Freelance photography

[thething912]

I was woundering what freelance photographers do. Could you please tell me? Thnaks.

[brucep]

Anything they're paid to! Some freelancers only do weddings. Some don't ever do weddings. Some are strictly product photographers, some just do portraits, some try to do it all. Customers can usually expect higher quality work from someone who doesn't claim to be a Jack of all trades.

If I'm ever able to retire from my graphics and photography job, I'll do some freelance work again. I used to to family and boudoir photography and high school senior portraits. Now I've made enough contacts in the wine industry that I think I can just stick to bottle shots, product photography and some vineyard beauty shots. Those will give me a higher income with less work, frankly. There are many, many portrait photographers in my area and quite a few who do bottle shots, but not as many. Bottles never have moods, they're always cooperative, and the winery owners need a lot more photos than families do.

[thething912]

So, basically, they get paid to take certian pictures? How it is freelancing if you have to go places to take the pictures though? Or, that's what it seems like. Thanks anyway.

[brucep]

I've known photographers who try to sell pretty pictures they've taken (when a photo happens to turn out right somehow). They try selling them to calendar and greeting card companies or get them on a stock photo site. They're not freelancing (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freelance), they're just doing whatever they want to do and then they try to sell it.

A freelancer is like a "hired gun." He accepts a job for a stated price and then goes out and completes it. He might never work for the same person more than once, or he might have a regular set of people who hire him whenever they need his services.

When I did freelance photography and graphics, most of my customers were repeat customers, and I liked it that way. Getting started is the tough part.

[Kalem]

Bruce offers some very good information about what freelance photography includes. I wish that I had this info years ago. What helped me to better understand what a freelance photographer does is the "hired gun" reference that Bruce made. I came to understand being a freelance photographer as being a "photography consultant." Often, the photography customer doesn't know exactly what type of photography that they need. They can find a photography "hired gun"/consultant, and if the photographer knows what is required to get the job done, they do so.

I don't think that it matters if the customer refers to the photographer as a freelancer. It is important that the photographer is clear on how to satisfactorily complete the job. I hope this is helpful.