The Importance of a Photography Rep and How to Get One

Good photography reps are worth their weight in gold, but what do they actually do and how can they help to accelerate your career and make you more money?

The guys over at The Futur are back once again with a fascinating video discussion on the importance of a photography rep in 2018. This week Chris Do, who is an Emmy award-winning designer and founder of brand strategy design consultancy Blind, Inc., talks with Andrea Stern of Los Angeles based photography representation SternRep.

Right at the start of the video Stern sums up perfectly in one sentence how the rep acts as the voice of the photographer which is not only what they do literally, but also metaphorically in terms of management of portfolios and the direction of a photographers marketing etc. She then goes into great depth on the subject of negotiating fees and how she wins jobs for the creatives shes represents. It's refreshing to hear real world figures surrounding rates and commissions being mentioned as it really helps to paint a clearer picture of the photography industry for those who don't know.

Both Do and Stern then move on to talk about how reps find new talent and what photographers need to have in place if they want to find representation. All-in-all the topics they address really are a valuable insight into how the commercial world currently work.

The video is a long one at over one and half hours but it's most definitely worth the investment in time as the video answers many of the questions related to the world of reps and how much of a valuable ally they are to us photographers.

Lead image by jarmoluk via Pixabay.