When you start out in photography there’s a few things seasoned photographers will tell every amateur like read your camera manual or always have extra SD cards with you. Some of the advice is concrete, but one I always had a problem with is never shoot for free.
The problem is… how do you get better if you only take paid work? How do you make connections if you’re always telling people no? Working for free is all about growing. You can’t grow if you don’t take risks and new challenges, but it’s not right to take those risks when someone is paying you.
The Key to Working for Free Is to Always Hold Some Type of Leverage
What this means is at the shoot you’re in charge and you’re getting “paid” through the experience and networking. You’re using this sample of work to get real work down the road. When you have leverage, you’re going to benefit from the shoot no matter what.
Before We Get Started
This isn’t for working professionals. If you’re doing projects with Vogue or you have the contracts with your local businesses, you don’t need this. This is for newer photographers who aren’t known and have little to no connections and are looking for how they can grow. That being said, here’s some of the ways you can shoot for no money and still feel like you profited from it.
It’s for a Personal Project
This was a creative concept I was obsessed with. I found a makeup artist and model who were also into the idea.
Model: Resnya Renee - MUA: Jessie Lynn
When you’re the creative director for the shoot and it’s your project, you shouldn’t expect to be paid for it. At the end of the day it’s all about what you want. You intrinsically hold all the leverage in this. Everyone else is buying into your idea. This will be built specifically for your portfolio.
These are my go-to ways to work for free. Some of my most influential work came from personal work. I say influential because they’ve been shared the most and they impress people the most. If you can get a team together with just your idea, you will benefit from the process.
It’s a Portfolio Upgrade
This model was brought in through the makeup artist and her look was perfect for this dream idea I had for New Years.
Model: Anastasia Saf - MUA: Amanda Thesen
Sometimes people reach out and they’re better in every way. More experience, more professional, and even more connected. When I was starting out I tried to not say no to these people because at the very least, the images were more likely to be better than anything else I had and for me that was worth it.
Sometimes people reach out and I’ll say yes just so I can be in their space and ask them questions. This was especially the case when I first started out. I never went to school for photography and I never interned with a fashion or beauty photographer. I knew nothing about contacting agencies and models. Every chance I got to work with a signed model I would ask them questions. What’s a “fit model”? So how do you get in touch with agents? What’s casting like? All things I just had no idea about that I was so grateful to be able to learn.
But that’s not even the best part. The best part of working with “portfolio upgraders” is if the images are incredible, there’s always a chance that the people who see the finished photos will also reach out. This brings me to my next point…
It Can Lead to Something
Now this one is a gamble, I want to start with that. There’s a 95% chance you’re never getting another opportunity out of this. But there’s a way to do it and hold the leverage. If someone is asking you to shoot their event or product line and you have no creative input, chances are nothing is going to ever come from it. You’re only free talent and you should never say yes to these.
But if you can make your own opportunity that gives you the chance to show your value, there’s like a 5% chance it could lead to more. And even if it doesn’t, it’s portfolio work with a name you can drop.
Story Time
When I was in college, I really wanted to be a headshot photographer. No matter how much I tried, no one wanted to shoot with me, I didn’t have the bulk of work to show my value to potential customers. So I kept looking for lucrative opportunities until I found a way to show my value. Every semester there was a Career Day where all the business school students would get dressed up and go talk to potential employers. I thought since they’re already dressed up why not set up a headshot photo booth so I could take the photos of these people who would never pay in the first place. Broke college kids aren’t going to be paying for headshots anyways so at the very least I could build my portfolio and get my name out there.
I pitched the university the idea and told them I’d do it for free to show it would be popular. They said yes, and it was successful. The first year it was 60 people and everyone loved it. That summer and fall I had a bunch of people reach out to get their headshot done and they all name dropped someone from the photo booth or saw me that day and weren’t ready then.
These were all taken in a single day over a 4 hour stretch.
The next Spring semester they asked to have me back and I was paid my actual rate for the day. With this paid opportunity I was able to shoot more headshots for my book and show my value once again. I saw an opportunity and took it. I still use some of those photos on my headshot portfolio to this day.
The key to this is I found the opportunity on my own, pitched it, and proved my value. That’s what you need to do. If someone comes to you and says "Hey we have this thing, can you do it for exposure?", you're just being used. You need to be the creator and identify the opportunities on your own.
There’s Opportunities All Over the Place, You Just Have to Find Them
Want to shoot fashion? Reach out to local boutiques and offer to shoot a lookbook for them that they can keep in the store. Maybe they see better sales from it and decide to have you back for their next season. At the very least your book will be filled with designer clothes in real-world experience. With the most positive outlook you could have that boutique and others contacting you for similar experiences.
I worked with a handbag designer on this which led to me working with FIT students which led to me working with agency models.
Want to shoot real estate? Use Zillow to find local real estate agents that could use help. Shoot a couple houses for them and maybe they see the value and start to hire you. At the very least, you get really nice houses in your book that you wouldn’t have had access to and at best you now have a client who sees your value.
In these situations you need to make sure you’re actually getting something out of it. If you talk to a boutique and plan on shooting a lookbook with a model and they say yes, but now you’re shooting outfits laid on the ground without a model, you’re now in a losing situation. Don’t do this if you don’t think it’ll benefit you. You need to make sure that no matter what you’re getting something from it, that’s the whole point of doing this.
Whether it’s an addition for your book or the connections you’re making from it, having more than one reason in this situation means you’re still leveraging the shoot into something positive. If you go in thinking it's a bad shoot, but maybe there will be more, you will lose.
It’s Real-World Work
In the real world, no one wants to be the first to bite the bullet on you. They want to see you’ve done it before in some fashion. This is true in all walks of life and always has been. Being able to show you worked on a project that was more than just “I had an idea and did it” shows you know how to work under actual parameters in a professional environment.
Going back to the previous section on finding opportunities, working for small businesses and actually building something with them has real-world value. Being able to take someone else’s vision and making it come to life is a skill not everyone has. It’s good to show your ability to do this because it won’t always be your ideas.
This is why I try and shoot speculative work when I can. These can technically be filed under personal projects, but they’re not really creative. I try to shoot work that looks like advertisements or catalog photos because that’s what people are usually looking for. This shows I’m capable of shooting what they need and not just creative photos.
This photo was shot during a test session. I loved it because it's the style of image a lip company would use.
Model: Cheryl Pico - MUA: Jessie Lynn
Another way to get real-world work experience is to assist on a set. Interning for a professional photographer for no or small pay may seem ridiculous, but being able to see a live production from start to finish is an eye-opening experience.
I’ve assisted for a few different photographers, and there’s nothing like it. If you have the opportunity and you don’t have any real world value, that’s a very quick way to start picking up skills for your own work.
With this your leverage is education and connections. People pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for education through universities and almost none of it will be real-world experience. Most college students still have to intern if they want a job out of school. With this you’re cutting out the university and getting your education from the people who are actually working.
Shooting for Free Is Just Investing in Your Business
You can’t just buy a camera and lights and start charging. It takes years to get to a point to where you should be charging for everything. Every free shoot is just an investment towards your goals through growth and opportunity. Not all investments work out, but those are balanced with others opening doors you didn’t think were possible.
Just remember to always try and find the leverage. If you can find the leverage in an opportunity, it’s worth going for.
I completely agree based on redundant experience. I’ve done web and graphic work for amazing artists and companies for over two decades and still take on “free” tasks and projects all the time. Some are for non-profit type campaigns that I believe in, some are for access to better choices, and some are to expand my experience and portfolio.
I get the “don’t just give yourself away” lecture all the time but experience says, “I’m not giving it away, I’m investing in my future”
Those "non-profits" are run by people taking a salary.
Not the one's I'm helping. In many cases, they have a mission to attain with virtually no help or funding. I have a plethora of skills that help them achieve those without being in a panic.
"Shooting for Free Is Just Investing in Your Business" <------ EXACTLY.
"Shooting for Free Is Just Investing in THEIR Business"
If one has a measurable return on investment, then it is investing in one's own business.
Shooting for free is investing in their business.
Mind your own Business !!
If one has a measurable return on investment, then it is investing in one's own business.
I'd like an electrician to re-wire my house. It doesn't pay anything, but it's good exposure.
"If someone is asking you to shoot their event or product line and you have no creative input, chances are nothing is going to ever come from it. You’re only free talent and you should never say yes to these."
I hear this argument (comparing an electrician or plumber or car mechanic) often. I believe it is a flawed analogy. All of the contracting trades must be certified and licensed. They must also belong to a (type of) guild or union to operate in most areas and especially to be allowed to bid on most industrial and governmental projects. This is not equivalent to us photographers arguing that we have incurred equipment and educational expenses unaccounted for; they do as well.
Please keep in mind I am not arguing for or against concerning the topic matter of this article, I have some agreements with both sides of the argument generally. But the failed analogy using tradespeople needs to be put to rest.
People do not appreciate what they do not pay for.
Your cynicism may fit your life, I get that. But projecting that on others doesn't work. I know many who have paid me for work due to my volunteer work in other areas. Yes, many people do in fact appreciate what they didn't get charged for.
I completely disagree and it's lousy advice like this which ensures that photography remains one of the worst paid and hardest work professions out there.
Working for free sets the tone for the rest of your life. You're always ashamed to ask to get paid because you think you're worthless.
You can build your portfolio and become a better photographer in the time that you'd spend building someone else's brand/business/portfolio/bank balance instead.
When I started working on websites and apps in the early 1990s, I did some free work and some of my own work that was a free website. My now ex-wife always asked why. I said I was building something for the future. Those websites lead to mentions in PC World magazine in their Windows 95 release article. That lead to doing a website for Brit Hume. That lead to getting a call from Microsoft Press about editing a book. The original "free" website work I did lead to working at Microsoft for a few years and to the full-time job I've had for 22 years.
It all started from stuff I wasn't getting paid for, but all of it paid off in the long run.
I exclusively shoot for free. I do great work and I don't charge for it. You can bitch at me all you want for degrading the profession, I don't care. I have a solid 9 to 5 and I don't rely on photography for money, I rely on it as a hobby, and the minute I start charging for it, it becomes work. I don't want more work in my life.
My advice to people who think they are underpaid for development work - the experience is worth as much, if not more than what you are getting paid. I have seen my team members go on to bigger and better things by trading today's reward for long term gain. It's a matter of changing your perspective.
All that I know is this: not everything needs to be a transaction. Sometimes you just want to connect and take photos with someone.
"We love your work, but everything's more than $20". "Do this one for free and we'll pay you for the next one". "We're working for beer money, help us out, they're only paying us $700". "We're non for profit Common". "We'll put your work on our web page". "Where can I down load this picture on the internet?" "Can I get a copy of this with out the words on it at the Botton?" Sorry my bank won't take likes to pay my bills.
None of those examples are what this article is about. Did you read the article? It actually agrees with your sentiments expressed here.
It is not about accepting jobs where the person asks one to shoot for free, it is about one creating an opportunity for one to grow their portfolio, their experience, and their connections, by OFFERING to do free work, where they are in control, to gain what amateurs who want to go pro do not have; experience and references which they can show.
A new photographer going pro, who only does paid gigs, cannot get a job without proof of experience, and/or references, and cannot get references/proof of experiences without doing jobs. It is a catch 22.
This article is about avoiding the catch, without giving oneself away to the leeches, (who are of no help in either of the desired outcomes).
A third gain is training in something one has not mastered, by someone who has mastered it. In this regard, the difference is paying for a course/workshop with several other students, (a cost one has to bear), or not paying for an internship with perhaps a few other interns, (no cost).