The Life and Times of An Upcoming Photographer
My name is Patrick Onofre, and I’m a photographer. (crowd: “Hi, Patrick”)
According to some, who shall remain nameless, the job title “photographer” isn’t really a job title at all. I’m not really working. I don’t really have a job. I’m not really making money, and I can’t really support myself in this line of work. And each time I hear some snide remark in regards to my chosen profession, I have to remind myself to take a deep breath, count to ten, and shake it off or else I’d have to use my earnings to post my bail. However, just because I smile at you when you say these things, doesn’t mean I’m not boiling to the top inside. I have vented before, and when something ticks me off, I tend to take the offense a little personally. Today, my friends, I’m venting, but instead of rambling, it’s time I hit you with some REAL truth about this business.
I’m not gonna lie: this lifestyle is a HUGE change of pace for me, and parts of it are pretty sweet – lots of free time, making my own hours, having the ability to be creative in my job, meeting some amazing people in the meantime as I go out to social gatherings to network. It looks great from the outside, since it appears as though I don’t have to grow up. For most that work a 9-5, or to those in the service industry that only live to see the lights of town, it’s easy to assume this isn’t work; it’s an ongoing party.
What you’re NOT seeing is all of the homework I did to make sure I was setting myself up for success and the hard work underneath. There was a three-year study done that was written about by Dane Sanders in his book Fast Track Photographer that shows the photography industry has an 85% turnover rate. That number is astounding, and for anyone who wants to enter this business, something they need to seriously consider. Most people just can’t hack it. They think it’s going to far-away destinations, shooting glamorous models, and getting sweet paychecks. It’s not. Trust me – I wish it was! This illusion is also clustered with the fact that most people who are tinkering with photography and creating a notion that they can do this profitably fail to realize the costs involved in successfully running such a business. Most are receiving steady paychecks from other sources, and therefore do one of two things: charge significantly lower fees to conduct shoots (which severely undercut the rest of us trying to eek out a living in this field – that’s a subject for another day) or fail to set up the business by practicing strategies that will position themselves to be successful in the long-term. These fatal ideas are the main reasons photography business fail – they don’t see it as a “business”.
Naturally, the glamorous part of the business is the photography. It’s fun to go on shoots, create these “works of art”, and see a paycheck result from it. However, that’s not what makes the business successful. Mentioned in fellow Washingtonian photographer John Harrington’s book Best Business Practices For Photographers (a must-read for anyone in this industry), what many “photographers” fail to realize is that there is nobody to blame for the business’ failures but themselves. The successful photographers know that photography is not about making pretty pictures; it’s about making a successful business. Reread that part. If you’re not a savvy businessman, you will fail at this career, no matter how pretty your pictures are. You are your own marketing department. Your own accounting department. Your own research and development team. There is no health insurance provided for you – you must provide it for yourself. There’s no such thing as a “company match” for a 401K. You’re all that you’ve got.
So, why am I scaring people with all of these statements? It’s because I don’t think my accusers or nay-sayers understand what my chosen profession consists of, and either see it as a paid vacation or a mid-mid-life crisis, of sorts. I don’t think people see it for what it really is: a giant pain in the butt. That “free time” I have, sitting on my couch? It’s being used to research what is going on in my industry, or research information for an upcoming shoot. The social events I’m going to? It’s to establish a network of other business people who will benefit and aid me in my business and build a client list that will keep me afloat. In a way, yes, I’m doing this for my health – if I didn’t, I’d be right back into the restaurant industry, where I loathed my existence.
When I hear remarks like, “are you going to be able to pay your rent this month?” or “is that the job you tell people, or is it what you really do?”, it gets extremely frustrating when I’m already naturally worried about such things as a business owner, and also extremely irritating when it’s as if they don’t know my struggle and how hard I really do work at this. However, I’m learning to channel this anger into something productive. I’m working harder than ever to make sure that, when asked such rude questions, I can proudly reply, “yes, I can successfully pay my bills on time. Yes, this is the job I tell people because yes, this is the career I have chosen.”
In the next post, I will try to get more into what I’ve learned about running a business and actually bring up pointers and tips. However, today, I was a little frustrated from what’s been building up over the past few months, and for better or worse, I have a platform to vent. For those who are looking to get into this business, I’m not trying to scare you off – I’m just telling you what you’re about to get involved with and to really make sure you do your homework. Anyone who is seeking advice or tips in photography – whether it’s the business-side or the camera-side, I am more than willing to tell you what I know (and if I don’t know, give you the resources to better find it yourself). For those who seem to want to bring me down, it’s going to take a lot more than your words to hurt me. I could say some petty and insulting things, but I’m going to take the high road and let you know this: I will be successful. Wait and see.
Until next time,
- Patrick
Patrick, this is a great post and gives me more insight into what it takes to go into this profession. I’ve always wondered how professional photographers get into the business and what they did to get there. I look forward to the rest of your posts on this
Thanks, Michelle!
I tried to not be as emotional as I typically am when it comes to my “musings” posts, so I tried to be a little more informative. Like I said, I don’t want to scare anyone away – I just want to make people aware. I think I’m going to touch on this more in future posts (and as I write for Fuel Your Photography).
- P
This is my favorite post of yours thus far, Patrick! I love your passion, admire your talent, and commend you on how you understand the business behind the work that you do. I appreciate how tough it might be at times to be unaffected by other people’s comments and misperceptions that belittle your career. But, it’s really their ignorance and their loss. Just keep doing exactly what you are doing! The rest will continue as it should (read: explosion)! xoxo
[...] recently wrote about how challenging the business of photography can be, which almost seemed like a scare tactic to prevent people from getting into this line of work. For [...]
Great post Patrick! I come across the same negativity when I’m modeling and acting. My step dad told me this morning that I better find another job because there’s, “too many women in my industry, it’s too competitive…” Last time I checked, I loved a good competition!
Keep following your dreams. It’s really easy to get discouraged. Always remember the one’s discouraging you probably A) Have no idea about the industry or business, or B) Are jealous that you’ve taken risks to do what you love. I loved your post…I can REALLY relate on so many levels!
XoX Emily
Thanks, Emily! I think you’re certainly right in that a lot of people don’t understand how one can make a living in a profession such as ours. It seems like a lot of people are simply jealous that we’ve found something that we love, and are making the conscious effort to do everything in our power to pursue happiness – it’s one of our liberties, isn’t it?
A lot of people I’ve talked to about my profession seem to be genuinely excited about it, but it’s always those few that seem to want to bring you down. If you really want something, you have to take their negative energy and really turn it into something awesome. We’re both competitive, so I’m sure you resonate my sentiments when I say that it’s going to be just a little sweeter when I make it in this career because I’ll have proven them wrong!
- P