it’s hard for me to sense the direction you are headed or want to head in with your work. You haven’t quite made a decision about what kind of photographer you are. I want photographers who specialize in something and have a very consistent aesthetic throughout their work.

5.) Unprofessional. If you’re not professional and I can’t trust that you are going to show up well on a big set, I’m not going to put you on my roster. Clients learn to trust reps, therefore if I recommend you for a job, I expect you to be a top-notch professional. However, sometimes I don’t know this information about an artist until we work a little bit together. My recommendation would be to find a rep you are interested in and work with them on a few bids to really get to know one another before making any long-term commitments. This will help you know if they are your cup of tea and vice versa.

The Yellow Flags:

It’s impossible for everyone to be perfect throughout every aspect of their business. We all have room for improvement. Yellow flags are things that I have noticed through my years as a rep that makes me a bit nervous or weary of signing someone. Sometimes these things change over time but sometimes they don’t. The honest truth is that if the book is strong enough, I may take a chance on some of these with the hope that we, together as a team, can make improvements as we continue forward.

1.) You think you know better than me and won’t let me do my job. I want a photographer that does their job and does it well so that I can do mine in the same capacity.

2.) I can tell that you’re looking for a different kind of rep. I am involved with my photographers on a personal, day-to-day basis. I ask them about what they’re testing, how their kids are, etc. I try to be extremely communicative with my artists. This is the kind of relationship I want with my photographers and they need to want it too.

3.) They play the blame game. You blame other people for your challenges.

4.) You don’t seem to have the hustle or passion. You need to constantly be out there, learning, testing, making promos, networking, putting your work out there in every possible way. If you’re not, that can become a challenge.

5.) Uneducated. You don’t know very much about the business.

Ultimately, getting a rep is about knowing who you are as a photographer and finding the RIGHT rep for you. Know your market and where you want to head. Find the rep that matches your long-term plan. Don’t just jump at the first rep you meet, make sure they match you and they’re really the right fit. Find a rep who is going to help you get to where you want to go. Cultivate an attitude of hustle, commitment, creativity, and tenacity. And always remember: DON’T GIVE UP!

Head over to SternRep to see their full roster. If you need some daily motivation or insightful tips, check out their Instagram

MEDIA KITS FOR MAGAZINES

I would like to share with you a really valuable resource for Editorial Photographers that is completely free. Use AdSprouts to look up every major magazine with its full Media Kit to find out the circulation and media buy per page of advertising. This is valuable to decipher what usage fees to charge clients who want to use your images in print ads. I use the baseline rule of asking for a 10% of media buy for usage fees. In this case, if your image was printed in an issue of Vogue Magazine with a media buy for 1 page of $172,075, then your usage for this one printing would be $17,308. If your images ends up in Vogue, then likely the client is buying ads in Harpers’ Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, This could be upwords of millions of dollars in ad buys, so make sure you know where your images are going and that you get your 10%!!!

When bidding out jobs for clients, make sure to ask them these key questions.

1) Who is the client

2) What is the budget? (They May not answer this, but asking key questions will help you)

3) How Many Days of Shooting and Prepping

4) What is the Usage

5) How many models/talent are we shooting and for how many days

6) Hair, Makeup, Wardrobe, Prop Stylists – should I include them in the budget

7) Where is the location – and do we need permits

8) When do you need this bid, and should I include a producer

9) What is the look, feel and style we are going for

10) Are you triple bidding this with two other photographers?

To Learn More About Advertising & Editorial Photography
Click Here to Connect with our Studio Manager about our Elite Photographic Workshop Experiences!

Kevin Michael Schmitz is an Advertising & Editorial Photographer, TV Host & Director, and The Director of The Photography Workshop Series. He is represented in LA, NY and Paris and photographs major ad campaigns and over 75 magazine editorials worldwide.

Why just taking pictures is not enough these days: How to be a Producer
Photographing world class images comes down to being a photographer, it means being a Producer. What does this even mean? We delve into what makes a high end fashion shoot truly come to life by talking with celebrity fashion photographer Kevin Michael Schmitz, www.KevinMichaelSchmitz.com and www.KevinSchmitz.com who produces his own shoots.

Building recognition and getting you noticed in the high end photographic industry comes down to telling a dynamic story and creating a high quality shoot with production value. The first and most critical component to making images memorable is producing. This entails booking agency represented wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, casting models & talent, locations, permits, lighting equipment, assistants, food or craft services, and every detail of a photoshoot. A professional producer can manage this for you, but most photographers have to take the reins and make it happen by themselves. Here are a few secrets to making your photoshoots really count!

Planning out a Photoshoot: The most critical component to a fashion photoshoot is the wardrobe. You literally cannot shoot a high end fashion photoshoot without a wardrobe stylist, because the apparel is what fashion is all about. I have listed out in order, the most important facets of each photoshoot in terms of production.

Wardrobe: A top notch wardrobe stylist can make your photographs look world class, but this is where most photographers fall short. Reach out to the styling agents in your area: you can find hundreds of stylists and styling agents on ProductionParadise.com. If you live in a more rural area and not in a major city with access to production services, then plan out a shoot in the nearest city with styling teams. There are also options to rent high fashion apparel online and have it shipped to you directly. Better yet: Buy the wardrobe online from Nordstrom, Amazon or any major department store that carries the latest trends and has a great return policy. I often buy thousands of dollars worth of apparel for many of my shoots just to supplement the wardrobe from the stylist. I simply buy online, use it for the shoot, and ship it back afterwards, which ends up being free in the end (other than shipping costs which typically run from $15 to $40). Wardrobe Stylists are rare and hard to find really great ones that are not completely insane or unprofessional. Once you find a good one, treat them right, and never let them go! I have worked with about 80 professional wardrobe stylists in my career, and I have literally only liked about 5. Those 5 get booked all of the time for my shoots!

Location: Imagine, creating a spectacular fashion shoot on location in the middle of a cracked Earth Desert with an incredible sunset beaming through the evening sky. Well, forget about it, unless you want your models to wake up at 4am to drive out to the desert where they will be incredibly uncomfortable, have no restrooms available, and no electricity to be styled with. I have produced fashion photoshoots all over the world from 1500 Byzantine palaces in Istanbul to white sand beaches in the Maldives to sky scrapers in Dubai. In all of my experience, I highly recommend you find a private location owned by private owner friendly to photographers. With a house, mansion or even church, there are always bathroom facilities, electrical outlets, and comfortable quarters for stylists and models to prepare. This definitely beats the elements, and avoids the hassle and expense of obtaining film permits all together in most instances. Once I book my wardrobe stylist, I arrange my shoot location. One great tip to find fabulous places to shoot is to reach out to the real estate agents that handle the most expensive mansions in your area. Build a relationship with them and offer to photograph their listings for free in return for allowing you to do a fashion shoot at their location. This works quite well, and you may even be able to offer publicity by shooting magazine editorials at their location (which can help sell the property).

Models: Strong Talent is VITAL!!!! It doesn’t matter how great your photography is, if your talent is weak. Even some of the top magazines in the world have crappy photography, but spectacular talent. With the right model styled well, its very hard not to take a great picture. First off, ONLY book models from modeling agencies. Don’t risk going to Modelmayhem or photographing your cousin or friend. Even if someone looks beautiful in person, they may not look amazing on camera. Models are flaky and sometimes hard to deal with, so make sure to work with only true professionals that are responsible to an agent. Calling a modeling agency and requesting models that fits your project is what I highly recommend. Research online the top modeling agencies in your area and start building relationships with the model bookers in the the “new faces” division. They are usually very eager to have their hot new girls and guys photographed for their portfolios. This can be a great opportunity for you to access great talent for free, or very inexpensive. Request a “package” from the modeling agency of their best models that meet your criteria and explain to the agent exactly what you will be shooting and how incredible it will be. Send them a pinterest board of inspiration to get them on the same page and motivate the models to work with you. Select your absolute favorite models and then request at least 2 to 3 alternates for each model you choose. Models will be constantly booked on major ad campaigns or huge editorials so its important to be flexible with your casting selections, and just expect to go with alternates if your shoot doesn’t have much of a budget. Once your models are chosen and confirmed by the bookers, they will expect a call sheet. Send them a simple one page call sheet of noting the date, time, location address, schedule for the day and the entire production team with contact info. This will make you look very professional and build confidence in your model booker with you. I like to go the extra mile and actually speak to the models before the shoot to get on the same page with wardrobe and concept, but often times the bookers just have the talent show up without any info or communication whatsoever of the shoot.

Makeup & Hair Stylists: Although makeup artists and hair stylists are the most interchangeable and easiest to find, they are still very important. Make sure to reach out to styling agencies and book an artist who has experience styling editorials and advertising projects, which is very different than working on consumers/weddings/portraits etc. Find a makeup artist that can do more of a “Less is More” approach. The edgier, raw look is in right now, and a makeup artist who doesn’t go too far with makeup and keeps it natural is ideal. Hair stylists that can handle both fashion and lifestyle looks can be great assets as well. I personally like a hair stylist who doesn’t leave fly-aways, and can create any hair design you can come up with and is willing to change the hair between each and every look. As makeup and hair stylists are more interchangeable and can be booked the day before shoot, I tend to focus on this aspect of the production last.

All The Little Things Matter: Its much more than just stylists, models and locations on a shoot, and its your responsibility as a producer and photographer to make sure you have everything for the production. This includes tables, chairs, extension cords and comfortable areas for your stylists and models to prep in. I like to bring at least one or two portable speaker systems with bluetooth to make sure everyone is listening to their favorite jam on set, and to get the models in the mood while being photographed. Arranging food or craft services ahead of time is essential and making sure everyone on set is fed and happy!!! I buy 2 to 3 cases of waters, sodas and coffee for my productions and make sure my assistants cater to everyone on set and make sure those models are happy and have all of their needs met. You will get so much more out of a model and avoid most issues if you make your photoshoot a fun and easy experience for the models involved.

To Learn More about Producing and Making Your Photoshoot Top Notch, I highly recommend enrolling in the Photography Workshop Series. Photograph with a world class production and Top Fashion Models for a massive 12 Page Fashion Editorial with true IMPACT! Contact Us for Details at 310.808.4565

photography-workshop-series-fashion-2
Does getting hired to shoot those $100,000 Photoshoots for 3 days of photographing top models for a fashion brand sound good to you?

Those highly competitive projects are out there, but the right portfolio can land six figure photoshoot jobs and catapult your photographic career to the top. The process of building prominence in the industry starts with finding that strong photographic vision of emotive and evocative images that differentiates you from all others and attracts major brands to work with you.
Editorial shoots are key to gaining national publicity as a photographer even though they may not have a budget. The end goal of editorial photography is to land advertising campaigns with the designers who advertise in the magazines that you shoot for. When a brand sees a spectacular editorial next to their ad, they may want to hire you to photograph their national campaign. You can also incorporate brand apparel into the editorial and build a relationship with brands that may hire you for their fashion Look Books, which tend to hire photographers quarterly.

This past year alone, our photographers in The Photography Workshop Series have developed world class photographic portfolios from attending our workshops and are now published in VOGUE,
Vanity Fair, ELLE, FLAUNT, LA Fashion and Resource Magazine. These editorial public
ations are the ultimate stepping stone towards taking your career to the next level.

Fashion Look Books can be a very consistent and lucrative opportunity for a fashion photographer to earn a living. Typically photographed in Studio on a white seamless with around 30 looks, fashion look books are usually between 1 to 2 day shoots. Fashion Look Books for legitimate designers usually range from $5,000 to $30,000 per shoot and come out each quarter with the intention of distribution to fashion buyers at department stores and show rooms.

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Once you have built up the credibility of editorial publications and have photographed fashion look books for designers, the goal for most fashion photographers is to pursue fashion advertising.

Major fashion brands like Fendi, Dolce Gabbana, Valentino, Guess, Prada and even middle sized and lesser known brands that are well funded will hire photographers to photograph their national ad campaigns. The full budgets entail hiring fashion models, makeup, hair and wardrobe stylists, production equipment, locations, permits, travel, assistants and hiring producers. They can be booked through a brand directly or through an advertising agency that represents fashion brands.

Fashion Advertising Campaigns typically garner budgets of anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 depending on
the marketing budget of the brand, media buy of the placement of the images, usage & creative fees, talent, location and what they feel you are wor h as a photographer to execute their campaign. Once you catapult to this level, it helps to have a photographic agent that represents top photographers and can negotiate the terms and contracts with the art producer at the agency or design house.

The Photography Workshop Series is designed to develop photographer’s portfolios, marketing and business strategy and give you the opportunity to advance your career to a level that you may nver thought was possible. We can put you on the right track to pursue this dream career by enrolling in our fashion photography workshops we have scheduled in NY, Beverly Hills, Chicago and Dubai.

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