The Best Way to Get Work: Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR
Ask yourself the question: if you’re looking for a builder, what’s the first thing you do?
You ask a friend.
Look on Facebook. Whether they’re looking for a car valeting service, a plasterer or whatever, people ask, “Can anyone recommend…?”
Personal recommendation is the best way to find a tradesperson or service, because you know they’ve done a good job for somebody else.
As an example, we’ve just been down to Below Decks to record a blog on how to take photos of a commercial training event. Now, because I’ve tried the coffee, I’ve been served, I’ve tried the food and there’s a nice atmosphere, if anyone says to me, “Do you know anywhere in Torquay that’s good for coffee,” my first answer would be, “Yes, I do. As it happens, I was in there this morning. It’s called Below Decks.”
Advertising v networking, what’s best?
I haven’t advertised for a good 15 to 18 years. I took out an advert once in a local weddings supplement, and I got six or eight weddings from that. I haven’t had to advertise since, because from those eight weddings, I got another eight weddings. And from those eight weddings, I got another few weddings.
Having people you’ve worked for singing your praises will do you more good than an ad in the local paper. It goes the other way too. At last week’s wedding, I discovered the groom’s dad was a builder. So, I’m more likely to ask him for a quote, or mention him in conversation.
Networking is really the way to go now. There are so many photographers online that you wouldn’t know where to start. Unless I could get a personal recommendation, I wouldn’t entertain them.
It’s the same with builders, plumbers, plasterers, etc. If you came to me and asked, “Do you know any good plasterers,” I could give you an honest recommendation. I would say, “Yes I do. He’s cheap, and you will have to tidy up after him, but what you’ll save will more than make up for the mess.”
Should you specialise in one type of photography?
Going back years, I did a business course. The tutor asked me a loaded question: “What type of photography do you want to do?”
“Weddings,” I said.
“What are you going to do in winter, when there are fewer weddings?” he asked.
“Ooh,” says me. “Not sure.”
“Spot on! Don’t specialise,” he said.
If you can get a good grounding in a range of subjects that cover the entire year, you’ll never go hungry. Decide the way you want to do it. For me, football and rugby season is September to May, then I’ve got events in the summer and weddings on Saturdays.
Following on from that, your wedding clients – providing you’ve done a good job – will recommend you to someone else, so you will get more weddings. The football and rugby teams you work with will recommend you to other teams. Your horsey people will recommend you to other equestrian events organisers.
Then, one day, someone from a football team you’ve covered will ask, “Do you do weddings?” From there, it’s all going to mingle together. You’re going to get weddings from your football, football from your weddings, and on it goes.
I did a wedding last weekend that I got through football. I’ll be talking to someone at the football tonight who has seen my work for the last 10 or 15 years. She’s booked me for both her kids’ weddings. The FA isn’t just football. It’s also presentations, dinner dances, etc. They’ve seen how I dress. They’ve seen how I act. They know my ethics. So, I’m essentially getting a variety of work from working at football.
Just starting: how do you become a recommended photographer?
Shadowing is a good way to get started as a photographer. Blanket email local photographers and offer to work – for nothing – just to watch them work. Some photographers are so busy they don’t even see the emails. Some don’t want to give out the tricks of the trade. But you might be lucky and find somebody amiable who says, “OK. That might be handy. I could do with somebody to help me out.” For example, I’ve been looking for somebody to help me out at triathlons.
Be aware that even those busy, jobbing pros who need the help may take six weeks or more to get back to you. You might get this sudden reply, out of the blue, saying, “I saw your email. Sorry, I’ve not got back to you, I’ve been so busy. I know it’s short notice, but how do you fancy shadowing me this weekend?” Six weeks is a drop in the ocean when it comes to gettng experience.
Another suggestion is to put something on local Facebook forums. In this area, you’ve got Spotted Paignton, Spotted Torquay, Torbay Help Hub, etc. Ask if there are any photographers out there who wouldn’t mind showing you the tips of the trade. I’m likely to respond sooner to a post on a Facebook forum than to an email.
Be blatantly honest. That’s what I would react to. If you told me you had no experience whatsoever in weddings or sport, but you would really like to learn how to do it, I would be more likely to take you under my wing, because I can train you in the way I work.
If you are trained from nothing by a photographer, you could eventually become the second shooter in that photographer’s arsenal.
Somebody said to me a while ago, “I shoot my way.” No, when you’re working for me, you shoot my way, because I’m shooting the way the client wants. I’ve worked with this client for three years. We’ve tried the grainy, gritty, richly coloured pictures, and he doesn’t like them. He likes simple, colourful stuff that’s not overly saturated.
If you say, “I shoot my way,” you won’t get in the door.
Students and work experience
If you’re a student looking for work experience, it’s a good idea to shadow somebody who’s going to give you a realistic idea of the working photographer’s day.
There was a young lad who wanted to do work experience during the school day. I said to the school, “That’s not going to work. If he wants real life experience, he’s going to have to come to me at the weekend. And he can’t work nine to five. He’s got to be prepared to leave at six and not get back until twelve at night. Don’t worry, he can sleep in the car, and we’ll look after him. But that will give him a real life experience of being a photographer.
I took him to Yeovilton Air Day. He was wide awake at four, he was leaving the house at five, we left at six and were on site by seven thirty. By midday, he had eaten all his sandwiches and drunk all his drink. He said, “I’m really hungry,” and I replied, “Well, you can’t go anywhere now. It’s impossible. Look at the queue for the burger van. By the time you get to there, which is a ten minute walk by the time you get through the crowd, waited 15 minutes for your burger, and walked ten minutes back, what’s going to happen?”
“I’m going to miss two of the displays, aren’t I?” he said.
Of course, I sent my assistant to get the burgers. If you’re on work experience, I’m not going to let you starve, but by the time you’re 25, you should know that you need to balance your food intake. You don’t consume all of your food and drink by midday!
Make sure you are dressed appropriately, and carrying the right kit. A student once came with me to the zoo, because they wanted to learn how to take photographs of animals. She turned up with flared jeans, a T-shirt and trainers with no socks. It was absolutely lashing down. She also brought one roll of 24 exposure film (of the wrong ASA). I looked at the kit and my heart sank. By lunch time, she was so cold she had to go home. She wasn’t dressed for it, and she didn’t have the right amount – or type – of film with her. That’s how not to impress somebody, so do your homework. If she had been blatantly honest, and told me she had no experience whatsoever, I may have been amiable to giving her some advice: turn up with sturdy shoes, warm clothes, layers and several rolls of different ASA film and then we will cover our backs.
How diplomacy can get you work
Handling situations well can also get you work. There was once a referee who took images from my website without permission, to put them on his Facebook page. I handled it diplomatically and six months later, I’m doing his wedding.
At the wedding I mentioned earlier, the bride and groom had their first date at The Drum Inn, Cockington, and his dad and mum also had their first date in the same area. On their date, his dad ended up getting in the Cockington stocks, so they wanted to re-enact that moment from 50 years ago. They asked, “Would you mind?”
Some photographers would have said, “I haven’t got the time for that, I’m only booked until four.” But I said, “Of course. Five or ten minutes isn’t going to make a difference to me, but it’s going to make all the difference to you, and it’s your day.” You choose to act the way you act. You’ve got full control over that. It’s those little touches. If you choose to be nice and act diplomatically, you will get more work from that.
You’re showing everyone your wares and how you work. There’s only one of me, so every one of the guests is going to be watching me intently. Even people sitting in the pub garden and the registrar will be watching me. Basically, you’re on parade, so if you do that job right, with no clangers and diplomacy coming out of your ears, you will come away from that job with another enquiry. Maybe not on the day, but later someone will come back to you and ask you for something.
That’s why I say the best way to get work is to work.
Have a burning photography question you would like Al to write about in his next blog post? Email info@miraclepr.com with your request.