As Director of Photography for Sports Illustrated, Brad Smith is witness to a lot of freelance photographers trying to get their foot in the door. Albert Ayzenberg of A.A. Productions sits down with Brad to talk about what freelancers should be doing to get noticed, and ultimately be hired, by photo editors. Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned professional, it’s worth taking a look at this interview to get a better sense of what employers such as Sports Illustrated are looking for and how best to show it to them.
One key takeaway that Brad presents is to utilize multiple communication channels. Promotional card mailers are one of the best channels for your work to be seen. Photo editors love them because it puts your work and contact information right in front of them without putting forth any effort. Editors can write notes directly on the card and place it aside on their desk. Another channel would be email, but as Brad emphasizes, it should always be done in addition to another form of communication. The most effective, yet not always possible method, is to schedule a 15-minute meeting with the photo editor. This places you face to face with someone you can get to know and establish a relationship with.
Along with an expanded explanation on the communication channels above, Brad has many more pieces of advice to give such as how to have a successful meeting with a photo editor and what annoys them when trying to get in touch. You can follow Brad Smith of Twitter and Instagram.
- print your photos
- wear a suit
- profit
Agreed. Value their time as you would yours and be prepared. Great advice.
I like the part about not speaking for your images and just letting them "breathe". I've found In nervous situations, like interviews, it's tough to just shut up when the room is quiet or your work is being critiqued. Over all def appreciated this vid.
Just like any job interview. They want to know what you can do for them, not what they can do for you!
This is a bit of flashback for my first stringer interview. I got pretty much the same tips and was turned downed for the work, but had a real good conversation with the photo editor on my portfolio. Two months later the photo editor called me back in and I had another interview this time though I ended up working part time for them.
Great content, but this lighting bothers me. Blow out the background if you have to get the face exposed properly - because it's important.
Agreed, this is a case where the content was too good to pass up and trumped the lighting issues.