It’ll look great in your portfolio
There is one aspect of trying to make a living from photography that gets me going everytime – the brazen way in which lots of companies try to circumvent commissioning a photographer by using free labour, and claiming it will further that persons career. I know (oh I know) that times are tough, but there is a way to do things, and actively advertising for freebies & cheapies isn’t one of them. Here’s an example:
Do you think that the organisers are doing this for charity? I’m guessing not. Did they ask the caterer to work for nothing? I’m guessing not. Did the people who made the horrific prom dresses give their time up for free? I’ll bet not. What about the stretch limo firm, the taxi company, the lab who will print the pictures? There’s a pattern.
Now don’t get me wrong, there is a need for imaging at all levels of cost, and I’m not against a serious amateur having a bash at shooting some shots for their pal’s new venture, but to openly bypass a whole industry, and advertise to students directly is just plain wrong. One of the ads which has since been removed involved an (un-named) retail giant, responsible for producing huge catalogues, appealing for “interns” to work the whole summer for nothing but travel expenses, shooting furniture and various products. Firstly, it’s likely that the copyright to such images would be retained by the “retail giant”, and secondly, no art director on earth would be amazed by a book of cut-out pictures of beds & drawers. God forbid that some joker without liability insurance trips up little Chantelle and gets sued. And as for quality….have you tried balancing disco lights and flash in a dark room full of bouncing teenagers? Best of luck.
While I was a mature student, I was offered simple PR jobs by local clients which I grasped with both hands. They paid good money, (at a slightly reduced rate), and it gave me a really good grounding in the photographic industry. The teaching staff at the college vetted all such requests, and took the reputation of the industry into consideration when doling out jobs so that the client didn’t end up with some tosser + DSLR.
Get a quote from a local, qualified pro for hell’s sake. And do me a favour – get any local newspaper and take a good look at the advertisement’s within. I bet you’ll be able to spot every image which has been taken by an employee, has a Canon 300D, a flimsy tripod, & a dodgy copy of Photoshop, fancies himself as a photographer, and who has made a complete cock of it. Go on….do it.
