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Building a Product Photography Portfolio

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Beerbread

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I've been reading the forum for some time now, and I'm terrified of posting this, but I'm at a point where I'm almost ready to show it to the world and I got a groove going on in terms of productivity and keeping focused. It also doesn't hurt to bounce ideas off of you guys in case my mind goes to 500 places at once.

Since the COVID outbreak, I've been studying nonstop on how to shoot commercial product photography. My background is in photojournalism, but aside from only using speedlites for fill, I almost know nothing about how artificial light works. My usual outlets went radio silent on me after the outbreak, so I'm SOL. I do have another job working at a hardware store so I do have consistent income coming in to pay the bare minimum. Plus, I'm able to use the employee discount to buy equipment I need to build my photo studio.

Another thing to add: you know that your occupation is becoming obsolete when you go to networking events and the speakers are heavily implying to get out of the field. I'm upset that I spent 7 years chasing after a dream of working for an outlet with benefits, only to come up with nothing, but hey, lesson learned. I'm not saying that photojournalism is dead, but the industry has failed to adapt.

Progress thus far:

  • I created 5 out of 8 product photos. I've been using @Lex DeVille's Upwork courses and they've been a godsend for me. However, it's a lot of work and it's been trial and error in getting the shots I want. They're all heroic shots, but I'm not sure if I should add more regular product with white background ones. Either way, whoever said that product photography is easy, is lying. I keep saying to myself: "If it's hard, then the pay off will be great." (Though if this is a fool's folly, please let me know)
  • I've been reading books and posts on the forum and Reddit on productivity. My favorites are:
I've read a bunch of others, but ultimately, all these books say the same thing. There are no shortcuts, you just got to do the work. I have a horrible habit of not staying focused and I tend to action fake frequently. Meditation, journaling, and my therapist are very helpful in keeping me focused, accountable, and to be thankful for what I have.

  • I've also been studying tutorials and reading books on lighting. My favorites are:
  • I've been active on Facebook group-related subjects and the feedback I get is very helpful as well.
  • Getting up at 4:30 am every day since the outbreak has been a game-changer. I workout in the morning before I drop my sister off to the bus for work, I make my coffee, breakfast, and get right to work.

My Next Steps:

  • Continue the course of finishing the last 3 pieces of my work.
  • Write captions for them to appease the SEO on Upwork.
  • Start sending out proposals
  • Make my first $1000 by August.

This might be ambitious, but I got this far to start backing down. I do plan to learn copy and marketing, but I haven't figured out how to incorporate them without getting overwhelmed yet. For now, I want to do one at a time. Every time I do multiple things at once, it never goes well.

If you guys have any questions or you want to throw ideas and criticisms out there, feel free! I'm sure I'm missing things and I'll be happy to clarify.
 
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Kid

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You learn to write better proposals to get gigs on professional products photos.. seems clear.

Thing to consider is that many people now turn to some kind of side hustle and i bet they are reading about product sourcing too.
So some of them will need pro photographer.
 

Beerbread

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You learn to write better proposals to get gigs on professional products photos.. seems clear.

Thing to consider is that many people now turn to some kind of side hustle and i bet they are reading about product sourcing too.
So some of them will need pro photographer.

That's very true! I think depending on what kind of photography people are going for, especially if they have zero experience with it, they'll get a shock on how time-consuming it is. I spend at least 3-6 hours editing composites. Little imperfections like dust, glares, or scratches can make or break your sale.
 

Rinzler

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Great job on getting the ball rolling!
From a logistics point of view, how does this work? You offer the service online then as part of the service your client would have to ship their product to you for you to take the shots, then you send the product back?
 
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Beerbread

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Great job on getting the ball rolling!
From a logistics point of view, how does this work? You offer the service online then as part of the service your client would have to ship their product to you for you to take the shots, then you send the product back?

Thank you very much! And yup, that's the plan! For now, I want to focus on small to medium-sized items. My studio right now is a clown car unless I can incorporate rental prices in the cost. But I guess that's the beauty of product photography. The setup for the most part is portable!
 

Andy Black

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Welcome.

I do plan to learn copy and marketing, but I haven't figured out how to incorporate them without getting overwhelmed yet.
Don’t make it a goal to *learn*? Have a goal to make sales and then learn what you need to achieve that goal?
 

seriousleisure

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I honestly don't know how viable this business model is but I'm curious to see how it works out for you.

I've heard that people send stuff overseas for this. Amazon recruits shooters in multiple states to work in their studios. The rates are low and they expect high output.

Also, retouching is a good skill to learn but you can send items shot on white overseas to get the background removed and basic cleanup for a dollar or 2.

Phlearn has great Photoshop courses.

If you are looking for inexpensive strobes to start with, Dynalite and Paul Buff make some of the most reliable units at a reasonable price.

Start with a medium softbox or 4-6' octabank and some fill cards and move these around the subject.
Window light is also very versatile.
Typical product photography is often backlit with front fill.

Since you have a background in photojournalism my bet is that you have a good eye. You may also consider doing corporate headshots and environmental portraits. With a good eye, a long lens, and one light, you can make nice images. To take things up a notch, you could add an edge light opposite your key.

If you want some critique or other advice, let me know. I've shot catalogs, furniture, interiors, table top, and food.
 
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CountMonteCristo

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Hey, congrats on your progress so far! Keep it up, you're really close!

I used to work on Upwork as a video editor (also learned a ton from Lex) and I know the struggle. I agree with Andy's point, you shouldn't get caught up in your craft, you should focus on building a killer profile in the least amount of time and getting your first client. I'd say 5-10 killer images, and you're ready to apply. You can improve your craft as you work.

A few practical Upwork tips if you're interested:

Make a client profile and post a fake job that's pretty much what you'd love to work on. Look through the applicants and see what they have and which one you'd pick and why. This is what you're up against. This way you can get a better idea of what you need to stand out.

Upwork's job filter system is garbage, so you get tons of irrelevant jobs and in the beginning when all you do is sort through jobs all day, this can eat up a lot of your mental stamina. I used to use a free RSS reader (Feedbro) to weed out any job that had irrelevant keywords in the titles. You can connect your Upwork feed and within Feedbro you make a rule that deletes any job that has certain keywords in the title, keywords that would mean the job has nothing to do with what you do.

Think outside the box. When I started as a video editor, I was a total beginner. I had no experience editing, no portfolio, no references, nothing. So I spent about 2 weeks to make an intro/self-promo video (pretty much a commercial for myself) and filled it with with flashy editing effects and dumb jokes. (I didn't know anything so I followed tutorials on all the editing.) Nobody had anything like that, and I got hired on my 1st application that turned into a $10K+ client. Think about what clients care about the most and how you could assure them of money well spent with you, with the least amount of work. Ignore everything else.

And lastly, although I'm going to assume you now Peter McKinnon, just in the off chance you don't, or forgot about his stuff lately, here are a few of his videos on creative product photography as inspiration:



 

Beerbread

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For real, you guys are all awesome! :smile:

Welcome.


Don’t make it a goal to *learn*? Have a goal to make sales and then learn what you need to achieve that goal?

Thank you very much! That's a good way to frame it! :smile:

I honestly don't know how viable this business model is but I'm curious to see how it works out for you.

I've heard that people send stuff overseas for this. Amazon recruits shooters in multiple states to work in their studios. The rates are low and they expect high output.

Also, retouching is a good skill to learn but you can send items shot on white overseas to get the background removed and basic cleanup for a dollar or 2.

Phlearn has great Photoshop courses.

If you are looking for inexpensive strobes to start with, Dynalite and Paul Buff make some of the most reliable units at a reasonable price.

Start with a medium softbox or 4-6' octabank and some fill cards and move these around the subject.
Window light is also very versatile.
Typical product photography is often backlit with front fill.

Since you have a background in photojournalism my bet is that you have a good eye. You may also consider doing corporate headshots and environmental portraits. With a good eye, a long lens, and one light, you can make nice images. To take things up a notch, you could add an edge light opposite your key.

If you want some critique or other advice, let me know. I've shot catalogs, furniture, interiors, table top, and food.

Thanks for the response! I'll let you know how it works out :rofl: if I fail, at least I tried. Also, I love Phlearn! I also watch PIXimperfect as well and I haven't felt this much enthusiasm about Photoshop since I started learning it when I was 12!

Also, you're right! I can say without ego that I do have a good eye! I've made do with two umbrellas and some flashes I haven't used since college (Vivitar 285s, but they're cheap and I like the results from them!) I'll definitely take you up on your offer with critique. Is it easier to PM you?

Hey, congrats on your progress so far! Keep it up, you're really close!

I used to work on Upwork as a video editor (also learned a ton from Lex) and I know the struggle. I agree with Andy's point, you shouldn't get caught up in your craft, you should focus on building a killer profile in the least amount of time and getting your first client. I'd say 5-10 killer images, and you're ready to apply. You can improve your craft as you work.

A few practical Upwork tips if you're interested:

Make a client profile and post a fake job that's pretty much what you'd love to work on. Look through the applicants and see what they have and which one you'd pick and why. This is what you're up against. This way you can get a better idea of what you need to stand out.

Upwork's job filter system is garbage, so you get tons of irrelevant jobs and in the beginning when all you do is sort through jobs all day, this can eat up a lot of your mental stamina. I used to use a free RSS reader (Feedbro) to weed out any job that had irrelevant keywords in the titles. You can connect your Upwork feed and within Feedbro you make a rule that deletes any job that has certain keywords in the title, keywords that would mean the job has nothing to do with what you do.

Think outside the box. When I started as a video editor, I was a total beginner. I had no experience editing, no portfolio, no references, nothing. So I spent about 2 weeks to make an intro/self-promo video (pretty much a commercial for myself) and filled it with with flashy editing effects and dumb jokes. (I didn't know anything so I followed tutorials on all the editing.) Nobody had anything like that, and I got hired on my 1st application that turned into a $10K+ client. Think about what clients care about the most and how you could assure them of money well spent with you, with the least amount of work. Ignore everything else.

And lastly, although I'm going to assume you now Peter McKinnon, just in the off chance you don't, or forgot about his stuff lately, here are a few of his videos on creative product photography as inspiration:

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY
UNDER WATER PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY
How to do EPIC PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY!

Thank you!! That's a great idea about the Upwork job posting! I totally agree that Upwork's filters are garbage. I tried to do my own weeding to see what other people were doing, but with mixed results. How you got your first client sounds amazing! Confidence is definitely key in this and you got a lot of it! I'm very shy, but I've made progress on how to get more out of my shell (posting here is some of it!) Also, I love Peter!! I used to not pay attention to his product stuff, but nowadays I'm on a binge with him!

Pricing myself is also another issue, but my sister gave me a book for my birthday (Best Business Practices for Photographers 3rd Edition) so maybe I'll find some answers there. I've done some calculators on my cost of doing business, but I think getting over the uncomfortableness of pricing what I'm worth is something to focus on.
 

seriousleisure

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Also, you're right! I can say without ego that I do have a good eye! I've made do with two umbrellas and some flashes I haven't used since college (Vivitar 285s, but they're cheap and I like the results from them!) I'll definitely take you up on your offer with critique. Is it easier to PM you?

Feel free to PM me.
I'm excited to see your progress and help any way I can.
 
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Beerbread

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It's a small update, but I finished the 6th product! I'm in the process of setting up the 7th (a knuckle ring.) I'm photographing super shiny things as a demonstration of skill. It's super maddening, especially when I'm doing the composites, but the results are gorgeous.

I'm also making a 1/5/10 Strategy. I went super extra, got some 9x12 mixed media paper, some watercolor, and went to town on it. I'm waiting for the paper to dry, but it is pretty! I'm keeping it by my desk as a reminder to stick with the plan. I also see some people doing 2 week plans, which is pretty cool too! I'm sort of doing a variation of that with Trello with the GSD method. It's so satisfying to see my 'Done' tab.

As for my work schedule, I'm treating it as a regular job as much as I can. I work on it Monday through Friday, a minimum of 4-6 hours a day, and have my weekends to myself and my family.
 
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Beerbread

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I completely botched the knuckle ring. After 3 hours of masking plus dodging and burning, the image is too boring and I can't figure out what to do with it. I have to do a reshoot tomorrow and go from there. A friend of mine told me I killed the highlights so I'm just agitated. Photographing rings are hard!

I'm also extremely tempted to post whatever I got on Upwork and start sending proposals, raging bull style because I'm so done staring at this already, but I got to keep going.

Edit: I did what @CountMonteCristo suggested and made my own job listing for an advertising photographer. I'm curious about what the results will be!
 
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Rinzler

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I completely botched the knuckle ring. After 3 hours of masking plus dodging and burning, the image is too boring and I can't figure out what to do with it. I have to do a reshoot tomorrow and go from there. A friend of mine told me I killed the highlights so I'm just agitated. Photographing rings are hard!

I'm also extremely tempted to post whatever I got on Upwork and start sending proposals, raging bull style because I'm so done staring at this already, but I got to keep going.

Edit: I did what @CountMonteCristo suggested and made my own job listing for an advertising photographer. I'm curious about what the results will be!

Sorry if you've mentioned this already but do you edit using Lightroom?
Normally it's amazing at giving you plenty of room to work with RAW files even if they're under or overexposed. It's a gamechanger for sure!
 
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CountMonteCristo

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After 3 hours of masking plus dodging and burning, the image is too boring and I can't figure out what to do with it.

Hey man, feel free to send me a pm if you don't mind sharing your scrapped work with a total stranger lol. Maybe I can help you figure out why it's not working?
 

Beerbread

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Sorry if you've mentioned this already but do you edit using Lightroom?
Normally it's amazing at giving you plenty of room to work with RAW files even if they're under or overexposed. It's a gamechanger for sure!

I don't think I did, but I do! Prior to shooting products, I used it more for keywording, the catalogs, basic edits, and exports for FTP uploads. I love it! However, nowadays I use it to color balance all my images, export 3-11 frames as layers in Photoshop, mask all of them, and paint over the parts I don't like to make a composite. Then I export the finished image back into Lightroom and do some touch-ups! :smile:

Hey man, feel free to send me a pm if you don't mind sharing your scrapped work with a total stranger lol. Maybe I can help you figure out why it's not working?

Hey, I don't mind! Any feedback is good feedback!

Is anyone else opposed if I post works in progress and finished works?

Edit: I look in my job posting, and I got 8 proposals overnight. A lot of them are rock stars and others you can tell have two brain cells fighting for survival. It's crazy! The pricing I got was all over the place, but I think it's because I opened up the floodgates to international freelancers rather than staying within the US. But @Lex DeVille wasn't kidding that no one reads the job description. I only had two people who really listened and asked questions. It feels weird being on the "employer" side of things. I feel like I want to be "romanced" and wowed by the applicants :happy: Another thing too, does Upwork naturally kill the photo quality? Some of the portfolios I'm seeing, there's a ton of .jpeg artifacts.
 
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Beerbread

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A little late, but to my American friends, I hope you all had a great 4th of July! No major updates, but business in my regular work picked up for the weekend. In my state, we can have small parties, and I knew some people who usually go to portrait studios for their children, but because they're still closed, I got their call instead. I haven't done formal portraits in a long time, so it was nice to break the monotony! Everyone had a great time.

I also had a major ADD moment and started watching Mike Maloney's 10 part series about gold. Very educational :happy:
 
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Beerbread

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I just came home from a small vacation! This was already pre-planned before the outbreak, but it was nice to get my Mediterranean glow back and enjoy the beach! Prior to the last post, I finished another portfolio piece with the feedback I received from everyone via PM (thank you guys!) I just need to finish one more and I'm good to go!

In terms of treating this as a separate business rather than treating it as freelancing, I wanted to start with a clean slate in terms of money and I got my finances in order. I opened a bank account strictly for the business expenses and easier bookkeeping. I paid off all my credit cards and I'm currently positioning myself to pay off my student loans in one swoop. I woke up one day and as I'm staring at my balances, a switch flipped in me with the thought, "This debt, this anxiety, needs to end today." I could pay off my student loans today, but I'll only be left with $900 and a handsome tax bill if I dip in my brokerages, so I'm nervous about that. Otherwise, it's nice seeing zeros on my Personal Capital account.
 

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The portfolio is done!

I'm so happy. It's not perfect, but it's mine! This is the most ambitious thing I had ever done. It took longer than it should've because of the logistics of gear needed and a steep learning curve, but whatever, it's mine and it's done.

I uploaded everything on Upwork, and I'm trying to think of some good descriptions to put in to entice clients. The resources I'm looking that say 3 paragraphs minimum, but I wonder what to put down. I guess it varies by job description that the client wants?
 

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The portfolio is done!

I'm so happy. It's not perfect, but it's mine! This is the most ambitious thing I had ever done. It took longer than it should've because of the logistics of gear needed and a steep learning curve, but whatever, it's mine and it's done.

I uploaded everything on Upwork, and I'm trying to think of some good descriptions to put in to entice clients. The resources I'm looking that say 3 paragraphs minimum, but I wonder what to put down. I guess it varies by job description that the client wants?

Congrats on your portfolio! I came across this Udemy course and thought maybe it could help you put together a good profile: Advanced Upwork Profiles: Craft a Magnetic Profile Today!. It's on sale today, too! Good luck :)

EDIT: Doh! Just noticed from your first post you've likely already taken this course :happy:
 
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CountMonteCristo

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The portfolio is done!

I'm so happy. It's not perfect, but it's mine! This is the most ambitious thing I had ever done. It took longer than it should've because of the logistics of gear needed and a steep learning curve, but whatever, it's mine and it's done.

I uploaded everything on Upwork, and I'm trying to think of some good descriptions to put in to entice clients. The resources I'm looking that say 3 paragraphs minimum, but I wonder what to put down. I guess it varies by job description that the client wants?

Hell yeah! Congrats!

Honestly, I don't think anyone's going to care what you write under your pics, so don't waste too much time on it. Just focus on finding good gigs and writing proposals that show you're a good hire.

Congrats on your portfolio! I came across this Udemy course and thought maybe it could help you put together a good profile: Advanced Upwork Profiles: Craft a Magnetic Profile Today!. It's on sale today, too! Good luck

I'll second this^ Lex's courses are awesome! I'd actually recommend buying all of them if you're planning to work on upwork for a while, they helped me a ton when I got started. (Btw he's one of the biggest contributors on this forum.)
 

Beerbread

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Congrats on your portfolio! I came across this Udemy course and thought maybe it could help you put together a good profile: Advanced Upwork Profiles: Craft a Magnetic Profile Today!. It's on sale today, too! Good luck :)

EDIT: Doh! Just noticed from your first post you've likely already taken this course :happy:

Thank you so much!! Haha it's okay! To be honest, I'm about to binge on that course today after work! I've been putting it off because I didn't want an informational overload and then to forget about what I learned in 2 weeks. Lex's courses and FB group have been my foundation and reference throughout all this.

Hell yeah! Congrats!

Honestly, I don't think anyone's going to care what you write under your pics, so don't waste too much time on it. Just focus on finding good gigs and writing proposals that show you're a good hire.



I'll second this^ Lex's courses are awesome! I'd actually recommend buying all of them if you're planning to work on upwork for a while, they helped me a ton when I got started. (Btw he's one of the biggest contributors on this forum.)

I think I already bought all except for one :rofl: I usually buy his courses when I have extra cash squirreled away! And yeah, honestly, even when I was on the client-side of things, I didn't even read the captions. I was blown away by the images I was presented. I only edited two captions so far, but I briefly explained my shooting and editing process and if elegance is what they're looking for, they should hit me up. :rofl:
 

Beerbread

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I finished both proposal courses and sent out my first two proposals this week! I was so nervous, but it's done. No responses yet, it's only two days, but I'm still optimistic! I bought extra connects to be on the safe side.

I'm more concerned about credibility markers when writing these proposals since this genre is entirely different compared to what I used to do, so for now, I just ask questions and pray for the best!

I'm still continuing education-wise with courses and books. I'm on Lex's Psychology course and I'm still trekking away at the Best Business Practices for Photographers 3rd Edition (seriously, this thing is a tome, but it's a treasure trove of knowledge), but otherwise, there's nothing new to report!
 
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Hey guys, I hope that you're all doing well! Just swinging by for an update!

Unfortunately, I did not make my $1,000 goal for August. I ended up getting a late start by the time I felt comfortable with the material I was studying. After submitting 8 proposals using the 'you' focus, I got my first interview! Long story short, it went well, but she balked on my price, but we wished each other the best. She gave off red flags that she was focused more on price than anything else on the call, but I entertained the idea just so I could get some practice talking to people. Either way, I found a groove with proposal writing, so I'm happy with that.

I'm still on the fence charging something like $5 to do 6 listings with 4-6 images each plus lifestyle, but after that interview, I'm questioning if I should just bite the bullet for the sake of feedback. I'm also thinking if I should position myself to do image editing on the cheap just to get the first couple of reviews. I'm kind of at a loss.

Today, I got my first invitation though! I just submitted my proposal, he's an hour from my house, so let's see what happens and pray for the best!
 

Beerbread

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I haven't updated this in a while, mainly because I've been embarrassed.

Tl;tr: I made my first $2,000, but not from Upwork, nor commercial product photography. I made it with a COVID wedding. I also booked another wedding for $3,000 but that's not until next September. Welp. Maybe I should focus on weddings since I got insurance now :duh: There's a lot of stuff I want to do or feel I should be doing but I'm not sure what I should be prioritizing.

I've been sending out proposals that I thought I was a good match to and got a lot of responses, but my responses were always, "I'm too expensive." or something around those lines. After learning about usages and licensing, I think I'm expensive too and that's with my break-even point. But I have to keep telling myself that if I plan to make a living off of this, I have to treat this like a business and not some side-hobby. I spoke with other photographers who are in a similar genre as I am, and they told me that it's my job to educate clients on how usage and licensing work. I guess it's like IT where most people have no idea what you're talking about and you have to dumb it down.

I tried other outlets aside from Upwork. Toptal I got rejected from, (they weren't looking for photographers) PeoplePerHour and Fiverr are two sides of the same coin where I see people just giving away their work. Craigslist's been good for getting quick headshots though. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places?

I'm also debating if I should start Youtube, even if it's just me doing behind-the-scenes or b-roll. I was reading/watching videos that people want some sort of video and some of the behind-the-scenes shoots I see aren't longer than 2 minutes. I've been putting off video because it was a whole other gearset that I didn't want to splurge money on, but I'm already halfway through building my rig just from building my current studio setup, so I might as well see the end of it.

I'm getting frustrated thinking about it. I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I should contact companies directly?
 

seriousleisure

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I haven't updated this in a while, mainly because I've been embarrassed.

Tl;tr: I made my first $2,000, but not from Upwork, nor commercial product photography. I made it with a COVID wedding. I also booked another wedding for $3,000 but that's not until next September. Welp. Maybe I should focus on weddings since I got insurance now :duh: There's a lot of stuff I want to do or feel I should be doing but I'm not sure what I should be prioritizing.

I've been sending out proposals that I thought I was a good match to and got a lot of responses, but my responses were always, "I'm too expensive." or something around those lines. After learning about usages and licensing, I think I'm expensive too and that's with my break-even point. But I have to keep telling myself that if I plan to make a living off of this, I have to treat this like a business and not some side-hobby. I spoke with other photographers who are in a similar genre as I am, and they told me that it's my job to educate clients on how usage and licensing work. I guess it's like IT where most people have no idea what you're talking about and you have to dumb it down.

I tried other outlets aside from Upwork. Toptal I got rejected from, (they weren't looking for photographers) PeoplePerHour and Fiverr are two sides of the same coin where I see people just giving away their work. Craigslist's been good for getting quick headshots though. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places?

I'm also debating if I should start Youtube, even if it's just me doing behind-the-scenes or b-roll. I was reading/watching videos that people want some sort of video and some of the behind-the-scenes shoots I see aren't longer than 2 minutes. I've been putting off video because it was a whole other gearset that I didn't want to splurge money on, but I'm already halfway through building my rig just from building my current studio setup, so I might as well see the end of it.

I'm getting frustrated thinking about it. I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I should contact companies directly?
Weddings and Portraits may not be what you want to do, but they may be your easiest moneymakers.
I have a friend that has gotten jobs through Snappr. He would do some quick and simple food photography for local restaurant online menus. It paid $100/hour.
 
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Beerbread

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Weddings and Portraits may not be what you want to do, but they may be your easiest moneymakers.
I have a friend that has gotten jobs through Snappr. He would do some quick and simple food photography for local restaurant online menus. It paid $100/hour.

I never minded portraits and weddings but I was very selective on who I was working with. If the conditions are right, I'm always happy to help someone out!

I remember you talking about Snappr! I'm sketched out that I have to give up my copyright and their ToS is sketchy af ($5000 fine to either party if they work outside of the platform) but at this point, I'll bite the bullet just so I have some companies under my belt and for the experience. I'll keep you posted on that!
 

Beerbread

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Well I got some bad news. I broke my foot this week. I tripped on myself going down the stairs and I thought it was a rug burn until it started swelling like a balloon. Thankfully, I don't need surgery, but it needs 6-8 weeks to recover. I'm really upset.

While I recover, I'm going to approach this in another way. I'll be working on the backend of things on my website (SEO, Google Ads, etc.,) possibly restart a blog I left abandoned. A shop to sell my prints on is also on the table too, but I don't know if I'm getting ahead of myself here. Admittedly, I'm a little frazzled and it's a wrench in my plan, but I'll make the best of it.
 

Beerbread

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How’s the foot and progress?
Hey there! The foot is well! I'm still going through some phantom pain, especially on the top of the foot, but I'm doing physical therapy and it's getting better each week! The injury site there's no pain thankfully. I can walk around, but I still have trouble loading weight or moving heavy items on my own.

As for the progress, while I broke my foot, I created a thread on INSIDERS on creating a marketing agency. I panicked that I had 0 income coming in and came to the realization that if I'm the business, what I have is worthless. I also didn't realize how physically taxing it was to do what I was doing, so making an agency (or any online business) is safe physically for me.

I scored my first client within the first 9 weeks and I've been doing work for that client and myself since. I'll definitely incorporate some sort of photography that I picked up from this thread into the business once I get onto 3 clients. Did I picture myself going into this? Definitely not, but I'm shocked at how much I got done in a short amount of time and I'm proud of myself.
 

Rhino8541

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I’ll go check that thread out. Glad they got us doing better!
 

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