Comments on: Stop Charging, Start Shooting For Free

By: Rafael A. P. Maduro

Rafael A. P. Maduro — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:27:00 +0000

wao i did this for wedding film, i’m a mograph designer and video editor for the las 10 years doing tv commercials and documentaries for a boutique facility here in Aruba, but i want to do films for a different field on my own, and well weddings is a no brainer since i know all the editorial and commercial tricks, well i thought is a easy move for me, well guess what it was but no one was hiring me since i only show them my demoreel with 3d and tvc, and wasn’t a single piece of wed films on it, so i decided to do one for a friend of my mom, it when great she loved and did recommend me with the wed coordinator of one of the busiest wed hotels here in the island, now i do have a wed highlight to show and they liked it, already expecting 3 weds this Q1, so yes i support totally the “FREE” gigs idea.

By: Alejandro Caballero

Alejandro Caballero — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:35:00 +0000

“No one cared who I was until I started shooting for free.” (Loved the Dark Knight Rises!)

By: Omar Tan

Omar Tan — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Thanks, I’ve been stumbling thinking if I should continue doing my work for free or start charging. Your post was inspiring and thank you.

By: Brian MacLochlainn

Brian MacLochlainn — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:40:00 +0000

currently I am expanding my business into video as well as photography, It is mainly property, architecture and interiors. Anyway I have done and will continue to do a series of free and low priced shoots, till I improve enough to charge full fees and have a good portfolio of work together. I still get paid as in many cases I am also working on photos and the clients are using the freebies to get other customers to cough up money to get it done in the future

By: dennishh

dennishh — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 01:32:00 +0000

It took thousands of photographers a hundred years to convince clients that photography is a business which should be paid for as any other business. Creative professionals will always be compensated for their unique ability to produce inspiring photography. Your philosophy of working for free for your personal well being undermines all that. Working for free has never worked and I’m sorry to say will not work for you! What does work is producing inspiring ,emotional and creative photographs that clients want to pay for. They will always look at you as the free shooter and when you want to charge for your work they will Laugh at you like I am now!

By: Harvey MacIntosh

Harvey MacIntosh — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:13:00 +0000

I see the logic but I don’t buy it. If you DO shoot for free, make sure you’re the one offering it, and not them asking on the basis that it will ‘be good for your portfolio’, and only do it for free if there is no other option and you absolutely need to have the shoot for your work.

By: Ryan Sands

Ryan Sands — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:34:00 +0000

Nick,

I read your article and I’m sorry but in my opinion your stirring the pot for your own attention. I am a working full time professional photographer and this kind of attitude is what is perverting our industry. Spreading this nonsense for others to blindly follow is irresponsible and downright appalling. Letting amateur photographers read this kind of dribble instils nothing but the idea that in order to garner attention and open doors you must work for free in order to build opportunities. You should be ashamed of yourself for writing such an article. While you and the rest of our industry turns to the “free work in order to get noticed” business model the rest of us are working our asses off taking meetings, improving our craft, purchasing marketing material and educating ourselves any way we can in order to be successful enough to provide for our families doing something we love. Your answer to this is to give it all away in the hopes of creating opportunity? I am so glad I never fell into this trap of a business model and learned very early on that in order to succeed you have to respect your own craft, figure out what type of money you need to make in order to support your family and charge accordingly for your services. For all the other aspiring professional photographers reading this try and ignore this kind of talk. Learn to run a business the professional way. Free NEVER pays the bills.

By: Scott Hargis

Scott Hargis — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:51:00 +0000

“…Free also doesn’t include personal projects for artistic/technical growth….”

You clearly didn’t read the article. That’s the exact point the author is making. Also, calling on friends and family to fill up the portfolio? This is your advice for the aspiring fashion photographer, that he should get his little sister, or his mother to model for him? That’s so absurd that I don’t even know where to start. Good models are professionals. Similarly, someone shooting architecture is not going to get anywhere by showing photos of his friends’ crappy apartments.
There is a wide range of photographic genres out there, many of them are highly technical and highly specialized. It’s good to keep that in mind.

By: Homer Horowitz

Homer Horowitz — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:31:00 +0000

I’m all about personal work but shooting “would be/should be” paid gigs for free is like SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT! Think about the future of our work – If there’s always someone willing to do a job for free or very cheep then how much is that job really worth?
Instead, why not talk about free ways to source models or how to create an editorial style portrait. How about doing a story on how to get a job with your local paper… There’s a million ways to build your portfolio without lowering the perceived value of our services.

By: Chris Hoffmann

Chris Hoffmann — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 08:13:00 +0000

You really should read the article. You are missing the point that this is not referring (from what I understand) to the seasoned pro. It is, however, referring to those that have little to no experience in an unfamiliar genre.